The importance of professional bike fitting for cyclists

The question on many riders’ minds, prior to getting a bike fit, is whether the expense is “worth it”. Is it possible to bike fit oneself, and if so will the end result be as good as what you could get from a bikefitter?

We have to start the conversation with a couple of caveats: 

• How good is your chosen bikefitter? (There are massive differences between fitters)
• What is the price for the service they are offering?
• What exactly is the service they are offering?
• If you were to do it yourself, how effective would you be in understanding and solving issues you have?

As you can see there are many variables, which is why a certain rider may think a fit has been a waste of money and another might not. 

With the assumption that your chosen fitter is competent, patient and open minded, and that their fees are not going to break the bank, you almost certainly will benefit from a fit in the following ways:

• Initial assessment of your bike: You’d be amazed at what fitters pick up as you enter the room. They can tell whether your bike is badly set up; they can tell whether the bike is within the right size parameters, give or take, and they can tell whether there will be an issue with that bike, before even seeing you on it. They pick up things about you as a rider as well. 

• Outside eyes: This is of primary importance, especially when it comes to the pedalling circle. No matter how much you can “feel” on the bike you can not look at yourself from the outside and spot the things that a fitter will be able to. A good fitter, within 30-60 seconds of seeing a side view of you on the bike, will have registered all they need to from that angle. Another 30-60 seconds on the other side then a frontal and rear look, all within the space of maybe 5 minutes. Not only will they be able to see what issues there are, but they will already be formulating solutions.

• Knowledge from experience: Fitting riders daily teaches us about the multitude of problems riders may face, and what solutions could potentially solve them. Fitting oneself cannot provide any “body of experience” to draw on.
  
  

• A quick access to potential and multiple solutions to your problems: A fitter has a quiver full of fixes, and a creative fitter might even make some up for you. You could spend weeks finding out about those solutions yourself, but you would not have instant access to the knowledge of whether they were viable choices or not.

There is great value in seeing a good fitter, particularly if you have ongoing problems on the bike. But you have to pick carefully – more expensive is not always better. A fitter with an open mind and an obvious desire to fix your problem will always be beneficial. However, if you don’t have high demands of your cycling, are good at “feel” fitting and don’t have any niggles, you can get away with going solo. Just remember too that a fitter can’t experience what you’re experiencing on your bike, so your own perspective and preferences also have a very important place in the process. Don’t allow yourself to be swayed into changes that don’t feel right for you.