I could pay £95 for this, but.

[sara]

An interesting bit from the Guardian about bike fitting, though I think I've done a lot of the same stuff just stopping by the side of the road with a 5 mm. hex key. Doesn't everyone?

Still, good point that adjusting the bike you have, rather than changing bits out, can do a lot for fit.

Comments

[forthwritten]

I suspect it's useful for inexperienced cyclists, those not confident with bike mechanics and those who might need more careful/thoughtful adjustments. As an inexperienced bike owner I'd quite like it if a more experienced person could take a look at my bike and cycling and tell me what could be adjusted. My mum has various leg issues and I think she'd enjoy cycling, but understandably is unwilling to try it if it'll be painful or aggravate her knee and hips.

Not sure I'd pay £95 for myself and I suspect my mum would want to see someone with more of a physio background though.

[sara]

Oh, I don't doubt it's useful, that just seems like a lot to pay for something I'd think some folks could do for themselves and that a good bike shop should be doing for free (or less than that, anyhow) for its clients. I think our local place does fitting consults for people who haven't bought bikes there for about an hour's worth of shop time, which is, I think, $55 (or about £35).

[forthwritten]

Oh, definitely. £35 or so sounds much more reasonable - and I'd probably pay that seeing it's for my safety and health. When I think about it, I'm inclined to think that £95 is London prices and a bike fitting, as with beer and haircuts, would be cheaper outside London.

[alien8]

I should point out I've used Bikewhisperer. Scherrit is as good as the journalist says and you are getting 3 hours of a professionals time, no way is £35 enough for that!

It's way more than 'is the saddle the right height'. You know this really when he is underneath you watching you pedal and then gets you to stop and moves your cleats :)

He's a British Cycling coach & can design Frames etc.

Similar services in London are £200+ (e.g Barry @ Bespoke cycling, Cyclefit) - this is not the same as the 'quick tune up' you get in a bike shop - the 'Specialised BG fit' is available now in some shops which is also ~£200.

If you just commute a short distance, would I worry about being fitted to this level? no. not unless I started having problems or was uncomfortable.

If I was about to do a long ride then I would spend the money to ward off possible issues - it's easier to prevent a problem than fix it in bodily terms.

[sara]

*shrug* Hey, if you're happy with it, go for it. I've been happy with the service at my LBS and the place that built our tandem, as far as fitting goes, but I know that a lot of LBSes may not be all that as far as properly fitting folks. Mind, I'm spoiled by being of exactly-average-American height, with an average-length inseam, which I'm sure impacts my impression that fitting a bike properly isn't all that hard -- of course it's not hard for me, everything is designed for someone my size.

And hey, what is your small-wheeled bicycle, there?

[alien8]

Well indeed, YMMV, I'm training for a big distance event - and post injury so fit is absolutely critical to me. I'm actually going through saddles atm trying to find one that's good for me - Fizik Aliante *bzzt* Brooks Swift *bzzt*, next!

ref the bike.
It's a Moulton. <3

see http://www.moultonbicycles.co.uk/models.html and read the History page etc. They're lovely.

[sara]

Oh, a Moulton, yes. My tandem is a Bike Friday, which is sort of the Oregon version of the same thing. *grin*

Really, you didn't like the Brooks? I switched to a B17 last year and the only problem I have with it is that I keep having to switch it from one bike to the other, because I can't stand to go back to the foam one....

Yeah, I can see that after an injury, fit would be more of an issue. My ride goal for this year is to get through the Alpine Century and have it be fun, rather than work. (I did it last year, but it was more of an "Oh, I have conquered," than a "Whee!")

[alien8]

saddles are an interesting area - what works for one person won't necessarily work for another.

Riding on one for > 2 hours is the acid test as to whether it works.. The Brooks Swift indeed doesn't quite work and I'm trying another saddle shape in the next few days to see if it works better. (I'll do over well over 3 hours on it before I reject it and move onto the next!)

see https://www.lfgss.com/thread12014-6.html (scroll down) for what 1 person has been through :)

oh and... a Moulton isn't really like bikefriday,

- Moultons are full suspension road bikes
- Moultons don't fold :) (although some seperate)

Bikefriday - they're more likely to be put up in tests vs Dahon (Speed Mu), Brompton, Mezzo et al. The Pocket rocket is kinda fun looking mind. :D

[sara]

Yeah, I like the B17 because it's actually wide enough in the seat for me. After carrying a nearly-10-lb. baby, my sit bones are further apart than most (with other saddles, I kept having my toes go numb around about the thirty mile mark, which...gets old). I sympathize, though, it took me three or four trials before I found something that was a good fit.

I am mystified by the guy in that thread who's complaining that he can feel the rail in all the Brooks saddles. Yes, that is the point, neighbor. I've actually cut all the chamois out of my bike pants since switching to the Brooks, and I handily do fifty miles in an afternoon that way with no soreness. 'Course, I notice he's also doing 15 miles in jeans, which...yeah, that might be a contributing factor to your saddle sores, there. *snerk*

Hey now, is it nice to compare someone's bicycle to a Dahon? ;>

[alien8]

"Hey now, is it nice to compare someone's bicycle to a Dahon? ;>"

gotcha :D - BF are nicer than most, sorry :-)
the Mu with SRAM Red is pretty fun (Byron of bikehugger.com has one)

Riding in jeans isn't necessarily a problem at all - they're not talking about 501's here. http://www.swrve.co.uk/jeans.html - proper riding jeans. Some have bibs underneath.

There was one guy who used to turn up to the pub in full lycra but any long ride (e.g London->Brighton and back, West London to Clacton on Sea and back) he'd do in jeans. RIP Fiddy.

[sara]

They look cute for around town or going to work, but I don't think I'd want to be out in 'em in the rain -- though the same thing in a washable wool, I'd probably wear all the time (indeed, this is the "problem" with the wool jerseys I got for Christmas this year, they're supposed to be for cycling and yet I keep wearing them everywhere else, too. No, they haven't got butt-pockets, I'm not quite that big of a dork).

Yeah, the big hinge on the Dahons always looks wockety to me, at least in the units I've seen. I look at them and think, well, for a little more you could be on a Friday, wouldn't that be better? But then, a lot of why we have a Friday is that the tandem has a very, very low stepover height, and my daughter is really short for her age.