Dan, use this analogy. I'm not going to pay anyone for a bike fitting any more than I'm willing to pay the plumber for a job if I feel capable of doing it myself. If I can't do the job myself I'm not willing to pay a plumber $350. when the other plumber will do it for $100. The expensive plumber can rant all he wants about him being the better plumber, but if in the end the leaky pipe is fixed by either guy, the end result is the same, so why pay for the more expensive plumber even if he claims his wrenching technique is better than the other guy's. If the expensive plumber wants me to pay more than the less expensive one, then he's going to have demonstrate to me beyond doubt that his END RESULT is somehow a lot better than that of the cheaper plumber in order to justify his higher fee. One lesson I have learned in life is that paying more for something doesn't necessarily mean that you're getting a better end result. Sometimes it does,but often it doesn't.

Are you sort of getting the analogy?

BTW, I tend to do my own plumbing and bike fitting.

"The difference a good fit makes might only be a 1 or 2 minute difference on your TT/Split time"

if this is what a good fit means to you then you ought not to spend your money on a fit. there are a LOT of people who abandon riding their tri bikes altogether because they can't ride them AT ALL without a fair amount of discomfort. THESE are the people that need to spend their money on a good fit. you probably aren't a candidate for that.

i'm going to take another crack at writing about what a good fit entails, and i'll have it up on slowtwitch within days, and maybe that will help narrow this discussion to particulars.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Cerveloguy,

I don't think anyone is suggesting that we have to go to a bike fitter to get a job done. As with anything in life, it's a "do at your own risk" kind of thing. What Dan is suggesting, as I interpret it, is that if you go to a well established bike fitter, you ought to pay x amount of dollars, where he says $350 for someone qualified to his standards. What he is saying has nothing to do with whether or not we do it ourselves. Obviously there are people who would do it themselves, either by necessity (no money) or by desire. He facilitates this very idea by the information he puts on this site for bike fit.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I don't understand the point of your post other than as an opportunity to AGAIN state that you feel confident in your own bike fit capabilities. BTW, we all know that you do your own bike fitting and plumbing, as you have posted this several times already :).

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"What the mind can conceive and believe, the mind and body can achieve; and those who stay will be champions."

I apologize if it seemed as if I was blowing my own horn. That wasn't my intent.

1. There is no reason why a pro bike fitter shouldn't charge $350. if that is what he/she genuinely believes this is what their service is worth. But that might be a hard sell if the guy down the street at the other LBS has a good reputation in the area and only charges $100.

I like the idea of the FIST certification, and appreciate the quality of people involved behind the course, but that alone is not likely enough to convince most people to pay the extra $250. over the other guy. Of course it's supply/demand and much of this is regional. Wages/prices are quite variable depending upon where you live. A house in Silicon Valley would cost 10 x what I'd pay for the same here in the boonies, so I should expect the same with other services including bike fitters.

Ditto what cerveloguy said... It not just about additional speed... Fit is also about comfort. And for some, it's about being able to ride at all.

How much that is worth? It could be much more than 200,300 or even 400 dollars or (to others) much less. The value of a good fit is relative. It is a "experienced based" process defined in subjective values and less in quantifiable/objective values. In fact, it economic value is ultimately determined by the concept of "supply and demand".

I think FIST is but one attempt to increase demand by placing value in definitive terms. While supply of services is still defined (in the most part) by bits and pieces of various approaches to fitting methods - some good, some bad.

Those who have the most experience also have their nitch market. The will see no advantage to standardize the system...why should they? Theirs is proven method. Those who wish to improve their stature in the bike fitting business may see this a way to define their business on equal terms as those whom have years more experience and a large client base. In the long run, some standardization can help a service based industry. Unfortunately, standardization is not always achievable. And, the main reason for failure is lack of concensus or funding to promote the standardized method.

FWIW Joe Moya