1.)i have read some posts that say a fitting at a LBS will be around $50.
what actually goes on? do they just raise and lower seat, bars, etc. for proper fitting?


2.) i know someone that has ridden road bike for years and is experirenced
he could do the same for free - but i do not know who to go to.

My vote would be to go with the LBS for the following reasons:

1) They do this all of the time and given an experienced person doing the sizing, they should get you comfortable on your bike. You friend might be really good at this too, and I'd ask him to come along during the fitting to see if there is something that they could add during the fitting

2) If you need a longer/shorter stem or crank arms, the LBS shop should swap them out for free if you buy a bike from them as long as its done at the time of purchase, or shortly thereafter.

That being said, if you buy the bike at the LBS, they should not charge for the fitting. It should be thrown. If they won't thow in the fitting, find another bike shop. I know that they are spending their time (usually at least an hour) to get you fitted properly, but that is what bike shops do. I don't see a need to pay additionally for some guy's time when he would have been there anyway doing who-knows-what. The cost of fitting a bike should be built into the cost of the bike anyway.

As for what they do, you are mostly right, but as I said earlier they may need to swap some parts out. But in addition to that, if you have problems with your feet or knees and ask them for help, they should be able to make adjustments to cleat position etc. to make your ride more enjoyable.

Not all fittings are the same. The typical bike shop fitting may be a 5-15 minute deal which is better than nothing, but not worth $50 since you can find the information on the web and do it yourself with a little help. I know of one shop that does a very detailed analysis. They say to plan on an hour and a half. They charge $150 (unless you bought the bike there). The $150 seems pretty steep, but they are spending 10x's as much time with you for only 3x the money.

My thought, if you're going to pay for a fitting, don't pay an LBS who you are buying your bike from; go to a professional fitter (and no, not the fitter at your LBS who has a certificate on the wall). It'll be more than the LBS, but if you have to pay, pay for something that is right.

Sure, some LBS shops have real professional fitters, but all the ones I've been in use imprecise trial-by-error methods hoping to get it right.

1.)i have read some posts that say a fitting at a LBS will be around $50.
what actually goes on? do they just raise and lower seat, bars, etc. for proper fitting?


2.) i know someone that has ridden road bike for years and is experirenced
he could do the same for free - but i do not know who to go to.

If you buy the bicycle from a shop they should include the fitting in your price of purchase.

If you just want to go balls out and go to a pro shop and get fitted, but not buy a bicycle from them, then $50 sounds cheap.

thanks for the replys/posts. i bought a bike already bike already but was planning on going to another LBS ( just because)

If you have the money lying around and you're going to spend a lot of time on the bike, a professional fitting probably would be worthwhile. I know after I got my bikes dialed in, I was immediately more comfortable, and faster because I could ride longer.
The truth is, though, that it isn't all that complicated. There's a ton of stuff online and elsewhere about bike fit (not all of which should be followed slavishly, by the way--a pro racer's body and priorities are different from mine, and probably from yours). You don't have to be a genius to figure out the basics, and you can get most of the rest from the Internet.

are there any sites you can recommend about the fitting - as a quick solution/reference?

are there any sites you can recommend about the fitting - as a quick solution/reference?
check this thread
:thumbsup:
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=83326