There are three ways to get your riding position checked. Each has a real use. This page lays them side by side so you can pick the one that fits your situation, including the cases where we are not the right choice.
| Studio bike fit | Free apps | BikeFit/LAB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Usually €150 to €400 | Free, sometimes with a paid tier | €2.50 to €5 per fit, no subscription |
| What is measured | Joint angles in 3D, cleats, saddle pressure, often flexibility | Joint angles from a phone video | Nine joint angles through the pedal stroke, cadence, hip rock, saddle fore/aft, optional front view |
| What you get | Adjustments made on the spot by a fitter | A readout of your angles, sometimes a short report | A coaching report with adjustments in millimetres scaled to your leg length, a day-by-day plan, PDF and email |
| Time and place | One to two hours at the studio, by appointment | At home, a few minutes | At home, about ten minutes, on a trainer, against a wall or from four photos |
| Follow-up | Return visit, usually paid | Repeat measurement, usually without history | Every fit saved: re-measure after a change and compare before and after |
| Languages | The studio's language | Mostly English | Eight languages, including Polish and Czech |
| Cleats, saddle width, leg length | Yes, hands-on | No | No, a single camera cannot see these |
if you have pain that did not go away after correcting your position, a one-sided complaint, an injury, or if you race at a level where cleat and pressure work matters. A fitter's hands see what no camera can.
if you only want a quick look at your angles and are happy to work out the adjustments yourself.
if you want to know what to change, in millimetres and in the right order, and to check afterwards whether it worked, for the price of a coffee. Most riders with a saddle-height or reach question fall in this group.
For joint angles from the side, a camera measures the same things a fitter's software measures. It cannot see cleat position, saddle width or a leg length difference. For those, a studio is the better choice.
Free apps mostly give you a readout of your angles. BikeFit/LAB turns them into adjustments in millimetres, in the right order, with a plan and a saved history so you can check that a change worked.
Yes, and that is often the sensible order. Fix saddle height and reach at home first; if a complaint remains, a fitter can spend the session on what a camera cannot measure.