Bike Fitters: Pricey and Worth It

Once upon a time, this piece in the New York Times tells us, bike fitting required a cyclist to straddle a few different bike
frame sizes, raise or lower the seat of the best fitting one, and be
done with it as a clerk looked on. Not any more. In the last decade, the Times reports, a far
more involved fitting process previously reserved for professional
cyclists has mushroomed into a mainstream offering. This time around, it involves adjustments so minute that they
are measured by the millimeter. The goal, the Times writes, is to increase comfort and
lower the risk of repetitive-use injury. But the price itself sounds injurio
us: $150 to $400.
One system (Retul) touted by the Times uses three-dimensional motion-capture technology. Eight light-emitting diodes
are placed at various key points on a cyclist’s body. When the cyclist
gets on the bike and pedals, they flash every 2.1 milliseconds
reportedly to deliver 29 full sets of body data" to a central computer. Still with us?
Read more about what bike fitters can do for you in the New York Times.