Pre-Purchase Bike Fit & Consultation

Find the Right Bike and the Right Size Before You Buy

Buying the wrong size is an expensive mistake, and a size chart doesn’t know how flexible you are, how you ride, or which bikes you’re stuck choosing between. That’s what this appointment is for.

Most riders come in with a short list. An endurance road bike or a race bike. Two gravel bikes with different geometry. The same model in two sizes. We’ll work through it with you, so the bike you buy is the one that fits.

What to Expect

• We talk through your riding. Where you ride, how far, what’s bothered you on past bikes, and the bikes on your list.
• Measurements and a flexibility check. Josh takes the body measurements your fit is built on.
• We compare your options. Josh checks the bikes you’re considering against your numbers, so you know which size, and which bike, makes sense.
• You get your fit report. We email you a full report with the baseline fit numbers your new bike should be set up to.

Plan on about 2 hours.

What’s in Your Fit Report

Your report breaks down the baseline fit numbers for your new bike:

• Frame stack and reach targets, with how much room you have either way. Use them to check any brand’s geometry chart.
• The bike and size we recommend for the riding you do
• Saddle height, setback, and tilt
• Stem length and angle, spacers, handlebar width, and crank length
• Handlebar reach and drop, plus effective reach and stack

It’s written so any mechanic can build the bike to spec. Buy from us and we’ll build it to those numbers in our shop. Buy closer to home and hand the report to your local mechanic.

Price

$200 for the appointment and your fit report, and you leave with a coupon for $150 off a complete bike from us. We’re an authorized dealer for Specialized, Bianchi, TIME, Niner, and State Bicycle. If one of those is the right bike, we can order it, build it to your report, and ship it to you if you live out of town.

Coming From Virginia, South Carolina, or Elsewhere in NC?

Riders already make the trip from Virginia and South Carolina for this appointment. A few things to know before you go:

• Book ahead. Fits are by appointment only: Wednesdays and Fridays at Creedmoor Road, Tuesdays and Thursdays at Lafayette Village. We don’t do fits on Mondays or Saturdays.
• Plan on about 2 hours in the shop.
• Bring your kit. The bibs or shorts you ride in and the cycling shoes you clip in with. A list of the bikes you’re considering helps too.
• You don’t have to buy the bike here. Your fit report works with any mechanic. If you do buy from us, we can ship the bike to you.
• Both shops are in North Raleigh: 6300 Creedmoor Rd #138 (27612) and 8480 Honeycutt Rd #126 in Lafayette Village (27615).

Book Your Pre-Purchase Fit

$200, about 2 hours, with a coupon for $150 off a complete bike. Book online at the shop that works for you and pick Pre Purchase Consultation Bike Fit in the calendar.

Questions? Call Creedmoor at (919) 417-1102 or Lafayette at (919) 272-9731.

Why Get Fitted Before Buying?

Here’s what we see all the time: someone buys a bike online off a size chart, rides it for a few weeks, and comes to us because something hurts. By then the money’s spent, and sometimes the fix is a different frame. If you’re spending $1,500 or more on a road, gravel, or mountain bike, getting sized first is cheap insurance.

After You Buy: Comprehensive Fitting

Once your bike is built, a comprehensive fitting ($250, two to three hours, with saddle pressure mapping) fine-tunes your position on the bike itself. The pre-purchase fit gets you on the right bike. The comprehensive fit sets up every contact point.

Common Questions

How much is a pre-purchase bike fit?

$200. That covers about 2 hours with Josh Hatchell, our IBFI-certified fitter, a full fit report emailed to you, and a coupon for $150 off a complete bike from us.

How long does it take?

About 2 hours.

What should I bring?

The bibs or shorts you ride in and the cycling shoes you clip in with.

Do I have to buy the bike from Bell Lap?

No. Your fit report gives you frame stack and reach targets plus the setup numbers, so you can compare any brand’s bikes and any mechanic can build yours to spec. If you do buy from us, we can ship it to you.

What days do you do fits?

Wednesdays and Fridays at Creedmoor Road, Tuesdays and Thursdays at Lafayette Village. No fits on Mondays or Saturdays.

I live out of state. Can I still book?

Yes. Riders drive in from Virginia and South Carolina for this appointment. Book online, plan on about 2 hours, and take your fit report home to any mechanic, or have us ship your new bike to you.