Just how important is a LBS bike fit??

[Bigtallfatbloke]

I am in the process of getting a road bike a smany of you know. There is a LBS who has the bike I want, but they wont let me test ride it(!!!). They want IRO £1370...that includes what they call a full pro fitting. There is another Bike shop who is not at all local and I would need to buy the bike unseen and without a 'pro' fitting. they want IRO £1290....now right now £80 is a lot of money to me...and given that this isnt a frame build but an off the shelf standard frame, just exactly what do the LBS do in thier 'pro' fit that i cannnot do myself...i.e saddle and bar tweaks??
I cannot test ride either bike & I cannot afford to mess up on a bike like this.
I am tempted to ditch the LBS and go with the shop with the cheaper bike...we are in touch via em and the guy is very helpful and answers the right questions with the right answers, which is more than the lbs here is able to do in th eflesh it seems.

 

[Fab Foodie]

No test-ride, no deal.

What bike is it and where are you, maybe somebody here can locate a shop that gives a damn.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

I want the bianchi 928 carbon veloce 10s compact in celeste on black frame 61 most likely. I am in sowf essex.

 

[4F]

Got to agree with Fab Foodie. There is no way I would pay that much and not have a test ride first. Time to find another LBS

 

[Fab Foodie]

I paid £1200 for my Giant 4 years ago.

The guys did a basic bike fit session £40 then set-up 2 different bikes for me to try and allowed me a test-ride on both (Credit card as Security).

 

[Night Train]

I got a test ride on a £400 bike and the staff helped set it up first. There is no way I would spend £1300 without a test ride and with the bike set up for me.

Even if I was spending £89 at Aldi I would want to put it together and ride it a bit up and down the aisles.

 

[Tynan]

I spent £800 (and £500 before that) and was allowed out for spin both times, frankly in both cases I came back ecstatic and ready to buy and I think theyy knew that would happen, more power to them

I got slightly accidentally lost with the Condor bike and frankly went on a far longer ride than I was supposed to, no bother to them at all

Anyone that doesn't let you ride the bike is taking the piss, doubly so for that sort of money, dear god, how much can they really care about you as a buyer?

 

[jassy-x]

I paid £1200 for my Giant 4 years ago.

The guys did a basic bike fit session £40 then set-up 2 different bikes for me to try and allowed me a test-ride on both (Credit card as Security).

.....thats the norm in any decent LBS...I would'nt settle for anything less..if your not happy just walk away with your 1370 notes...its their loss...you will find the right bike elswhere..

 

[HJ]

These no way I would buy a bike without riding it first, just find another LBS...

 

[P.H]

If the bike is of a type you're used to riding, then a test ride would be useful to differentiate between models.
If it's of a different style bike, it won’t be much use. The bike that feels best on a test ride will be the one your body is most comfortable on, which will be the one closest to what you're already riding rather than the one that's best for you long term.
I know it's tempting to spend the hard earned on goods rather than service, it's a false economy. I went through six bikes before realising this, my favourite bike is my Hewitt, bought unseen after a fitting session. In the first week I thought he'd got it totally wrong, by the third week I wasn't sure, a couple of months later I'd changed my other bikes to match. If I'd relied on a test ride I'd have rejected it and made another mistake.

 

[jassy-x]

If the bike is of a type you're used to riding, then a test ride would be useful to differentiate between models.
If it's of a different style bike, it won’t be much use. The bike that feels best on a test ride will be the one your body is most comfortable on, which will be the one closest to what you're already riding rather than the one that's best for you long term.
I know it's tempting to spend the hard earned on goods rather than service, it's a false economy. I went through six bikes before realising this, my favourite bike is my Hewitt, bought unseen after a fitting session. In the first week I thought he'd got it totally wrong, by the third week I wasn't sure, a couple of months later I'd changed my other bikes to match. If I'd relied on a test ride I'd have rejected it and made another mistake.

....a good point PH, but I still think I would always want a test ride first before handing over the cash....that's a matter of choice, or even just to satisfy my right as the customer...just think there's something suss about a dealer that won't give you that choice?????....

 

[RedBike]

IMO It's very important to have the right size bike and well worth spending a bit extra to achieve it.

However, you would expect a bike shop to help advise you on the correct size without having to pay for a proffesional fitting session.

If I was paying £80 I would expect EVERYTHING to checked from the position of my cleats to the width of the saddle; and parts to be swapped for free where required.

 

[Dave5N]

If the bike is of a type you're used to riding, then a test ride would be useful to differentiate between models.
If it's of a different style bike, it won’t be much use. The bike that feels best on a test ride will be the one your body is most comfortable on, which will be the one closest to what you're already riding rather than the one that's best for you long term.
I know it's tempting to spend the hard earned on goods rather than service, it's a false economy. I went through six bikes before realising this, my favourite bike is my Hewitt, bought unseen after a fitting session. In the first week I thought he'd got it totally wrong, by the third week I wasn't sure, a couple of months later I'd changed my other bikes to match. If I'd relied on a test ride I'd have rejected it and made another mistake.

Forgive my cynicism: are you Paul Hewitt?