Bike Fitting/Shopping services

[TigerMom]

I think that paying to get help to find the right "off the shelf" bike for customers would be great since custom bikes cost so much.

However, I think that as a customer, I would want to know approximately how many hours it would take you to help me find the right bike for me after analyzing all the data. Some of the bike fitters than I know also does what Catrin mentioned above....paying around $250/$300 one time to find the right bike for me, fit me on the bike that I bought, and a followup fitting one to two months later. However, the fitters that I know do NOT do lifetime fittings, even if it is the same bike. Catrin's fitter is a downright steal for lifetime fittings.

[Catrin]

My fitter carried that practice over from his former LBS for which he was the general manager as well as the chief fitter. The "lifetime fitting" was one of the philosophies they adopted when opening the store that really spoke to their focus - if the customer is happy with the bike they will keep returning - and they DO! They depend totally on word of mouth and do no official advertising, and have done very well for themselves in the 6-7 years since they first opened.

[tulip]

I think the service could be quite valuable for some people. That being said, I do not think that I would use the service. I've been cycling for 30 years and am comfortable shopping for a bike because I know what to look for. But bike shopping and fitting can be daunting for newcomers, so I think there would definitely be takers.

I did pay for a fitting once. It was $100 and very comprehensive, and it was 10 years ago. Your prices seem fair (assuming it's not $200 per hour--but for the whole package, right?) Are there bikeshops in your area that provide fittings when you purchase a bike from them? That might be some competition, or perhaps you could work with such a bike shop.

Best wishes for much success on this.