If I'm not a cyclist, is a fitting just a fitting? (Atlanta LBS question)

No one has answered,, so I will give it a go. I think you should buy the bike you want and get a full fitting with whoever you want to do it. (However I really like a couple of specific folks for bike fittings, whoever you will think can do the best job is right for you). A bike fitting helps so much with the comfort of the bike. It is more than just numbers game of stack,reach, and height of seat. A good fitter has an eye that can do magic . That magic of knee, hip angles, shoe shims, etc can make a huge difference on metric and full century rides. If your only looking to do sprints and ride less than 20 miles at a time, maybe you can get by, but I think a full fitting will even make you more comfortable on those rides too. But if you bridge up to long course, get fitted now and save some discomfort.

Before I start typing, let make sure I understand your question: are you asking how you can know which bikes to look at before you've had your measurements taken? Or is it that you want to know if an exact dial-in of the specific bike you're buying is worth it? Good questions, both..

Simply put:

Get a bike fit and THEN figure out which bike you want to buy. This will narrow down the bikes that are good for you. Go from there.

I got fit at Podium MS and I got a list of bikes that would be a good fit for me. A couple of those bikes they didn't carry and they didn't try to influence my decision. I'll repeat what the others have said and say get fit first.

Guess maybe I didn't totally understand the question -- like others said -- yes, you have to have a pre-buy bike fit to know which ones are a match. Then chose your bike from there. Then what I thought you were asking is if a post buy full fitting is necessary (other than the shop taking 10 minutes to adjust your seat and handle bars). In my opinion, a full fitting on your bike adds so much added comfort, that I think it is a must.

To clarify, I am not looking to pick a bike before getting fitted. Getting fitted would certainly come first. Then getting on the right bike based on what I find out from that fitting would follow.

I listed the three stores & the brands they carry because that's what's in my price range. I can't afford (nor do I feel the need to spend the money on) a Boardman, BMC, Seven, Parlee, etc bike. It was my hope to find the store that most closely matched the bike I would end up buying & just have them do the fitting for me as it would be included in the cost of the bike. I know that not all fittings are equal & the "included" fitting I get at one LBS may not come close to the "included" fitting I get at another LBS. I also know that most stores have an incentive to sell you a bike that they carry after a fitting. This is why I asked the question of does it really matter? If the worst fitting I could get still puts me on the right bike & in the right position, does it matter if it's a 2+ hour Podium MS fit or if it's a $125 standard fit at another place?


Definitely the first. I get that comparing a Cervelo vs Trek vs Felt is not an apples to apples comparison, as not all bikes are built the same, and one bike may be better for someone with a longer torso while another may work for someone with shorter legs, but I figured if I could whittle down before a fitting that I would likely end up on a Cervelo or QR, then I would go to A3S for my fitting. Similarly, if it looked like a Felt was in my future, Podium would be the place to go.


This is the most useful piece of info I have seen & validates the direction that I am leaning now (get fit at Podium regardless). The responses here, plus those I got when I posted this same question on ST, is that a good & proper fitting will be better than a simple basic fitting. I had heard that Podium will tell you a list of bikes that work for you, but I figured they would still try & sway you to one of their bikes. And to be honest, with the exception of the lower end Felt bikes, they carry some pricey rides. it's good to know that they will be honest & point you to a bike that they do not sell if that is what truly works for you.


That brings up another great point. If I get a pre-purchase fit at one place and then buy a bike elsewhere, I would want to go back to where I got my fitting to get adjusted on my new ride. If it was all done at the same place, I could see it all being included in the package. But if I got my bike someplace different, would the place where I got fit be willing to do the post-purchase adjustments gratis, or would I incur another fitting fee?


I know this whole thing makes me sound like a cheapskate, and I certainly don't want to look like I am trying to get a handout, but I also don't want to, nor can I afford to, just throw money away when there is a smarter & more cost efficient way to get on the right bike.

The first step is to determine what type of bike you need. Bikes range from long & low (think Cervelo) to tall & narrow (think Scott or Blue) and everything in between. Long and low is for people with a long torso and shorter legs. Tall & narrow is for short torso and long legs. You are better off buying a bike that is already in your morphology and then adjusting the fit as opposed to buying the bike you "Want" and trying to make it fit. Any good fitter can tell you without doing any fit if they have bikes that are a decent match for your body type (if they are honest). A well fitted bike is a faster bike.

Well I am not sure if it works this way at all the local bike shops, but I went to a tri plac and got pre purchase measurements and it was $40. I could have taken that sheet and matched bikes to it (although being very careful to actually take a tape measure and measure top tube length according to how it was given on the sheet because different manufacturers will measure differently, some from outside the seat post and some inside,etc. I ended up choosing a used bike at that shop and they took the $40 off the bike price. I then wanted a guy at that shop to truly fit it ( they included a quick seat/handle bar adjustment that made the bike feel ok). I went back and paid (I can't remember exactly but I think it was 175 with a discount for a tri club) and had a full fit which took over an hour and involved hip angle measurements, knee checks, shims added to my shoes for knees, handlebars stem changed out (which I needed to buy the new stem at about $10) and lots of tiny adjustments and rechecks until everything was perfect. So that is how the money went. Don't know if that helps, but I think it would be similar at a bike shop. I would have essentially lost 40 if I didn't buy the bike at the same place. I could have gone anywhere for the full fit without losing money.

That's exactly what I am looking to do with this pre-fit screening idea. I am 5'11", but I only have a 30" inseam, so with shorter legs & a longer torso, I would focus my search on, as you put it, long & low bikes.

But I also see the benefit of going someplace, especially given my non-traditional body shape, to get a proper fit so I don't have someone trying to fit me to a bike instead of fitting me to the right bike.