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My Bike Fit Failed. I Still Recommend the Fitter

9 May 2026 ~ 7 min read
TAGS · Being Healthy · Being Fast

For months after my first bike fit, my neck was still in pain. Complete failure. Seven years later, I know exactly why.

You can go to two different bike fitters and leave with two completely different positions. That’s why so many cyclists think bike fitting is a scam. But here’s the twist: my fitter was actually excellent. The real problem was me.
Like most cyclists, I showed up to the fit without understanding three things:
• My real goals,
• That a proper fit is more than just an appointment,
• And that my body itself was going to change.

Eventually, that same bike became a perfect fit. The fitter knew it would happen. I didn’t know a thing — and I didn’t want to listen.

But first let me explain the three things I wish I understood before my first bike fit.
MINIMAP · Right Goals · Extra Costs · Body Change

1. UNDERSTAND YOUR GOALS

A surprising number of cyclists book a bike fit without clearly understanding what they’re actually trying to get from it.

And that’s a problem, because there’s no one perfect position hidden somewhere inside your body, that a bike fitter will magically find.

A position that makes you faster may also overload your back, neck, or hands. And a position designed to reduce pain may sacrifice speed or handling. Sometimes fitting is optimisation. Sometimes it’s damage control.
Most bike fits are centred around one of three goals:
• improving performance, either in general or for a specific discipline or event,
• solving a pain point, recurring fatigue, or managing an existing injury,
• or making the position more comfortable and sustainable.

But even “becoming faster” is not really a complete goal. Faster where?

A bike fitter can help you balance aerodynamics, power production, and sustainability.

But first you need to decide: are you the kind of cyclist chasing personal bests in 200-kilometre brevets — or trying to win half-hour time trials?
Because fitting is largely the art of compromise.

And yes — “I want to look cooler on the bike” is also a perfectly legitimate goal. But you need to verbalise it.

Not telling your fitter — or yourself — your real priorities can quietly sabotage your bike fit.
A bike fitter is a bit like a doctor in that sense: no matter how good they are, if you don’t point to where it hurts, they can’t really help you.
MINIMAP · Right Goals · Extra Costs · Body Change

2. KNOW THE HIDDEN COSTS

Many cyclists imagine a bike fit as a single appointment where somebody adjusts your saddle height, rotates your handlebars a bit, and sends you home.

And sometimes that’s exactly what happens. But sometimes a bike fit becomes the beginning of a much longer — and more expensive — process.

You may leave needing:
• a different stem or handlebars,
• another saddle or seatpost,
• shorter cranks or better-fitting shoes,
• or even a completely different bike.

And this is where an important distinction appears: are you fitting a bike you already own — or fitting your body before buying one?
If you already have a bike, most of the time it’s possible to make it work reasonably well for you.

But compromises may appear. Changing a stem or saddle is relatively simple. Changing an integrated cockpit or an expensive carbon crankset just because the fit is slightly suboptimal may be financially unreasonable.

So in many cases, fitting an existing bike means working around the limitations of what you already own.

The good news is that no highly specialised equipment is required for this type of fitting, which means more fitters are available — and the process itself usually costs less.
If you are planning to buy a bike, the smartest thing you can do is book a proper fit before the purchase.

Compared to the price of a modern bicycle, the fit itself is relatively cheap. But it may save you from a very expensive mistake.

A proper pre-purchase fit is usually done on a dedicated fitting rig — essentially an infinitely adjustable bicycle designed specifically for fitting.

These machines are expensive, which is one reason this type of session usually costs more — and why fewer fitters have them available.

Some may instead use smart trainers, which can also work well, even if the process is sometimes less convenient.
But don’t confuse expensive equipment with expertise. It’s not uncommon for a large bike shop to invest in an expensive fitting rig — and then have a relatively inexperienced fitters operating it. The fitter’s experience, communication skills, and understanding of cycling matter far more than the hardware itself.

The important part is that you first discover your optimal riding position without being constrained by a particular bicycle.

And only after that do you start looking for a bike capable of reproducing that position. Depending on what you find, some compromises or component swaps may still be necessary. But now you discover those limitations before spending thousands on the bike — not after.

After purchasing the bike, a second appointment to replicate and fine-tune the position may still be required. So yes, the fitting process itself may cost more in this scenario. But the final outcome is often better — and sometimes even cheaper overall once you factor in the cost of swapping components.
MINIMAP · Right Goals · Extra Costs · Body Change

2. BE READY FOR BODY CHANGES

A good bike fitter understands not only your current body — but also how that body may change with time, training, age, fatigue, injuries, or lifestyle.

Sometimes they may even help you improve those limitations through off-bike work:
• strength training,
• mobility work,
• stretching,
• or referrals to medical or movement specialists.

But again, honesty matters. If you already know you are not going to do the prescribed exercises, say that right away. Otherwise you risk getting a riding position designed for a theoretical future version of yourself — instead of the body you actually have today.
And this becomes especially important because your position will likely evolve over time anyway. Many newer cyclists initially prefer a shorter and more upright position because it feels closer to a normal standing or sitting posture.

But as cycling-specific strength, flexibility, stability, and adaptation improve, riders often become comfortable in a lower and longer position — which is usually better for performance.

That may eventually require:
• a longer stem,
• fewer spacers under it,
• changes to saddle position to preserve balance on the bike.

And this is something many cyclists only discover after already spending large amounts of money on upgrades. A bike that comfortably fits your current body may become limiting surprisingly quickly as your position evolves.
But the opposite can also happen. With age, accumulated fatigue, injuries, or changing priorities, riders often move toward shorter and more upright positions again. And lower power output usually also means more pressure on the saddle, because less body weight is supported through the pedals.

That’s why getting a proper fit sheet with all your measurements is crucial. Without it, every component change, experiment, adjustment, crash, or maintenance session risks gradually moving your bike away from the professionally fitted position.

A good fit sheet allows you to:
• reproduce the position later,
• track how it changes over time,
• work with another fitter if necessary,
• or safely adjust the bike yourself.

Because bike fitting is rarely a one-time event. Your goals will change. Your equipment will change. And your body will definitely change.

Understanding that early will probably save you some of the mistakes I personally made over the years — so you don’t have to.

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