Bicycle Fitting Services, Precision Cycle Coach, a cycling coach, offering training and coaching services for cyclist and bicycle racers. A smarter way to train.

• Proper bicycle fit is some highly guarded secret that normal people could never understand. A few companies out there specializing in bicycle fitting want you to believe this is true, that only a few self-proclaimed “expert bike fitters” in the entire country are capable of fitting you to your bicycle. Well I am sorry to spoil this one, but proper bicycle fit is amazingly simple and easier to achieve than you may think. There is no “master Yoda” bike fitter that secretly trains a few select privileged ones in the mastery of proper bike fit. Don’t get me wrong, you need to seek the help of someone with plenty of experience and even some formal training but you are not limited to only a few experts. There are hundreds of coaches, shops and even PT’s that can help you achieve an optimal fit. Beware of companies that specialize in fitting people to their bikes and use this as a foot in the door to sell you a new bike, more on this later.
• A proper bike fit will make me faster! This is not entirely true; there is no magic bike fit or position that is going to make you faster. That being said it may help your overall performance by improving in areas like efficiency, aerodynamics, and injury prevention. For example, it will be impossible to have an efficient spin and recruit all the muscle groups available to you if your saddle is 4 cm to low. However, if you are 40 pounds overweight and haven’t ridden a bike in years, an efficient spin isn’t going to make you any faster up the hills. I have seen athletes spend thousands with “fit specialists” trying to dial in a more efficient position, all the while forgetting that you actually have to train to get faster. There is no magic bike fit, you are only going to get faster the old fashioned way, hard work.
• You must get fit first before you buy a new bike. Once again, this is another myth. It may not hurt to be fit first, especially if you are a new cyclist and this is your first bike. Most of you, however, are experienced riders and already have your position dialed. With a tape measure, some common sense and a little research you can easily find the bike/geometry that is right for you. Beware, there are a few companies out there specializing in bike fit that are also trying to sell you a new bike. When considering these “fit specialists” for your new bike, think about a few things. When trying to sell you something, how objective and honest do you think these specialists are going to be when they are only trying to get into your wallet? Will this guy really be honest about a good fitting bike for you if the bike is one that he doesn’t sell? I think not. Think about what you are being told. Statements like: “from a geometry perspective, there is only one bike that really fits you” I have actually known people that have been told this. Get real! There are thousands of bikes and different geometries on the market. Do you really believe that only one fits you, and it is just coincidence that it happens to be a bike this guy is selling? Think before you buy. Beware of sales tricks, some of these specialty fitters charge $300-$400 for a fitting and then afterwards offer you a $200 credit towards the purchase of a new bike. This is only to make you feel guilty about walking away from $200 so they can trap you into an overpriced sale.
• Only a custom bike will fit you well. Custom bikes are nice; I own one myself. However, they are usually not necessary. Remember that guy that charged $400 to fit you for a new bike? Now he is telling you the only way you will get a bike that works well for you is if it’s custom. I suggest you do a lot of research on bicycle geometry and how bikes are designed and built. Do you really think this self-proclaimed fit specialist really knows better that the rest of the cycling world? Be very cautious when purchasing a custom bike. In my experience, one of two things happen: One, you are blatantly lied to and designed a bike that is identical to or extremely close to a stock geometry. Two, you are going to end up with a bike that is so poorly designed that it rides like a shopping cart. Bikes have always been designed a certain way for a reason, to ride and handle well. Changing the geometry to far outside of these standards will effect things like weight distribution and handling and usually ends up making a bike handle more like a canoe. Don’t get me wrong, certain people need special custom bikes due to physical limitations, but the majority of cyclists are just fine on traditional stock geometries.
• A good bike fitting will cost you $400. While I would certainly like to make this kind of money, it is too much to pay for a fitting. A detailed precision bike fitting can be done in one hour. There are companies that will take 3-4 hours for a bike fitting and charge you a fortune. Consider this: how much of that time is spent actually fitting you and how much is spent on distractions, smoke and mirrors and the dog and pony show? Or, how much time is spent trying to sell you something? The $300-$400 fittings are only so they can offer you the “credit “ towards a new bike and try to trap you into this overpriced purchase, after of course they tell you your current bike is all wrong for you and the only thing that will “make you faster” is an $8,000 custom bike. I see no reason why a detailed comprehensive fitting should cost any more than $150.

Precision Cycle Coach Comprehensive Bike Fitting Service:

$150- Includes detailed current position analysis, bio mechanical analysis, cleat alignment, power and spin analysis, bike adjustment to new position and a new bike consultation and report. If new parts are needed I will advise you as to what you should purchase and recommend a good place to purchase it. Excessive mechanical work and parts are extra and will be billed at the rate of $60 per hour. Contact me for an appointment today.

*Fittings are done by appointment at my location or yours, travel fees apply.