Two hours booked, forty minutes lost
A rider books a bike fit for Saturday morning. Your fitter blocks out a long slot, which means turning down workshop or sales work. The rider arrives, and the first twenty minutes go on questions that could have been answered at home: what injuries they have had, what riding they do, what they hope will change. Then it turns out they have brought trainers instead of cycling shoes, or the pedals on their bike are not the ones they ride with.
The fit happens, the fitter writes the final saddle height, setback, reach and cleat position on a sheet, and the rider leaves happy. A year later they come back to buy a new bike and ask you to set it up the same. The sheet is in a folder somewhere, or on the fitter's own spreadsheet, or it went when that fitter moved on.
A fit is treated like any other booking
Most shops take bike fit bookings through the same diary or booking tool as everything else. It records a name, a time and perhaps a phone number. It does not ask for the information the fitter needs, it does not tell the rider what to bring, and it has nowhere to keep the measurements afterwards.
- The questionnaire is filled in on the day, eating into paid fitting time.
- Riders do not know to bring shoes, kit, pedals and the bike they actually ride.
- Fits are booked with whichever fitter is free, not the one qualified for that type of fit.
- Fit numbers are written by hand and filed by name, if at all.
- Follow-up adjustments are arranged by text message and forgotten.
Lost fitting time and lost follow-on sales
A bike fit uses your most specialised person for a long stretch. Every minute of that slot spent on paperwork or a forgotten pair of shoes is time the fitter cannot get back. No-shows on a long slot hurt more than on a short service booking.
The larger cost comes later. Fit data is one of the best reasons for a rider to buy their next bike from you rather than online, because you can build the new bike to their numbers. If the data cannot be found, that reason disappears. We do not give advice about fitting itself; how the fit is done is your fitter's judgement.
Bike fit booking with preparation and a record that lasts
We build a bike fit booking and record system that works alongside your normal shop booking and EPOS.
- The booking page lists the fit types you offer, with the length and the fitter qualified for each, so a rider books the right thing with the right person.
- A deposit can be taken at booking through Stripe or your card provider if you want one for long slots.
- Once booked, the rider receives your questionnaire covering riding history, goals and anything the fitter wants to know, plus a clear list of what to bring.
- A reminder goes out a couple of days before, repeating the what-to-bring list and asking the rider to confirm.
- The fitter sees the completed questionnaire before the rider arrives, so the session starts with fitting.
- During or after the fit, the fitter enters the final measurements into a form on a tablet, with photos if they wish. The record is kept against the rider, with the bike and the date.
- When the rider buys a new bike or books a refit, the counter and the workshop can pull up the numbers.
| Part of the fit | Typical today | With prepared booking |
|---|---|---|
| Questionnaire | Done in the session | Done at home, read beforehand |
| What to bring | Forgotten shoes or pedals | Listed in the booking and reminder |
| Fit numbers | Handwritten sheet | Stored against the rider |
| Next bike purchase | Start from scratch | Build to recorded numbers |
Fits that start on time and data that sells the next bike
Your fitter spends the booked time fitting. Riders arrive ready. Fitters' notes survive staff changes, because they belong to the shop rather than the fitter's notebook. When a regular rider comes in for a new road bike, the salesperson can say, with the record in front of them, that the workshop will set it up to match their last fit.
The record also makes follow-up simple. A check-in message a few weeks after the fit invites the rider back for any adjustment, and that visit is booked in the same place.
Is your bike fit service leaking time?
- The first part of every fit is spent on paperwork.
- Riders regularly turn up without the right shoes or pedals.
- Fit numbers live on paper or in one fitter's spreadsheet.
- You cannot quickly find a rider's fit when they buy a new bike.
- Long fit slots are lost to no-shows with no deposit.