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Getting a bike fit at Paul Hewitt Cycles

Our man Rob heads to Lancashire to get measured up for touring and Audax bikes

I always assumed that a custom built bike was the surefire way to guarantee a perfect fit. After all, if the frame is built to your specific dimensions, it has to fit like a glove, right?

Er, no, not quite. At least, not according to Paul Hewitt. He tells a tale of a customer turning up with a frame that they’ve had custom built, a boxful of components and a hopeful expression. What they don’t have is any measurements for how this expensive frame is supposed to be set up and without those it’s just another collection of tubes welded together. That’s the key to visiting Hewitt Cycles – you might not end up with a bike that’s custom built, but you will definitely be buying one that’s a custom fit. Paul explains it all very patiently. “If a customer wants a custom built frame, we will build them a custom built frame, the misconception is that the vast majority of cyclists think that a custom built frame would be more comfortable, this is not the case, as if you know the position dimensions you need then a bike set to these dimensions would feel just the same, on either a custom frame or suitable sized off the peg one.”

I’ve travelled over 250 miles to visit Paul Hewitt at his shop in Leyland, Lancashire. I’m going to be testing a Cheviot SE (a touring bike built around an off-the-peg frame) and an Alpine (fast Audax and fully custom) and Paul is gently insistent that to get the best fit I need to come to the shop. It’s not an idea that immediately appeals. I’ve never measured a bike in my life and have no idea of the set-up on my existing fleet. The only dimension I care about is frame size and, quite frankly, the idea of fussing about with tape measures and jigs and plumb-lines just sounds like a huge pain in the bum.

My idea of bike fit is finessing saddle height and angle by feel over the course of a few rides, nothing more. Over the course of several e-mails I try to convince Paul that if he could just send me a bike built with a 54cm frame it'll be fine, no really, I'll make it fit as well as all of my other bikes, not a problem. Very politely but firmly he explains that position matters more than just frame size. If I send him certain measurements, taken from a bike I find comfortable, then yes, he can set a bike up to those measurements and send it on, but it’s clear that this is a compromise and a long way short of a proper fitting session.

Now, I may be an ignorant ape with the sensitivity of a sack of spuds [he is – Ed] but I’m not completely stupid, and to be honest by this point it starts to sink in that I’m being disrespectful and more than a little rude. As any number of people on bike forums will attest, an essential part of the process of buying a Hewitt is the pilgrimage to Leyland for a fitting because the end result will be worth the effort. Paul is a master of making sure that bike and rider are in harmony, so for this grunting novice to think that a quick fiddle with the saddle would be adequate, well, really….

One Burger King and Krispy Kreme fuelled road-trip later we're parking up outside the shop. My wife Gill has come along too because she loves bikes, is curious about the process, can take photos and likes measuring things, being a precious princess who can quote the measurements for her bikes without needing to look them up first. To be honest, I'm a bit nervous about the whole thing, so it's reassuring to have someone with me who really gets it. Besides, I like her company and this is an exciting day out for a pair of bike geeks like us.

I’ve never been in a bike shop like Paul Hewitt Cycles before. There are no upright hybrids, no kids bikes, no on-trend city bikes, no MTBs, no cargo bikes and no assistants buzzing about trying to sell stuff, jst lots of very, very nice road bikes (with the occasional cyclo-crosser and tri bike thrown in) and a complete Aladdin’s cave of wheels, frames, shoes and assorted lovely things. Paul is with a customer when we arrive, so one of his staff makes us a brew while we wander about, stroking things and wondering whether it would be worth selling a kidney. Gill is particularly taken with a beautiful Hewitt racing bike – Campag EPS, steel, painted in Kawasaki Green and utterly gorgeous.

Once Paul is free he takes us on a tour of the workshop, all the while explaining the philosophy and principles that underpin his business. He's an engaging host and has some pithy views on things such as bikes being sold as being specifically suitable for women or sportives (misleading marketing spin, because you still need to achieve a proper fit, irrespective of gender or intended use) the accuracy of frames built by some prestigious big-name manufacturers (clue: not so great actually) and many other topics.

Name and reputation are all-important to Paul and, of course, maintaining those requires making sure that the customer gets what the customer really needs. A framed 2004 world champion’s jersey with “thanks for the wheels, Bradley Wiggins” makes it clear that this is the cycling equivalent of a Savile Row tailor, not M&S. If you need any more clues that this is a serious business run by people with a deep love and understanding of what they do, just take a look at the frame-building jig, where someone has written 'Gethin's tube width' in felt tip. That's Gethin, as in Gethin Butler, and that's his frame hanging up. And that wiry chap behind the counter is the man himself. Not only does Sir Wiggy get wheels here, you can be served by a TT legend and (still) End to End record holder.

It's most definitely not the kind of shop where cash-rich MAMILs can just rock up, point at the most expensive bike in the shop and walk out again five minutes later. It's so serious that Paul ignores the arrival of his lunchtime sandwich in order to get on with the fitting.

I’ve brought some shoes, pedals and a jersey, as requested, so while I get changed Paul sets up the jig with the measurements that I’ve sent him. To start with we’re going to sort out the fit for the Cheviot. Choosing a saddle is the first thing to do as each one will affect the measurements, some being squishier than others. We go for a Selle Rolls. It’s a classic touring option and seems like a good choice for the Cheviot. Besides, I’ve not tried one before and it’s a change from my usual Brooks or Rivet.

Once that’s fitted Paul can start assessing saddle height, distance to the hoods, tops and drops and so on. I just have to pedal, stretch my leg, bring the pedals to 3-9 o’clock, drop my heel a little, move to the drops and generally do as I’m told.

 

To start with I feel a bit self-conscious and tense, but Paul’s softly spoken commentary is soothing and instils confidence. Throughout the process Paul constantly adjusts the jig, moving the bars and saddle forward, up, backwards… Although the initial set-up is done with precise measurements, the alterations are done by eye and a plumbline with Paul assessing whether my knees and arms are at the proper angle. It’s a mixture of science, art and years of experience.

To be honest, I don’t actually get everything he says, about how all of the different measurements relate to each other, but I don’t really have to. Besides, Gill understands this stuff far better than I do and she’s nodding and chipping in with astute observations and questions. It isn't a painful or difficult process, although it does mean I have to think about things like how my arms feel or whether I'm lower or higher than I would be on my regular bike.

The process is repeated for the Alpine, albeit with a different saddle. Once we’re done I spot that there is barely enough saddle rail showing for me to fit my usual Carradice Bagman support bracket. Of course, my solution would just be to shove the saddle back a bit, ghastly ape that I am, but as the Alpine is being custom built Paul simply changes the seatpost angle on the spec sheet by half a degree and… voila! There’s an extra 5mm of saddle rail available.

Once the position has been determined he can also change the look of the bike to suit. As this bike is going to be used for some pretty long rides I'm going to need as much comfort as I can get, so I'm going for a dropped top tube to leave more seat post showing but if I wanted a more level top tube I could have one. The length of the top tube can also be set to accommodate your preferred stem length (and of course, avoid toe-overlap).

Obviously an off-the-peg frame means that many of the dimensions are pre-determined, but once a suitable frame size has been chosen the right fit can be achieved by moving the saddle, choosing an appropriate stem length and setting the bar height correctly. The various measurements have a close interplay with each other and position changes can be achieved by a number of means, for example you can get a higher position by building up the spacer stack, putting in a shorter stem or moving the saddle forward. It can be a minefield for anyone, from novices to experienced riders, so I'm glad to be in expert hands.

Fitting over, it’s time to discuss wheels, groupsets and finishing kit. The Cheviot will be built with some straightforward Deore kit, much as you’d expect on a touring bike, with some handbuilt wheels. The Alpine will have a 105 groupset – anything higher would be overkill – and some very nice wheels built up with H Plus Son rims, which look fantastic. Genesis have specced the same rims on the new Equilibrium Disc (being thrashed on test by road.cc’s David Arthur at the time of writing) so it will be interesting to see how they perform.

When it comes to tyres I ask for Gatorskins on the Alpine as they've served me well across my entire fleet. Paul doesn't say anything, but he has a definite Look on his face and after a brief discussion the bike will be coming with Conti GP 4000S. Paul reckons that they're a sportier option without sacrificing too much puncture resistance and are a better match for the bike than Gators. I'm also dead chuffed that the Alpine will be coming in the same shade of Kawasaki Green as the race bike we've both been drooling over – it's going to be a stunning looking beast and I can't wait to show it off..

Overall, we were in the shop for nearly three hours and by the time we left Paul still hadn't had his lunch. That’s not because a road.cc hack merits any special treatment, it just seems to be the normal level of customer service you can expect (as verified by several friends who have been) and if you’re going to be spending a fair chunk of cash on a bike, why not?

Both bikes will be stopping off at road.cc's new HQ for pictures before they get to me, but by the time you're reading this the Cheviot should be in Devon, set up precisely to Paul's measurements. The Alpine will take a little longer, being custom built, but that should be here early next year.

I've got a rigorous testing regime of commutes, touring and day rides planned, so it'll be a while before I can report back, but I'll let you know how they perform and whether that trip up North made a difference.

In the meantime, check out the entire range at www.hewittcycles.co.uk.

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13 comments

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shmooster | 10 years ago
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Great article. Reminds me I need to get a bike fit on my Roubaix. On Gatorskins vs GP4000s, the GPs are a fabulously quick and grippy tyre which I'd always choose over the Gatorskins, I only had to swap mine recently to get some better puncture protection for the winter (trying out Schwalbe Durano, so far a bit slower but no punctures).

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Roberj4 | 10 years ago
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Great wheel building service from Hewitts to. I've had 3 road sets built and a rear MTB wheel rebuild over a period of 5 years. Always worth phoning for a price & build option before you spend silly money on a pair 'off the peg' Mavics, and of coarse a chat to Gethin if he answers the phone. Wheels good for Brad.....

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proliteguy | 10 years ago
1 like

Great to see such god service still happening in UK

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meursault | 10 years ago
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Nice read, the only part that I thought was strange was about the tyres. You are giving up quite a bit of puncture resistance as this daily commuter knows. For the sake of 40 odd grams and not noticable ride difference, I would have gone (and have on mine) the Gatorskins.

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Rob Simmonds replied to meursault | 10 years ago
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meursault wrote:

Nice read, the only part that I thought was strange was about the tyres. You are giving up quite a bit of puncture resistance as this daily commuter knows. For the sake of 40 odd grams and not noticable ride difference, I would have gone (and have on mine) the Gatorskins.

I wasn't going to argue! Besides, we like to test bikes as supplied and if the supplier suggests different kit then that all adds to the review. We'll see how the GPs hold up to some hefty audaxes on crappy lanes.  39

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sea_biscuit | 10 years ago
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yep, have had two bike-fits from Paul - one on summer bike to accompany some new wheels (did Marmotte on this one) and then on winter bike which paul built up using parts off older summer bike (did Flanders on it). excellent place, i travelled about 80 miles and the sets of wheels are still true 4 years later. equally, he was the only person who has identified correctly that i had one leg slightly longer than other and hence adjusted cleats etc.. to accomodate (they werent sufficiently different to justify different crank arms). if up in North, cant recommend highly enough.

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bobdunne | 10 years ago
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Bought a bike from Paul Hewitt's in October after visiting many many shops. the service is astounding, the bike fit and Paul's time costs you nothing if you buy a bike at the end of it. He set up my old bike for me as best he could so it rode better whilst I was waiting for them to build up my Van Nicholas titanium one. He also missed his lunch whilst doing my fit, maybe that's how he stays so slender.
At no point did I feel pressured into anything, just seemed to be given honest advice. The Van NIcholas is a lovely bike and all those niggling pains I used to get on long rides appear to have gone now. Which may be down to the quality of titanium but also I guess form being in the right position on the bike. I also broke most of my strava records on my old bike with no greater effort after Paul had adjusted it for me.
i would recommend Hewitt's if you are up north, possibly even worth the travel.

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Rob Simmonds replied to bobdunne | 10 years ago
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bobdunne wrote:

Bought a bike from Paul Hewitt's in October after visiting many many shops. the service is astounding, the bike fit and Paul's time costs you nothing if you buy a bike at the end of it. ...
i would recommend Hewitt's if you are up north, possibly even worth the travel.

That's what struck me - I could imagine other shops charging handsomely for the level of service you get from Paul. I'm yet to be convinced about the merits of a custom fit (I need to play with the bikes first) but there's absolutely no doubt about the quality of the service and it does make buying a bike from him into a special occasion - much better than just banging down a credit card or clicking on a mouse. I've yet to come across anyone with a bad word to say about the experience.

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Moonraker Mike | 10 years ago
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That reminds me of my fitting for my Cheviot that I bought 10 years ago. No rushing, plenty of sensible advice, and left feeling I'd bought a really special bike with every component discussed and considered for me. I still enjoy riding the bike 10 years on.
I recently bought a new bike from a local dealer who barely spent 5 minutes measuring up my existing bike for comparison, and didn't seem interested in my purchase; maybe I should have headed back up the M6 back to Hewitt cycles!

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jarredscycling | 10 years ago
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Not sure a kidney would cover those two bikes

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Karbon Kev | 10 years ago
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I totally agree with this. Paul Hewitt is the consumate professional and expert for bikefitting. Good review.

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Some Fella | 10 years ago
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You are very very lucky.  105

I know its rather impertinent but the $24 000 question is - how much is this all costing?
If you dont mind me asking.
Just need to weigh up what the going rate for a well used 43 year old kidney is on the open market at the moment

Avatar
Rob Simmonds replied to Some Fella | 10 years ago
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Some Fella wrote:

You are very very lucky.  105

I know its rather impertinent but the $24 000 question is - how much is this all costing?
If you dont mind me asking.
Just need to weigh up what the going rate for a well used 43 year old kidney is on the open market at the moment

At the moment I can't tell you. Not because it's secret, but because I don't have a final price either. My best estimate (and it's only an estimate) is that the Cheviot SE is going to be in the region of £1600 and the Alpine somewhere between £2.5 - £3k. I'll be interested to know as well! We'll definitely have the real price by the time the reviews go up.

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