Best Bike-fitting in Chicago?

I am looking for the best Best Bike-fitting shop in Chicago. I have gone to Get a Grip Cycles, Turin Bicycles and Higher Gear in Highland Park none have been able to get it right. I almost flew to Colorado to a place that has rave reviews. I love cycling and often after rides I feel pain in both knees and or soreness. I have seen a knee specialist and both knees are healthy. So it must be a fitting issue. I use Time RSX pedals. Does anyone here have a place to recommend in Chicago or even in another state? I hope to ride more this year and avoid post ride ice packs. :)

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Permalink Reply by Christian on February 1, 2012 at 2:43pm

Thanks Chris, will be in touch when I have some free time.

Chris Mailing said:

Christian,

When you buy a "Fit to Bike" service from Turin Bicycle, we stand behind what we do.  If you are still suffering the kind of pain you describe, please call us to schedule another appointment - at no additional charge.  We'll take a fresh look at your situation, understand what we did (and what others have done) and seek a better solution.  Some of the postings in response to yours offer good insights (cleat wedges, foam rollers, ReTul) and these are all things available in our "tool kit."

A good fit is part science and part art and often involves compromises between competing "ideals."  Rider feedback is an important part of the process.  Some feedback is only available after a long ride - so it can't always be done in one fitting session.  In no case should we declare we're "finished" before you are happy with the results.

I apologize that we were not clear enough that we expect to continue to work with you until you are satisfied that we've served your needs well.

Please call us to schedule a fitting appointment convenient to you.  847.864.7660.

Thank you.

Chris Mailing, Turin Bicycle

Permalink Reply by J2O on February 11, 2013 at 6:28am

Time pedals are self-centering and may be contributing to your pain.  I have a pair of the iClic pedals and have had the same issues.  Switching to pedals with free float fixed the problem 100%.

Permalink Reply by bk (aka: Dr. Mambohead) on February 11, 2013 at 7:07am
Yeah yeah....


....but do they have the expertise do a "tailbone check"?!?

i highly doubt it!

it's often missed and under-appreciated!

the knee-bone's connected to the....
Permalink Reply by Elliot Bennett on February 11, 2013 at 8:14am

+1 for Tony at Velosmith. I had a fitting there late last year, one of the finest shops in the area hands down.

Permalink Reply by milkbar on February 11, 2013 at 8:36am

I am a fitter myself and yet without reservation can tell you that Tony Bustamante at Velosmith is the most capable in our region, and in fact the entire country. 

Permalink Reply by Christopher on February 11, 2013 at 1:34pm


I have to agree with Craig, and add a bit. I have also had chronic knee pain for 20 years. It is gone now.  I have had flexibility issues and became tighter and tighter. My lower back pulled my glutes, I had tightness in the sides of my thigh where the glutes inserted into the IT band, pulling the knee into hyper pain. This in turn made parts of the calf tight and then my heel felt like it was tearing apart. 

It is not about the bike or the fit, I am too damn tight. The more I stretch, roll out muscles, and spin my brains out, the less pain I am in. I also ride a recumbents because the saddles of upright bikes bruise my glutes and cause more knee pain. 

Bike fit can reduce pain in a healthy person, when you are in considerable pain after many fits, I would look into the health and flexibility of your body. You did well with having your knees inspected. I was taught by body workers how to massage and stretch my body. I still need help once in a while releasing a muscle I over work. There are many good therapy routs you can take. Best wishes on your journey to healthy knees. 
Craig S. said:

As Michael says, those shops offer some of the best fitting in the region.  I'm assuming you are using floating cleats and depending upon where your knee pain is, you may be a good candidate for cleat wedges, if you're not using them already.

Your knee pain may also not even be caused by bike fit but rather your body's biomechanics.  11 years ago I had to sit out several days of RAGBRAI because of intense painful knee issues.  After several sessions with my local physical therapist, we found my Ilio-tibial bands were tight as piano wires which was causing my issue.  I stretch and foam roll my IT bands almost daily which has alleviated that pain ever since.  Again, it depends where in your knees your experiencing this pain that will eliminate the cause.

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on February 11, 2013 at 1:46pm

You betcha. 4 years ago I was to the point that I could not stand for more than 20 minutes, walk more than a half-mile or run more than a quarter-block without intense back pain. My doctor wrote me a prescription to go to Athletico. They taught me how to stretch the guilty muscles and strengthen some of my side-to-side muscles that had weakened. Two months later I was a new man after doing 6 stretches every morning for 20 minutes while watching the morning news. I now do this every morning and the pain rearely returns. Fit can only do so much. The older you get the more you need to stretch.

Christopher said:

It is not about the bike or the fit, I am too damn tight. The more I stretch, roll out muscles, and spin my brains out, the less pain I am in. I also ride a recumbents because the saddles of upright bikes bruise my glutes and cause more knee pain. 

Permalink Reply by dana on February 11, 2013 at 3:44pm
Hey, not sure who told you that your knees are "healthy" or how they came to that conclusion, but just because there is no ligament or obvious cartilage damage, doesn't mean they won't hurt. It could be a fit issue, but even with a perfect bike fit, imbalances in muscle strength and tightness can trigger knee pain, especially patellofemoral pain. If you've only seen an orthopaedic surgeon, you might try seeing a sports medicine physician who can look at you more functionally - figure out what kind of knee pain you have, what's triggering it, before you spend hundreds of dollars travelling for a bike fitting.
Permalink Reply by Christian on February 12, 2013 at 12:58pm

I did not see a Doctor. Before going to see Cronometro in Madison, I was going on rides and the next day I had pain that made it difficult to walk up and down stairs and walk in general. In early season I spin and take it easy as I build a base of fitness. I also cross train from time to time. After making some adjustments to my saddle position and cleats I am riding pain free, sure after riding hard I do have soreness in my legs.

Permalink Reply by David P. on February 12, 2013 at 2:08pm

Milkbar,

What type of fittings does Tony typically do? Or you, for that matter. I ask because, for instance, if I wanted a fitting (and I've thought about it for a long time) I'd want one for a comfortable-to-ride-all-day fit rather than one optimized for maximum efficiency over short durations. I don't doubt that a talented and capable fitter can fit you for whatever type of riding you want to be fitted for, but it also strikes me as likely that people nonetheless specialize. Do correct me if I'm wrong; I'm only supposing, after all.

IIRC Velosmith is the place in Wilmette, no?

milkbar said:

I am a fitter myself and yet without reservation can tell you that Tony Bustamante at Velosmith is the most capable in our region, and in fact the entire country. 

Permalink Reply by Christian on February 12, 2013 at 2:13pm

A proper fitting will take into account several measurements to ensure you have the right size bike, stem length, seat post height, seat position forward and back. Ensure you have proper bend in your knee and that the ball of your foot is over the spindle properly. Also they will look at cleat positioning and watch to make sure your knees track properly while pedaling. After a proper fitting you should be at one with bike, provided the bike shop sold you the right size frame. :)

Permalink Reply by milkbar on February 12, 2013 at 2:18pm
Yes, Velosmith is in Wilmette. And while shops might focus on specific types of customers and bikes, good fitters work with basic principles of bicycle geometry, human physiology, and their interaction. We are not talking about physical therapy or coaching here, disciplines that these days are related and sometimes overlap, and are usually a bit more specialized.

This is a hugely complicated and ever changing industry... Like many other local shops, I use fit primarily to troubleshoot minor setup issues/pain, post injury recovery, and new equipment setup and geometry choice. I do not work with riders on topics such as power optimization, aerodynamic positioning, or the like. It's not rocket science, but sadly it's also not really a science, thus the wildly diverging fits you can receive from one fitter to the next.

So again, I would recommend Tony as the premiere local domain expert.

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