Your Pre-Fit Checklist: 7 Things to Do Before Your Bike Fit
TL;DR
Preparing well for your bike fit helps ensure the assessment is accurate and that the outcome reflects how you actually ride. Small steps — bringing the right gear, avoiding last-minute changes to your setup, arriving with clear goals and a sense of any issues — can meaningfully improve the result. This checklist works through seven things to do (and a few not to do) before your appointment so you get the most out of the session.
Preparation Shapes the Outcome
A bike fit is a structured process, and it relies on accurate information about how you ride, how your body moves, and what you want from your cycling. The more representative the picture you bring to the appointment, the more effective the adjustments tend to be — both in the quality of the assessment and in the accuracy of the desired outcome. The checklist below covers what is most useful to do before the session.
1. Don't Make Any Major Changes to Your Bike
It can be tempting to adjust your bike before your appointment — moving the saddle up a few millimetres, swapping a stem, trying a different cleat angle — in the hope of arriving with something closer to "right." For a bike fit, this often makes the process harder rather than easier.
Your current setup carries important information. It shows how you have been riding, what has and hasn't worked, and the position your body has been adapting to over time. Last-minute changes can mask the underlying issues the fitter needs to see, particularly if discomfort was the reason you booked the fit in the first place.
The most useful thing you can do is arrive with the bike exactly as it has been. From there, every change made in the session is based on observation of your current riding position as a starting point for changes to be made.
2. Bring Your Usual Cycling Gear
Your bike fit should reflect how you actually ride, which means wearing the kit you normally wear on the bike. Bring your usual cycling shorts, the jersey or top you would typically use, the shoes/cleats that you wear, and any other gear you regularly ride in.
3. Think About Your Goals and Any Issues You're Having
Clarity about what you want from the fit, and any current issues, helps shape the session from the start.
It is worth giving some thought beforehand to whether your priority is comfort (perhaps recurring discomfort that hasn't resolved), performance (preparing for an event, improving efficiency, or moving toward a more aggressive position), or simply confidence that your setup is right. The goals that you bring to your session will help dictate which of these pillars is prioritised, though all will be considered and optimised.
If you've been experiencing discomfort, be ready to describe where it is, when it appears in a ride (the first 30 minutes, after two hours, on climbs, on descents), and how it has been affecting your riding. Specific information lets the fitter trace the issue back to a likely cause or pattern. At Aerro Bike Fit, a short pre-fit survey is provided beforehand to help gather this history, so much of it is captured in writing before you arrive.
4. Try Not To Ride Hard the Day Before
Your body should arrive at the fit in something close to its usual state. A hard ride the day before — long intervals, a sustained climbing session, a race effort — can increase fatigue, alter your movement patterns, and temporarily reduce your mobility. The result is an assessment based on a slightly different body than the one you typically ride in.
In the day or two before your appointment, keep any riding light to moderate. This helps ensure the position the fitter is observing accurately reflects your usual position and movement patterns.
5. Clean Your Bike (so that it is functional)
A clean bike allows the fitter to clearly see the components being adjusted, makes the bolts and contact points easier to work with, and helps the session run efficiently. A quick wipe of your frame and check of the cleats on your shoes will be adequate for the session.
6. Bring Your Shoes and Pedals
Your connection to the bike — pedals, shoes, and cleats — is a significant part of how power is transferred and how the lower limb tracks through the pedal stroke. The fit is incomplete without these.
Bring your cycling shoes (particularly clip-in ones, since cleat position is part of the fit), and if you have recently changed shoes, cleats, or pedals, mention this during the session — it can be useful context, particular if your stance width has changed. If you regularly ride more than one pair of shoes, bringing both is worthwhile so the cleat positions can be reviewed and matched across them.
7. Be Prepared to Learn
A bike fit is not only about adjustments to the bike — it is also about building your understanding of why those adjustments matter. During the session, you'll receive explanations of what is being changed and why, how your body is moving on and off the bike, and how each adjustment affects your position. The more you understand about your own setup, the better placed you are to maintain it, notice when something starts to drift, and make informed decisions about your riding going forward.
Some of the changes may feel different at first, and take some time to adapt to. Following your session, you'll receive a detailed report documenting the changes made, your pre- and post-fit measurements, images of your position, and the recommendations discussed, so you have a clear record to refer back to.
Why Preparation Makes a Difference
Each step in this checklist supports the same goal: an assessment that reflects how you actually ride, leading to adjustments that target what genuinely matters for you. Preparation isn't a high bar — it mostly involves leaving your bike’s setup alone, packing the right gear, and giving some thought to what you want from the session. But the difference it makes to the outcome tends to be meaningful.
A Practical Self-Check
Consider this: are you arriving at your bike fit with a clear understanding of your goals and any issues you've been experiencing?
If not, even five or ten minutes of preparation beforehand can meaningfully change how much you gain from the session.
Internal Next Steps
To get the most out of your bike fit:
The Aim
The aim is not only to attend a bike fit. It is to prepare in a way that allows the process to be accurate, effective, and aligned with what you actually need from it — so the position you leave with supports comfortable, consistent riding well beyond the day of the appointment.
This is the approach taken at Aerro Physio Bike Fit, where preparation and process work together to deliver an outcome that genuinely lasts.
FAQs
1. Should I adjust my bike before a fit?
No. It is best to arrive with your current setup so that the fitter can see the position your body has been adapting to. Last-minute changes can mask the underlying issues the assessment is designed to identify.
2. What gear should I bring?
Bring your usual cycling clothing (particularly the shorts you ride in regularly), your cycling shoes, and a drink bottle.
3. Can I ride before my appointment?
Yes, but avoid intense sessions the day before to provide the fitter with an accurate representation of your usual riding position – not one that is compensating for sore quads after a big day of climbing!
4. Why is cleaning my bike important?
It allows the fitter to clearly see and work with the components being adjusted, and helps the session run efficiently. A clean bike also makes small mechanical observations easier — for example, identifying cleat position.
5. Do I need to prepare my goals?
Yes — even briefly. Knowing whether you're focused on comfort, performance, event preparation, or simply confidence in your setup helps shape the priorities of the session and ensures the adjustments target what actually matters for you.
6. Will I learn during the session?
Yes. Understanding your position is part of the value of the appointment, and a follow-up report documenting the changes, your measurements, and recommendations is provided afterwards so you have a clear record to refer back to.
About the Author
Harri Harvey Physiotherapist at Aerro Physio Bike Fit
We proudly help cyclists ride stronger, faster, and pain-free through expert physiotherapy bike fitting. Harri is an experienced physiotherapist and bike fitter with additional training in bicycle mechanics. Through the use of motion-capture technology and detailed bike fitting practices, we aim to optimise your position, improve performance, and prevent injury on the bike. Whether you're a competitive rider or a weekend cyclist, Aerro Physio Bike Fit ensures a personalised approach to improve your comfort, efficiency, and confidence on every ride.