Bike Whisperer - Fitting Service & Workshop

Wow that was long, sorry about that.

Wow that was long, sorry about that.

worth it though.

a good write up and no pain sounds awesome.

Excellent report.

I visisted Scherrit in early December and thought it might be worthwhile for others to hear about it. Firstly, the reason I had arranged the appointment was because of a knee problem which seemed to be getting worse with every ride. After about 10 miles or so of riding a tightness began to form in the back of my left knee which then moved to the outside. I made quite a few changes to the bike but all no to avail and so finally I had to go and see a professional.

First thing I noticed about Scherrit is just what a sound guy he is. When you talk to him he really does have an interest in what you're saying and finding out about you. I explained my knee problem to him and he had a few theories as to what it might be. After some general exercises and stretching he started to look at shoes and cleats. The cleats were actually brought forward quite a bit and a heel shim was used. I also switched to higher arch support in both shoes.

Shoes done we moved on to looking at me on the bike and my position etc. Scherrit noticed I sat too upright on the bike and wanted to make me lower and more aero. He lowered my saddle, moved it further back, swapped my stem for a shorter one and adjusted my handlebars to a more comfortable position. Scherrit had taken a photo of my position on the bike at the start and the difference at the end was quite apparent.

I bid Scherrit farewell and left with a detailed list of measurements of my new set up. A few days later I went on a undulating 30 mile ride as I didn't want to overdo it but I didn't feel any pain whatsoever. A couple of days later I did a much more challenging (big hills) 60 miles to really test it. Again no pain at all but I started to enjoy the new position more. I was climbing better and was just generally much faster. My average speed increased quite a bit and I just felt much more comfortable on the bike.

All in all seeing Scherrit was the best money I spent last year. Just over a month since my visit my knee pain has completely gone and I'm now able to do much longer distances at a much quicker pace. I can't recommend him enough and if anyone else is currently suffering with a similar pain I would urge you to make an appointment :).

This sums up my experience perfectly as well. Such a good investment. Wish I could've afforded it earlier...

It's good to hear that you got sorted out Jake.

What's the rough cost?

Definitely worth it.

Thanks Jake :)

In terms of cost I think my total came to £260 and that included a new stem. I was in there for just over 5 hours. Not cheap obviously but what I've got from it is worth a lot more and to get rid of my pain I would have paid much more so all in all a very happy customer.

The money I spent with Scherrit was the best money that I have spent in cycling.

The cleat fitting made the biggest difference for me as my road bike was almost too big to make fit.

I can now ride 75+ mi without getting off the bike. Not for everybody but Ill be going back to him when I buy my next road bike.

You have to be worried when Scherrit starts whispering to your bike, though. He'll give it strange ideas.

Stoked for my appointment in a few weeks. Hope to finally sort my right foot out. Dastardly thing.

I had a Scherrit fitting in July. It was superb. He only made some small-ish changes to my setup, and my comfort increased massively, and power too. Knee stability is now excellent, and I have different amounts of float for left and right feet.

Details are excellent in Hovis' post, so I won't repeat. My only feedback would be that I moved to Speedplay cleats in advance of the fitting with Scherrit (on his advice), and it's clear he knows how to get the best out of them. I was previously on Times, but I was happy to move over.

As many have echoed, best money I spend last year on cycle related stuff.

Just pushing this thread up, deservedly so. Had my session today and it was really helpful, from little adjustments on the shoes to my saddle coming up 4cm(!)

Yes, it does cost a bit, especially for those on a budget like me, but what won me over was the ride back home. Suddenly I was so much more efficient, it was a revelation. To think just a few mm here and there can do this! Worse, to think I spent all this time leaking power when it could have been put to good use.

I only thought of a fit when reading people's comments here on the forum, and I only went to Scherrit because of the feedback posted here. So thanks for that, and I'm glad to join the happy chorus of approval.

Tempted to have a go at this...I've always considered a bike fit to be for racing though. Probably just my ignorance, but is it as helpful for flat pedals, brooks saddle, touring bike style? Riding 50-100miles a week for work, sometimes pulling trailers, I'd love to think I could get more efficient with some position alterations.

doesn't really matter what bike it is.

Although turning up on a Boris Bike however...

cool, have dropped them a line, didn't spot before, but on tbw website it say about fittings for comfort, touring and flat pedals - lets see what happens.

Happy to have booked a bike fit as of the other day... will hopefully report back with the usual gushing praise and miracle injury cure stories.

In the meantime, does anyone have any tips for getting there (with, but not necessarily ON a bike) by 10am from London on a weekday? GWR says there are two bike places on each train but it's first come first served, which - at £50 for a train ticket and £260+ for the fitting - makes me a little nervous!

if you are the only fitting in the day you may be able to ask Scherrit to start later.

or ride out

Cheers James, ended up hiring a van in the end.
£19 and guaranteed bike friendly - job done! : )

So, it's been a couple of weeks since I got Whispered and I've been on a few longish rides using the new set-up so I thought I should update on here with the news....

I went because I kept on getting injured - I had recurring back, knee and ITB pain that was keeping me off the bike for increasingly annoying / extended periods, and basically just wanted to sort it out before I did myself any permanent damage.

I dithered endlessly about spending so much money, and looked into as many different bike-fit options as I could find. I ended up choosing Scherritt because, firstly, this thread makes him sound like a massive genius... but also because he offers a return-for-free service if you need it, which I think is reassuring.

As far as I can tell, my experience was pretty similar to most other peoples - great coffee and chats, totally relaxed / pleasant vibes, measuring everything on the bike, injury history, odd physio-style stuff, etc etc. We spent ages going over some very fancy insoles with a Dremel. Then I got on my bike (on a turbo, on a raised platform) and he just looked at me cycling from every angle and gradually adjusted things until he was happy that it fitted me. He raised the seatpost 15mm, put the saddle back a bit, rotated the bars, levelled the hoods. I was there for the whole day, from 10am til about 5, and the time flew by. At the end, Scherrit told me to spend a few weeks riding as much as possible, but to try NOT to go too hard.

So, I went out for a ride the next night - filled with good intentions to stay restrained - but (obviously) got all excited after a few kms and pretty much went as hard as I could for the rest of the ride. Despite this flagrant disobedience, I still felt ok afterwards - a few old twinges but nothing too bad.

Then, last weekend, I went down to Camber Sands (about 120 km route).
The last time I did this, about a year ago, I spent the last few kms in agonising pain and could barely move by the time I got there - which was roughly normal for anything over 100kms back then. This time, however, I felt so comfortable I was tempted to just turn around and cycle back to London. I didn't - I went for Fish'n'Chips and a pint instead - but I was tempted ; )

That was on Sunday, and I went for another 70+km ride yesterday morning with pretty much no pain anywhere. There are still some very minor twinges that appear on climbs, but on the whole I feel way way more confident about my body not falling apart over longer distances.

So, yeah... like everyone else, Scherrit's a great bloke and knows how to make your injuries go away like magic. Money well spent!

a belated happy birthday to @scherrit