cost of bike fitting
casserole mum
Posts: 15
in General Chat
Hi everyone, I'm a lurker that has recently completed my first triathlon and (surprise surprise!) is now thinking about a new bike. I have been told to get a bike fitting done so went to my LBS and they charge...£120!! They said that if you buy the bike from them the £120 is taken off the bike price, which is great, but I sort of feel that then I'll not have any choice of bike, and my budget is limited.
Is this normal price for a bike fitting?
By the way, I've been quietly getting great tips and advice off you guys for the last 3 months - thanks!
Is this normal price for a bike fitting?
By the way, I've been quietly getting great tips and advice off you guys for the last 3 months - thanks!
0
Comments
I paid nothing for mine. Never occurred to me, or the LBS, that it is something that you would charge for. I did go on to buy a bike though...
Compare your experience to the reports from the others about bridge town bikes! I doubt the petrol would come to £120.
Whereabouts in the world are you?
That definitely seems expensive! The coach of one of the guys in my cycle club does them for £40. So worth shopping around, asking in a different shop, asking a cyclist, etc. etc.
When I bought my bike the LBS adjusted it to roughly about right for free. They did tell me that their sister shop next door (which is a Specialized Concept Store) would do a proper fitting for £180.
£180 quid is a lot but they apparently stick you on your bike on a turbo trainer in your bike gear and they have some fancy computerised measuing system (or something) to get everything millimetre perfect. I was told it would take about an hour.
So the £120 the OP is mentioning might not be too expensive, depending upon what exactly it involves.
120 for a computer program where they measure your limbs and give you a printout is a no-no. However, if they were going to find which aero position lets you get the maximum wattage out at a given race heart-rate then you're getting a bargain.
Thought to myself last week "What the f##k am I doing paying 150 notes!!!". So I've cancelled and got my deposit back.
Hoping I'll get a few tips off "220 Forum Coach of the Year" and the Bridgetown cycle guys on Rookie day two (25th July) www.chaserace.co.uk
Hows that for some free advertising Conehead?
A few things came out of it:
1. They got me set up on my bike so that after 5 hours of riding, I feel no stress at all in my lower back or shoulders and would be happy to go run.
2. They set up my bike in such a way that for a set working heartrate and cadence I can put out 15 more watts than I did on my original setup, which is just free speed.
3. The attention to the shoe/pedal interface helped a lot, and although I've tweaked my cleat position slightly, using their orthotics gave a lot of support and comfort that I appreciate.
4. I felt confident that everything was "just right" and this probably makes me try that 1% harder on my training rides, knowing that there's no excuse for the bike and that its all about the engine.
Good experience, but I wish I'd waited until I have another 10,000 miles in my legs before bothering. Very helpful staff, answering any questions at all you could imagine about cycling or bikes. They did try and sell me a Guru Chrono though, which had me laugh when I saw a price tag of 4000 for the frame only... not even a fork included yet.
... Small.. very friendly...
The guy that runs it is an ex-pro of some repute (British champion a few times) and is currently the manager of the Halford's Bike Hut Pro team...
..So, when he put me on a bike, played around with a few things etc.. I thought if I can't trust him, who can I trust!
Being charged £130 for that sort of thing is a bit rich. In fact, I'm gobsmacked.
Ta!