Fitter’s Corner: bike fit and your bike shop

In part 4 of our ‘meet the fitters’ series, we hear from Scottish bike fit pro Garry Kirk, 1 of only 2 UK bike fitters to have trained with both pioneering Australian bike fitter Steve Hogg, and UK based expert, Tony Corke.

How did you get started as a bike fitter?

When I started bike fitting, I built a plinth, bought a trainer, some insoles, wedges, shims, seatposts, handlebars and stems. I then began to fit local riders and their cycling friends to their bicycles for free. I charged for the parts I used, but that was it and then asked for feedback afterwards.

As I progressed, I began to get positive feedback, I then started charging and bought some saddles and tools and just kept on building from there. This might sound simple, but the truth is I had been very much obsessed with fit for a long, long, time prior to taking the plunge. You can buy all the technology and tools in the world initially if you want, but if you don’t understand what it is you’re trying to achieve, then you won’t know how to use them.

I had a very clear idea about what I wanted to achieve in a bike fit and I also knew that I didn’t need any technology to achieve it either. I knew I needed things to make the rider happier on their bike, such as wedges and insoles, but I had already established that spending money on bike fit tech just wasn’t necessary.

How long does it take and what does it cost to become a solver of complex bike fit problems?

I think it takes around 500 fits to have seen a good variety of what’s out there as a fitter, and I think 3-4 years to really learn the fundamentals of bike fitting. By that I mean finding a good position for the individual, whilst using interventions such as shims and wedges, to get the rider functioning as symmetrically as possible when they leave the studio.

I have spent 5+ years learning other methods which allow me to solve functional issues that riders present with on the day and whilst I was getting excellent results with position and shims, this allows me to fix the root cause of many an issue, rather than work around it with shim stacks or short cranks for example.

I have been fitting for about 9 years now and there’s always someone who comes along that has you scratching your head! It’s never ending, you’re always learning! I think it’s important to mention here as well, there is a limit to what bike fitters can do. There is a finite amount of interventions a fitter can make on any given day.  I think too often people can put all their faith in a bike fitter in the hope they will solve all of their worldly problems. Sometimes there are issues that the rider needs professional medical help with and whilst this can be frustrating for the fitter, because we really want to help everyone we meet, we are not gods.

In terms of cost, financially it’s not much really, to get started. It is my absolute belief though, that before you ever touch a piece of (expensive) technology you need to have developed a good enough eye. Until then, you don’t need it.

This is definitely not the case out there in bicycle land, but it’s what I believe.  The cost in terms of time is really the question… how much are time are you prepared to put in to learn the fundamentals? To gain the knowledge and understanding you need to understand what you’re looking at? That’s the question of cost, because it better be a lot, otherwise forget it.

What does it take to become a ‘respected by your peers’ bike fitter?

All I can say is that the people who catch my eye are the people doing their own thing. So when they post on social media for example, you get an insight into their thought processes and they display their knowledge and their experience by solving problems and getting results.

In contrast, what we see more of, is photos of bike fitters looking at computers whilst the rider pedals away on a jig in the background. The problem I have with these images as a side note is it’s subliminally telling the consumer that “this is a bike fit”, not something a human can do alone, a computer is necessary to achieve a suitable fit. The impact from these seemingly innocuous posts is that people really then think “so that’s a bike fit” Personally, I would want my fitter to be looking at me on the bike and listening to what I’m saying, then using his or her knowledge and experience to achieve the stated aims of the fit.

If we take Steve Hogg as an example here, he compiled an enormous bike fitting resource in the form of his blog. He put out methods he developed based on his years of experience fitting people to bicycles. He put out methods he developed based on his years of experience fitting people to bicycles. It’s impossible not to respect Steve and his work and I think from the POV of respect, I liked that he has always been open to other ideas and is happy to be proved wrong. I suppose fitting is a little bit like being a guitarist, you have to find your own sound!

What’s the biggest change you’ve seen in bike fitting?

I think it’s in the bikes themselves. As I mentioned in the beginning, when I started, I bought stems, handlebars and seatposts because those are the things as a bike fitter you need to be able to change in order to achieve a good position for the rider. The advent of integration has made this impossible to do during the course of some fits, and even impossible to change afterwards, as proprietary stems can’t be flipped in many cases, seatposts can’t be changed  and anyone that knows anything about fit will tell you that seatposts need changed from time to time as well.

(As just one example) I am 183cm 6’, my saddle height is 737mm with a 170 crank. I have fitted riders my height with saddle heights hitting 825-830mm! I ride a 25mm setback seatpost on a 73 deg seat tube angle. These guys don’t! People buy these integrated bikes because they get sucked in and caught up in the marketing. (Customers) have no idea that their body proportions, function, and flexibility actually matter when buying a bike. They buy what they think is going to make them a cyclist. The next step, when everything is sore, is a bike fit, but there isn’t much you can do with a bike that you can’t adjust. The cost to adjust then goes stratospheric as you’re buying proprietary parts – one piece carbon bar and stem; average cost £350. Can cost £550, or more.

What’s the biggest myth about bike fitting?

If the pros are doing it, it must be right!

From really long cranks ‘because torque torque torque torque, to seats which are way too high, Knee over pedal spindle, wide bars, really narrow bars, ergo bars, deeeeeep drop long reach bars, unconventional positioning of the hoods, cleats all the way forward, saddles designed to stop you sliding forward because someone bled out on their seat during a TT (These are positional issues and not seat issues). ARIONES! Seats set waaaay too far back, seats set waaaay too far forward, super narrow super high pressure tyres to wider tyres, to wider again, to wider again and so on and on and on it goes. These trends drive an industry, which then misinform the masses, regularly resulting in comments such as, “but such and such does it so it must be right” “Aero is good for them so aero really matters to me”.

The point here is that bike fitting is about what works for you. What is it you ‘need’ ?! It’s not about what the pro’s are doing for the vast majority of people. My experience is, the pro’s would be better served taking this approach to position as well.

How can customers tell which fitters are deeply knowledgeable, not just 2 day trained on a piece of technology?

It’s really up to bike fitters to put our ideas and credentials out there for the astute customer to find as they do their due diligence. In my opinion, there are some customers who care and some who don’t. This can be frustrating to understand for the fitter. In many cases it’s more like the car tyre scenario – phoning around asking, “how much for two Michelin pilot sport?”, comparing the prices and picking the cheapest. It never fails to amaze me how often this is the case. If that’s how customers are looking for a bike fit – simply a case of ‘who is closest, and who is cheapest’ – yes, they’re going to find out the hard way with that approach; that’s life!

You can definitely get the same two car tyres no matter where you go, but bike fitting just doesn’t work that way (unless people think the computer does it all – see above).

For the astute customer, they may check the International Bike Fitting Institute website, where they can search for a bike fitter by their experience and IBFI ranking, or look at Google reviews, as well as asking questions about the methods, and any technology a fitter is using.

I offer a money back guarantee on my fits as well, giving potential clients piece of mind, important as bike fits can be a substantial investment, and see this, along with my approach to ongoing professional development, as a competitive advantage, which is visible when customers do their Google search as they research bike fitting options.

This is how I differentiate, promoting my skills and experience as a commercial advantage. It’s also how counter the idea that people are getting the same bike fit no matter where they go. All bike fits are definitely not equal!

Do you see repeat customers / are people loyal to a bike fitter?

I see lots of repeat custom. whether it’s setting up a second bike, bike advice via email for a new purchase, new shoes, custom frame design, setting up new shoes, I do see repeat custom, even down to fitting out entire families!

What’s the furthest distance you’ve had a customer travel?

I have had people travel from England, Ireland, Wales, Poland, Finland & Denmark to name a few.

Do retail stores understand the commercial opportunity that comes with a truly skilled bike fitter?

In Scotland I’m not sure if they do. I think they see it as the next thing they need to get in on.

As an example: I’ve had a customer phone and asked about a specific bike, telling me the other shop is offering a fit with it and he is wondering if I buy it from here, will he also get a fit?

I think this sort of thing has led to shops advertising that they fit and then employing whatever methods of fitting just to get the sales. My feeling is that they’ll do just enough to pass as offering a fit service in order to sell some bikes and not get left behind and that’s about it.

I think shops should be looking towards people such as myself, to work either in their shop from time to time or to work out mutual arrangements where they send clients to the fitter for a fit first before they buy a bike, but I know if it was me and I was a shop owner, if I could take the headache away from doing something poorly by utilizing an expert in a mutually beneficial way, I’d be all over it!

There are other ways of doing it, like sending someone for training with an experienced bike fitter and I think again the IBFI are looking at ways for new fitters to gain insight and work alongside a mentor which seems sensible to me.

This is where the lure of technology and a 2 day course is so tempting and utilized by companies as a sales tool, where you can simply buy some kit and send someone on a course and that’s it, away you go.

How does a business hire and get the best value out of an experienced bike fitter

I have never really thought about this as I have mainly flown solo. I myself am completely approachable and would be happy to work with bike shops. It would be a mutually beneficial arrangement, but I think for a business, they need to do their research, and realize how complex bike fitting is, that it isn’t just a bolt on or something that can be done competently in an hour by using an app on a tablet, or any of these other quick fix approaches. They should understand how valuable and important a good bike fitter is, and then dedicate a good amount of floor space to the cause.

There have been two people I have fitted in 9 years that within 10 minutes of meeting them, I thought ‘I would employ you’. Both were female. One an engineer, and the other a junior doctor (so not much chance of luring them away from their chosen careers unfortunately). They both just struck me right away as ‘knowing their stuff’ – there was a spark there, insightful comments, passion and knowledge. These are the things I would be looking for. You have to invest in the person, and the person has to be right.

To book a fit with Garry, at his 87-95 Neilston Rd, Paisley, based studio click here.