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cost of bike fitting

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!

Comments

  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    Wow! (and well done with your first tri!)



    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?
  • I live in central Scotland, so I think Bridgetown cycles is a little far for me - more's the pity!
  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    Too far north for me to know of anywhere! Shadowone1 might be a bit closer and have an idea of some decent shops.
  • [toPh][toPh] Posts: 244
    It my local shop they quoated me £35, so £120 is a bit steep!
  • nivaghnivagh Posts: 595
    OWCH!



    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.
  • JulesJules Posts: 987
    Depends what's involved.



    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.
  • danny_sdanny_s Posts: 235
    It's a lot, but there are a lot of different fittings you can have. Finding the right frame size is one thing but if you want to get it optimized so that you have the maximum power output, then that'll use a lot of fancy equipment.



    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.
  • FlavadaveFlavadave Posts: 749
    I'd recentyly booked myself on a cyclefit session to get measured up. £150! Deposit paid of half that.



    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?
  • danny_sdanny_s Posts: 235
    I did the cyclefit thing, and I have to say, it was overpriced. If you're not uncomfortable on your bike or trying to really eek out the small performance gains at the tip of the curve, its pricey.



    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.

  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    My LBS is a bit more of a Bridgtown type affair...



    ... 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.
  • Thanks for your experiences everyone. I won't be using my LBS. They do the computer printout bit and tell you which bike (that they sell) is most suited to you. There is no wattage stuff! I'll make a trip to the Tri-centre in Edinburgh at some point instead and find out what they do. Really all I need is to make sure that the reach of the frame is correct as I've no idea how to decide on this. So £120 is far to much right now. Maybe in the future I'll need a really good bike fit, but not yet.



    Ta!
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