The Beacon Message Board

Who has had one and was it worth it?

if you have where did u get it done?

i have been considering getting one done, but dont really know where or who to get it done by.

See here: http://www.beaconrcc.org.uk/message_boa ... ht=fitting

Bike Dynamics use Dartfish, which is a one sided dynamic fit system. Retul measures both sides and will be available at a new shop in Hockley Heath soon, although it is more expensive.

Definitely worth having it done Alistar, I had mine when I bought the Pinarello and its paid dividends. It's important to be comfortable on the bike especially over long distances & it reduces the chances of injury.

Bicicelo do a bike fit, I paid £50 & it wasn't bad & took about 2 hours.

http://www.worcester.ac.uk/discover/bikefit.html

Alistair - I got a bike fit done here a few months ago. It was very comprehensive - lasted about 2 hours in all and included lots of questions about previous and anticipated riding as well as flexibility tests. I got it in anticipation of a new bike which is better than them having to fit you to a wrong sized bike you've already bought...My cleat position was altered significantly and I think that has been good. I haven't implemented the other changes on my current bike yet as they are dependent on me having narrower handlebars and a shorter stem fitted to accommodate a different saddle position. I was certainly impressed by the attention to detail and the comprehensive report which was provided afterwards. There are different prices depending on how extensive you want the fit to be.
Claire

http://www.cadencesport.co.uk/

I had a fitting here - lasted about 4 hours (but that was icluding my TT bike too). I also had custom footbeds made for my shoes.

A few changes were made, but there all worked together to make my bikes much more comfortable.

+1 for Bicicielo. They use http://www.bikefitting.com/ which is a shimano company. The £50 price was in Christmas sale last year think it's usually £75ish

@John - Heard very good reports about Cadence sports bike fit & am tempted to go for a more comprehensive bike fit with the insoles. £150 if memory serves me right and its an ex pro rider that owns the business so that's well worth paying for!

Tim - You're correct it was a promo price of £50 but i'm sure if anyone asks Andy or one of the chaps in Bicicielo they would do it at a discounted rate!

Alistair, not sure how much cash you have but I'm a cheapskate so I recently took a video of myself on the turbo.
From this I used AutoCAD to measure various angles and this resulted in me moving my saddle forward a tad and rotating the handlebars so my hands were more comfortable in the hoods.
I was inspired by the bike dynamics video on youtube.

I went for a fit with Adrian Timmis at Cadence Sport in Barton-under-Needwood today, and I can't recommend it highly enough. It's expensive but the difference in my riding position is enormous and I could tell the difference in efficiency straight away. According to his turbo trainer, my power output at a steady pace was 200w in my old position, and 270w at the same effort in the same gear in the new position! I also got some SIDAS custom footbeds out of it, and found out that my right leg is significantly longer than my left leg and that I have wonky shoulders. There's a before-and-after video here (before is on the right, as is pretty obvious). I probably got more out of it than some others would because my position was pretty bad to start with (he said I looked like I was pushing a wheelbarrow), but I reckon it's well worth the money and the trip if anyone is considering a bike fit. Adrian's also a really nice guy with a very nice shop, and will make you nice coffee and tell you all about his pro days.

just saw the video, if that's how you cycled before the bike fit, I cycle like gollem off lord of the rings, its probably one of the worst positions ever

Adrian Timmis is a legend. His name, along with others like Tim Gould, Barry Clarke, Nick Craig, David Baker, Caroline Alexander and Isla Rowntree, make me go all misty eyed about the early days of British mountain biking.

He actually posted on twitter earlier today about the 70w power increase.

Having endured knee pain for years I dearly wish I could've had a professional bike fit years ago.

So your saddle has been 3 cm too low I understand .
I've found my saddle height has been steadily rising over the last couple of years. My theory is that if it's too low your legs are supporting your body instead of the saddle and hence waisting energy.

Laurence, I'd be really interested to hear all about it sometime.

I had a fitting at Bikedynamics after back issue's and getting cramp after moving the seat. I would of highly recommended it but his prices seem to have risen sharply (I think its gone up £25)and when i contacted him about sizing of the frame before I booked another fit i was told "I haven't got time" so think i'll be going elsewhere, especially after reading the information supplied by Greg.

Nicks_77 wrote:Tim - You're correct it was a promo price of £50 but i'm sure if anyone asks Andy or one of the chaps in Bicicielo they would do it at a discounted rate!

I contacted the store and there were no discounts on offer sadly.

Interesting, within moments of posting I started being followed on twitter by @MidlandBikeFit.

http://midlandbikefit.com

Anyone heard or used them ? They're offering a Pro fit for £99

Pedlo Mudguardo wrote:Adrian Timmis is a legend. His name, along with others like Tim Gould, Barry Clarke, Nick Craig, David Baker, Caroline Alexander and Isla Rowntree, make me go all misty eyed about the early days of British mountain biking.

He actually posted on twitter earlier today about the 70w power increase.

Having endured knee pain for years I dearly wish I could've had a professional bike fit years ago.

So your saddle has been 3 cm too low I understand .
I've found my saddle height has been steadily rising over the last couple of years. My theory is that if it's too low your legs are supporting your body instead of the saddle and hence waisting energy.

Laurence, I'd be really interested to hear all about it sometime.

Yes, he moved my saddle up and also back. Looking at the video and in the mirrors he has set up it was pretty obvious that my legs were too cramped previously. He also removed 1 cm of spacers from under the stem, and swapped my 100 mm stem for a 130 mm one. I knew that I needed some spacers removed and maybe a longer stem, but knowing that I had this session booked I was waiting to see what Adrian had to say. The other changes weren't things that I'd have ever thought of myself, and added together, they make for a big difference in reach and saddle-bar drop! Before, my arms were basically propping my body up and even though I knew I needed to bend my elbows more (mainly thanks to Gary shouting "get more aero!" at me), I was finding that difficult. Now, my elbows naturally drop into position and my weight is much more spread out along the bike, which he said would make it easier to corner at speed, descend, and switch from standing to seated and vice versa.

Will tell you all about it tomorrow if you're at the TT, Nic.

Laurence..........how did you get round the difference in leg length?

David Farley wrote:Laurence..........how did you get round the difference in leg length?

Despite the fact that the difference is pretty noticeable when I'm lying down, apparently I compensate for it somehow when pedalling so it's not really an issue.

Is it an actual leg length difference or a so-called 'apparent' difference?

An actual ie. where the bone length is different is rare, apparent ie. Where the muscles & ligaments of your hip and/or lower back are inbalanced causing an 'apparent' difference is more common.

Lying flat on your back it may appear that one is longer than other, but standing and /or seated on a bike it evens out / or isn't actually the case.

It would take an experienced and good osteopath/physio/massage therapist or similar or DEXA body scan to really know

Probably apparent then. When I lie down (or sit down with my legs straight out ahead of me), my right ankle bone is slightly further away than the left one, but it balances out on the bike and it's not that my hips are out of line to compensate, so it wasn't really considered a problem.

laurence_cooley wrote:Probably apparent then. When I lie down (or sit down with my legs straight out ahead of me), my right ankle bone is slightly further away than the left one, but it balances out on the bike and it's not that my hips are out of line to compensate, so it wasn't really considered a problem.

So, by the sound of things, you can reach the brakes and everything, but ringing the bell, the be-e-e-ell can be a problem?

Hi Everybody.

I am looking at a bike fit but i am stuck between 2 companies, Midland Bike Fit or Cadence Sport.

Cadence Sport is twice the price of Midland Bike Fit and although price is not a problem i am wondering if anyone out there can give me advice, i find, most of the time, that more expensive does not mean the best so any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Paul B

PaulB wrote:Hi Everybody.

I am looking at a bike fit but i am stuck between 2 companies, Midland Bike Fit or Cadence Sport.

Cadence Sport is twice the price of Midland Bike Fit and although price is not a problem i am wondering if anyone out there can give me advice, i find, most of the time, that more expensive does not mean the best so any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Paul B

Going on Laurence's recommendation and Adrian Timmis's reputation, Cadence Sport seems a sound bet. I'm not sure that anyone here has used Midland Bike Fit, which opened in April this year.

Bike Dynamics in Leamington has been used and recommended by a number of people (including me).

I don't really have much to add to my thoughts above, and this is the only bike fit I've had so I don't have anything to compare it to. It is expensive but part of the cost reflects the fact that you get the custom footbeds included and I reckon that it's pretty good value for money all things considered.

On the basis of Digger's recommendation, I went to Worcester University today for a bike fit. The cost £130 for a 2 hour assessment.

What they did:

- 3D imagery testing cycling geometry and cycling flow.
- Measured cleats
- Measured bike dimensions
- Assessed my height
- Assessed my stretch
- Assessed my needs on the basis of my particular cycling needs

What they recommended:

- adjustments to cleats
- saddle position
- saddle height
- hip rotor exercises and strengthening
- stretching

What resulted:

- A further 3D imagery exercise identified significant improvements to flow and style.
- Greater comfort in the saddle
- Better seating position

Now I have to see whether it works on the road. By what I have seen so far, I would recommend their services.

Did they see you climb

Hi all,
any updated recommendation?

Thanks

+1 for Misura Bike Fit at Worcester University. Really in-depth service, loads of consulting around the actual bike fit. I ended up with 6cm (!) taken off my reach, worked wonders. Only thing that was missing in my opinion was a recommended ideal bike geometry 'recipe' that could be used to inform future builds.

The whole concept is new to me but has anyone tried the Boardman setup at Evesham. Interesting and worth a visit. They are at the Evesham Garden Centre at the northern end of the Evesham bypass.

I have been to Bike Dynamics in Leamington for both Road and TT Bike fit:
http://bikedynamics.co.uk/

Tri-1st in harborne also do fitting, but haven't used them personally:
https://www.tri-1stcoaching.com/bike-fit/