HOW TO SELECT YOUR BIKE FIT

Deciding the right bike fit service level is the most important decision you make, especially if you have special needs.

We offer a variety of bike fitting protocols to address your specific needs. There are many options, depending on your riding style, type of bicycle you ride, your skill level, needs and budget.

Selecting your right bike fit package from the many options offered is not difficult. We set up guideline to help you choose the fit that matches best your individual situation. Answer these 3 simple questions: Do you have special needs? Consistent pains (back, feet, hands, knees, etc.) Injuries (muscular, inflammation or skeletal) Big and Tall/Small (your body configuration is not average) What's your riding discipline/style? (Road, MTB, Tri, recreational, race, etc.) What's your budget?

Special needs is the driving parameter     Select option 1 or 2 if: You have special needs like injuries or pain. Special situations should take precedence over any other consideration. But don't worry, you can still be fit for Pro-level even if the driving force for your fit is an injury or you are tall/small.    Select option 3-10 if: You don't fall in the special needs category. Then you only concern should be fit level and budget.

Click on a number below to select:
		YOU HAVE PAIN AND DISCOMFORT (hot feet, numb hands) BUT NOTHING MAJOR AND/OR NO INJURIES
		YOU HAVE MAJOR PAIN OR INJURIES FROM RIDING (knees, back, IT band, Achilles Tendon, tendonitis, bursitis, etc.) OR TRAUMA OF ANY KIND (surgery, broken bones, etc.)
		YOU WANT TO GO FASTER (either as a recreational rider or racer)
		YOU ARE A PRO (or race at your best competitive level) LOOKING FOR AN EDGE
		YOU JUST WANT TO BE MORE COMFORTABLE
		YOU RIDE A LITTLE OR ARE NEW TO CYCLING. YOUR ARE ON A BUDGET AND WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE SET UP CORRECTLY IN YOUR BIKE
		YOU ARE A FEMALE. YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE IN YOUR CURRENT BIKE OR YOU ARE CONSIDERING BUYING A NEW BIKE AND WANT TO MAKE SURE IT FIT YOU CORRECTLY
		YOU ARE A BIG AND TALL; SMALL OR SHORT; HAVE AN UNUSUAL BODY STYLE; YOU ARE TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT AND/OR GET FIT, BUT THE BIKE WON'T COOPERATE
		YOU WANT TO BUY A NEW BIKE AND WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU GET THE RIGHT SIZE (especially for TRI bikes) or WANT A CUSTOM GEOMETRY BICYCLE TO BE DESIGNED FOR YOU
		YOU ARE TRAVELING TO GET FITTED. YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR BIKE WITH YOU, BUT YOU WANT TO GET FITTED AND TAKE THE MEASUREMENTS HOME
		YOU A PARENT OF A JUNIOR CYCLIST WHO COMPETES AND IS GROWING
		YOU HAVE BEEN FITTED BEFORE BY US. YOU INSTALLED NEW EQUIPMENT OR SOMETHING ELSE HAS CHANGED. YOU WANT TO BE RE-FITTED

SUGGESTED FIT LEVEL FOR YOU

		YOUR SITUATION:
		PAIN AND DISCOMFORT	SUGGESTED FIT LEVEL:
		If you have the typical pains associated with cycling without a proper fit, you are not alone. Most riders experience these issues. The good news is that they can be remedied with a good bike fit by our experienced fitter. As long as you don't have major issues (like IT band pain) or recurrent injuries (i.e. a pain that comes out every time you ride), an Advanced Retül level fit is the most cost effective solution. If the pains are a little more serious than just discomfort and cross into persistent soreness, then the Advanced Fit For Injuries may be a better choice. If during the fit session we determine you need more attention to some issues, we can always upgrade you to the right fit level. No worries. We'll do the best for you.	ADVANCED RETÜL FIT or ADVANCED TRI RETÜL FIT or ADVANCED FIT FOR INJURIES RETÜL FIT
		INJURIES FROM RIDING OR TRAUMA	SUGGESTED FIT LEVEL:
		If you are experiencing issues from repetitive injuries due to cycling (like IT band and knee pain, Achilles tendon, serious foot or hand pains or back pains that don't go away with rest), then we need to look more in-depth at the underlying causes. More time is spent looking at the foot/pedal interface and at all other points of contact (saddle and handlebar) and how you interact with those components. If you had trauma from any source that introduced hardware in your body (like plates, screws and wires) resulting from advanced surgery (hip replacement, knee replacement or knee scoping, fused vertebrae, etc.), we need to take that into account in the pre-fit analysis and during the fit. We may find that certain underlying congenital issues (pronation, supination, leg length discrepancy, etc.) or surgery-induced issues may be the driving parameters for your fit. The Pro Fit for Injuries Level is for you. While we always make sure to give you the best performance possible, the focus of the fit is in neutralizing your bio-mechanical alignment and matching the bicycle's ergonomics to your situation. Once neutralized, the issues usually begin subsiding over time -support from Physical Therapy and medical services is often the best complement to this type of bike fitting.	PRO FIT FOR INJURIES RETÜL FIT
		GO FASTER	SUGGESTED FIT LEVEL:
		That's always everyone's goal. You are not alone in your quest for the most speed. Whether your goal is to win your category/class racing or hanging onto the fast riders in your Sunday riding group, we are here to help. The focus of the fit is set on maximizing your performance given your current level of fitness. As long as we don't find any underlying issues with personal limitations (ex: injuries), we have 2 service level options for your need for speed, depending on your budget. 1) An Advanced Retül fit will achieve great results and will go a long way in improving your performance, while still on a budget. 2) If you are driven to top the competition (or a Triathlete), a Pro Retül fit is the best option for achieving the absolute most performance you are currently capable of. The iterative process between Retül fitting and Computrainer power maximization is an intense, but really enjoyable process that will teach you a lot about yourself and setting new limits.	ADVANCED RETÜL FIT or PRO RETÜL FIT or ADVANCED TRI RETÜL FIT or PRO TRI RETÜL FIT
		PRO	SUGGESTED FIT LEVEL:
		If you are a Pro or an aspiring Pro on your way to an Elite UCI license, congratulations. It a hard road to Pro and you made it. One of the few... For those of you out there, living the dream of riding for a living, only the best fit can do. The Pro Retül fit is the obvious choice to help you get the best performance possible. This is very application/discipline driven. Depending on your application, comfort for long distance (Ex: RAAM), or all-out power for sprinting (Ex: Track and Road) or maximum handling and climbing power (Ex: MTB) will be set as part of the driving parameters. Each Pro fit is an individual quest to make you the best at what you do. It's not just about getting an edge on the competition. At this level, it's about keeping up and having access to the same technology and services as the big Pro teams. They do this by default.  It's your turn to fight back and level the field. The Pro fit is an iterative process between Retül fitting and Computrainer power maximization. It's  an intense, but really enjoyable process that will teach you a lot about yourself and opening opportunities for setting new limits. We'll help you break through your performance and give competition to the big dogs. Often this fit is coupled with performance testing (Ex: LT or FTP threshold and/or VO2MAX). Or maybe you are the big dog wanting to stay on top? You'd be surprised of the talented athletes who have been here before you.	PRO RETÜL FIT or PRO TRI RETÜL FIT
		MORE COMFORTABLE	SUGGESTED FIT LEVEL:
		If your goal is not to break any land speed records, and you are into riding for fun and fitness, the focus of your fit can be all about ergonomics. Maybe you ride long distance or you ride to work everyday. Maybe you ride multi-days events (Ex: MS 150, RAGBRAI, THE SMART RIDE, etc.) There is always a good deal of performance to be found in our bike fitting, but the parameters of your fit are set around your being comfortable in the saddle while within a neutral bio-mechanical range. What good is to be fast if you can't finish? But fast AND comfortable. Now... That's something. An Advanced Retül fit will help you achieve the comfort you seek, while improving your efficiency.	ADVANCED RETÜL FIT or ADVANCED TRI RETÜL FIT
		RIDE A LITTLE OR ARE NEW TO CYCLING	SUGGESTED FIT LEVEL:
		You ride whenever you can, but are not out there every day hammering away. Your rides are not very long (around 1 hr or 20 miles). Or you just bought a bike and are becoming re-acquainted with cycling. If this describes you, we have designed an affordable and effective fit process to get you fitted into your bike without much fuss. A Standard bike fit is the old-school fitting protocol we have been using for decades. It's true and tried. Even though it is not nearly as accurate as our more advanced technology fit, it's still an effective protocol to get you into a biomechanically safe range. Before the age of Retül 3D motion capture, we used to do fitting this way: the old school plum-line and goniometer fit- but we have updated the technology with lasers. Other fitters charge a lot more (twice!) for this fit protocol, but we made it affordable so everyone can be fitted in a biomechanically neutral position that will support your basic cycling activities without impacting your wallet.	STANDARD STATIC BIKE FIT
		WOMEN SPECIFIC BIKE FITTING OR SIZING. YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE IN YOUR CURRENT BIKE OR YOU ARE CONSIDERING BUYING A NEW BIKE AND WANT TO MAKE SURE IT FIT YOU CORRECTLY	SUGGESTED FIT LEVEL:
		We designed the women-specific bike fitting and bike sizing program to specifically help female cyclists find comfort in their current bicycle and/or help select the correct size and geometry before purchasing a new bicycle. Our lead fitter and owner is a woman with many years of experience in this area. Her expertise has helped us put together the comprehensive program to address successfully and satisfactorily the specific needs of female cyclists. Traditionally, women have had to adapt to bicycles made for men. While for some women, men-sized bicycles work just fine, for most females, the typical male geometry is not a good fit. Most women struggle for comfort on their current bicycles, and find very difficult purchasing a new bicycle because of the confusion in sizing and offerings in women-specific geometry. All too often, female cyclists find themselves riding too large of a bike, with an uncomfortably long reach to the handlebar. Because women tend to be of smaller stature and with different limb ratios as compared to men, the bike fit protocol must be designed specifically for female anthropometrics. Most women have longer legs and shorter torso - often accompanied by shorter arms. This body geometry drives the bike fit and the need for a specific bike size and geometry. Bicycles manufacturers have rushed to the market with a number of women-specific geometries. Unfortunately, many of these so-called women-specific bicycles are nothing more than the same-old geometries designed for smaller stature men with pretty pastel colors and girly-looking paint jobs. Not all manufacturer do that. Some genuinely produce women-specific bikes, but it's not easy to tell the difference for the average consumer. We discuss this in our article: women bike fitting and sizing. Our program addresses the needs for a women-specific protocol in these areas: Women-specific Bike Fitting for those who already own a bicycle Women-specific Bike Sizing for those who are considering buying a new bicycle Women-specific Custom Geometry Design for those who have special needs or want the ultimate ride Each of these protocols have their own specific application for Triathlon, Road, Track, Cycle Cross, Mountain Bike, etc. and subspecialties for Fit for Injuries or Weight Management. This is the most complete suite of bike fitting, sizing and design services available for women. We are a woman-owned organization. It's our owner's stated goal to make available to women the kind of support needed to help female cyclists grow in numbers into the sport. And what a better way is there than to make women comfortable and happy with their bikes?	ADVANCED RETÜL SIZING FIT or CUSTOM GEOMETRY DESIGN or ADVANCED RETÜL FIT or PRO RETÜL FIT or ADVANCED TRI RETÜL FIT or PRO TRI RETÜL FIT or STANDARD STATIC BIKE FIT
		BIG AND TALL; SMALL OR SHORT; UNUSUAL BODY STYLE; TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT BUT BIKE DOESN'T COOPERATE	SUGGESTED FIT LEVEL:
		If cycling is your weight management activity and/or you have an unusual body geometry, we know you face several challenges. Big and tall , small or short or riders with different body ratios (like short legs and long torso) are faced with the challenge of finding a bicycle that fits who they are or fitting into an existing geometry/size. And it's not easy. Most equipment is designed around the 95 percentile man: 5'8" and 160 lb. The 95 percentile doesn't describe your experience and so your interaction with the bike is challenging. The focus of this fit is to introduce the correct ergonomics into your bike interaction. Most unusual body geometry riders are challenged in the area around the knees and hips. The Q-factor (the distance between your feet) is often too narrow for big and tall, causing the knees to throw out. The pedal stroke is too wide at the top and too narrow at the bottom putting tremendous pressure on your knees. For small and short riders, often the seat is too low, the handlebar too high and too far away. For people with unusual body geometry, general comfort seems to be out of reach: the bicycle is either too small or too big and falling in between sizes becomes an overwhelming problem. How's this fit different from the Advanced or Pro Retül protocol? Often, the geometry of unusual body geometry rider challenges the proper interactions with the pedals, the saddle and the handlebar. Probably, you have have been to your local bike shop for suggestions on what equipment to replace. The shop experts have been great help, but have not been able to resolve your issues, so you still ride with limitations or -worse yet - pains, strains and discomfort. We work with many individuals in your situation and the good news is that much can be done to make your bike riding comfortably and ergonomically neutral. We have brought back to cycling individuals who thought they may never be able to ride again or achieve their weight management goals. We have also optimized tall riders who struggled with undersized equipment. If this describes you, then you know how bike sizes top at 63-65 cm. We can work with that limitation and attempt to achieve the best neutral position possible. We spend considerable time in sizing you and your equipment to harmonize your relationship to the bike. In some instances, you'll be returning to the fit studio a second time for your final fitting, if we determine you need different equipment (like a wider handlebar or custom pedal spindles) and after you have it installed. And we still maximize your performance, not just the comfort. All-included in this fit protocol designed for people just like you.	ADVANCED BIG AND TALL RETÜL FIT   or   PRO BIG AND TALL RETÜL FIT
		PURCHASE A NEW BIKE	SUGGESTED FIT LEVEL:
		If you are in the market for a new bike, congrats! It is so exciting. But also so frustrating. So many bikes, so many sizes... A Pinarello 52 is the same as a Cannondale 56? What?!? While most manufacturers follow a similar standard in bike sizing, there are many sub-standards and exceptions. What is a sloping geometry and how is it different from a traditional geometry? And what about a compact geometry? For Tri athletes, bike sizing is vital. All bets are off when it comes to Triathlon bikes. This is where geometries and sizes go wild. A few years ago, manufacturers decided to abandon the severely restrictive UCI Time Trial geometry standards (not required by USAT and World Tri Organizations like WTC and ITU). The quest was on for the best Triathlon-specific geometry to support the unique goals and challenges of the sport . We are in the cowboy days of Tri design and the standards vary as much as the offerings. Example?  A Small Specialized Shiv will fit the same rider as a Large Scott Plasma or a Large Transition. This process is also helpful in determining the correct crank length for your leg. Have you ever wondered? Is 170 better for you than a 172.5 or 175? Well... that depends. On your leg ratio and your bike's geometry (the seat tube angle is the culprit here). How can you avoid making an expensive mistake and dodge buying the wrong bike size? Can you rely on the shop to sell you what fits you best as compared to what they need to move off the floor? Or... Do you want to spec out your bike and build it from scratch? A) BIKE SIZING Bike sizing takes all the guess work out of the purchase process. We use the SIZING bike to simulate the geometry of the bike you are considering to buy or help you find an ideal geometry for you - giving you a world of options. We use variable length cranks and components to determine exactly the right size of each component for you new bike. Read our article on bike sizing to see how it works. This is a 2 step process. 1) STEP 1 you get sized on the fit bike. We find your geometry and size. After you purchase the bike, you come back for 2) STEP 2 of final fitting and optimization on the actual bike you purchased. It's quite a treat and the best fit with an off-the-shelf bike. B) CUSTOM GEOMETRY DESIGN For those who want the ultimate riding experience, there is the option of going all-out and choosing a custom geometry design. This is where you get to pick every aspect of the bicycle handling, looks and materials in a package that's optimized for exactly what you want it (or need it) to be. Read how the custom geometry design works. This is a 3 step process. 1) STEP 1 you get sized on the fit bike. We find your geometry and size. 2) STEP 2 is the design process. This is driven your stated purpose and desires as well as your ideal biomechanical alignment to the bicycle. After the bike is manufactured from the specs and fully assembled and working, you come back for 3) STEP 3 of final fitting and optimization on the actual custom bike. This is the ultimate bliss for the discerning cyclist: the perfect match between human and machine.	ADVANCED RETÜL SIZING FIT   or   PRO RETÜL SIZING FIT   or   CUSTOM GEOMETRY DESIGN
		GETTING FITTED WITHOUT A BIKE	SUGGESTED FIT LEVEL:
		We introduced this service by request for all our overseas customers. Traveling to the US to get fitted is quite common as Retül centers are not quite as common (or affordable) elsewhere. For those riders who can't bring their own bike to our studio, we designed a Retül fitting process that utilizes our custom-developed SIZING bicycle to simulate the geometry and size of you bike. Read our article on bike sizing to see how it works. We custom-built our sizing bike to serve our customers. It has the ability to simulate any bicycle geometry with the highest level of accuracy. What's special about our sizing bicycle is the ability to emulate headtube angles. This is critical for the accurate simulation of your bike and the accuracy and replication of the final fit result. Most sizing bikes produced in the last 20 years don't model head tube angles. The industry-standard sizing bikes come with a fixed headtube angle - usually 72-73 degrees. The bike fit industry relies on computer simulations and abstract modeling of bicycle components to calculate the position of your handlebar. And that introduces compromises. For example, your fit data matches the computer calculations with a stem of these measurements: 107mm and 12 degrees or rise. It doesn't exist; no manufacturer produces something like that. So, what do you choose? A 110mm at 10 deg? Or a 105mm at 17 deg? Are those sizes even available? How close is it to your bike fit? This limitation robs you of the ability to get fitted in an exact position that you can attain on your own bike when you return home. We developed a software so powerful, it lets us design bicycle geometries and can help you find the right solution. (Read how the custom geometry design works and helped developed the concept for fitting with a sizing bicycle.) Yet, we found that without a headtube emulation, the computer is able to forecast positions that are not attainable with real-life, off-the-shelf components. That's why we fit you on our custom-developed sizing bike and give you specs that are attainable with ordinary components, so you can achieve the same exact fit on your own bike as you did here in the studio on the sizing bicycle. The bike sizing fit process can follows specific protocols as you see listed above (Tri, Road, Track, MTB, Cross, Pro, etc.) and can be customized to your special needs (minor injuries, big and tall, women-specific, etc.). Please, keep in mind that for advanced injuries cases, there may be some limitations. Once properly fitted, we give you a PDF file with all the bike measurements. We also teach you how to use those measurements so you can apply them to your own bike when you get home. See here a sample. While there are always little discrepancies between the fit on a fit bike and your actual bike (mostly in the Q- Factor), this process is rather accurate and successful results can be achieved. It's quite nifty.	STANDARD RETÜL SIZING FIT
		PARENT OF A JUNIOR CYCLIST COMPETING AND GOING THROUGH THE GROWTH STAGES	SUGGESTED FIT LEVEL:
		If you a parent of a junior, you know already how important it is to help your kid perform with the right tools. Juniors, like many women, are a special needs class of athletes because of their small size. Kids and young adults struggle with fitting into bicycles that never seem to be quite right. Parents often will buy things a size up with the (realistic) expectation that their child will grow into it. Shoes, clothes and equipment are expensive and stretching their the life-time is a must for most families on a budget. Growth spurs add on to the parental pressure to keep up with their ever-growing junior. Things get more complicated when you add racing to the mix. Juniors need every bit of the same high-end components as their adult counterparts, but are faced with a shortage of equipment options due to the size and parents are confronted with the need to replace this equipment as the junior grows. But what about the bike fit? How do you address fitting a junior who is morphing into an adult? Read here our article about junior bike fitting and sizing. Bike fitting for juniors is as important - if not even more- as it is for adults. During the formative years, kids muscles, bones and organs are developing and are stressed by their exercise routine. Proper bike alignment, biomechanical behaviors and ergonomics lead to setting up the junior for a healthy, formative growth. Poor biomechanics can lead to muscle unbalance, poor habits and even long-term repercussions on growth. This is even more paramount when we consider that we often need to make the one-size-bigger-because-you-are-gonna-grow-into-it equipment work, while protecting their bodies. That's why we designed the junior development program. The program is based on our junior-specific bike fit protocol we developed over the years working with juniors of all ages (our youngest on record is 7 years old). It addresses the need for recurrent re-alignment through growth and equipment changes to maintain biomechanical alignment. It is also designed to be budget friendly, giving parents a much needed relief from the expense of each growth spur. The program follows your junior for 1 year. It covers two full bike fitting sessions at specific time intervals for the price of 1 and 1/4. The junior program helps you keep your kid healthy, performing at his/her best and protects your wallet.	JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
		GETTING RE-FITTED AFTER EQUIPMENT CHANGES OR PERSONAL CHANGES	SUGGESTED FIT LEVEL:
		For our returning customers only. Sometimes, over the lifetime of your fit, things change. You may have had to replace some equipment due to wear and tear. A new saddle, a new pair of shoes or simply new cleats. Or something might have changed within you: weigh loss/gain, flexibility changes, an injury that improved, a new injury or just the feeling that it's time to get checked out again. For these reasons, we have created the re-fit and ongoing fit maintenance program to partner with you in keeping up with the your original fit and helping you update it as you time goes by - affordably. We make it easy and affordable for you to stay at your best.	FIT REVIEW & ONGOING FIT MAINTAIN