FIRST bike purchase & fitting question

The first bike purchase can certainly be angst ridden.

I never really trust the local bike shop (LBS) because, as you say, they'll always say they have the "right bike for you". Regardless. Even if it's the only one they have. Maybe there's an LBS in your area with a good selection of bikes in different sizes and trustworthy people.

But the Internet is always your friend. You can find online size guidelines for your height, torso length, leg length, arm length, etc. Trek has these guidelines for their bikes. I'm certain the websites for each of the other bike companies have the same.

The online bike shops like Competitive Cylist have online fit calculators so you can order their bikes online.

You can also find a local bike team or bike club and ask them for the name of respected local fitters. Fitters can dial in your bike to fit you, and are usually happy to give guidance before you buy the bike. Some LBSs have respected fitters, some do not.

If you're not very experience on your bike, then it will be hard for you to tell if the bike is the right fit. The bike websites (and this one) have various articles on bike fit with guideliens about where your elbows should be when you're on the drops, how much knee bend you should have, if you're on a tri bike aerobars how level your arms should be. You should work to find those and understand them to be an informed bicycle purchaser.

Now, I'm going to go off with my personal opinion and say fit is not the end all and be all that some people will claim. You will find that some people will make out that there is only One True Fit and thus One True Bike for You, and that you will be entirely hosed for all your bike riding experience if the frame isn't Exactly Perfectly Correctly The Right Fit for You.

A couple millimeters here and a couple millimeters there really won't make a difference. Centimeters do make a difference. There is certainly such a thing as a badly fitting bike, but I think there are also a number of bikes that will fit just fine for the average person. And judging from the wide variety of setups I see on the racks, there is no one true way to setup a bike and one true way to ride it.

You should ride at least four or five different bikes from different companies in different sizes, and see how they feel. This is the hardest thing for some people - they want to go right out and come home today with the first and only bike they tested. This is the biggest mistake you can make! Take your time. Try the bikes. When my wife and I were shopping for her first road bike, she hated that I pushed her to try 8 different bikes over several weekends. She liked the third one, and didn't want to try any more.

She did end up buying the third one, but she has said that by trying all those bikes, she doesn't have any buyer's remorse about it. She is confident it's the right bike, because she tried seven others.

Edited by brucemorgan 2008-07-19 2:10 PM

Wow, I know I wasn't the OP but I found this advice to be really helpful since I'm in the same position. So thank you for that, I will remember to measure myself first and ask around about good bike shops as well as testing many kinds. I'm afraid that because I'm so anxious to buy something that I'll get a cheapo bike or something from an LBS that isn't as good as it could be just because I was so eager to buy. So I guess I'll just remember that I have time at my disposal and to be patient and really invest in something that I like and more importantly something that I will use. So thank you, I really appreciate the useful advice. =)

Also, the test ride around the parking lot shouldn't be the end of it. You can certainly ride an off size bike just to up your enthusiasm for the product. Did you ever test drive the black car but buy the blue one? That's OK, but the staff should explain that they'll work to get you fitted when you're ready to buy. Also, maybe an advance understanding of what this means (stem swaps OK? Who pays here?) is a good idea. Manage the expectations.

You're welcome.

I'll also second riding it more than just the parking lot.

And ride some bikes that you don't think will fit. Ride the "probably too big" and "probably too small" bikes.

Lastly, everyone measures their frames differently. A 58 from Trek is not the same size as a 58 from Giant. So you can't tranpose frame sizes from one brand to the next.

Listen to brucemorgan.....some GREAT advice and thoughts.

The only thing I would throw in is that if the bike fitter is a competent bike fitter, he will also offer up for you to come back in 2 to 3 months for a check on your bike fit.

I just had my new tri bike fitted. We spent about 4 hours measuring, swapping components, setting aerobars, setting up the seat post, spacers, blah, blah, blah............. bottomline, this fitter worked to ensure that it was the best fit at this moment.

During your training, you are going to become better conditioned and you may need to make some minor adjustments. As part of the bike fitting service, he offered to make the adjustments for free. (I didn't argue.)

Best of luck!