Bike fitting by physiotherapists, measured in 3D
HP3 bike fits are clinically-led. Your fitter is an HCPC-registered physiotherapist who assesses how you move off the bike before measuring how you ride on it with the Retül 3D motion-capture system. The position you leave with is built from both.
Fits are led by Will Beauchamp, musculoskeletal specialist physiotherapist and Retül-certified bike fitter, at Worsley Physiotherapy Clinic in Manchester. HP3 founder Tim Pigott, an IBFI Level 4 Master Bike Fitter, supervises the service. Whether you are in pain on the bike, uncomfortable over distance or want more from the power you already have, the process is the same: assess the rider, measure the ride, then change the bike.
An initial bike fit is 180 minutes and costs £300. Follow-up fits are 90 minutes and £200.
Pain, comfort and performance
Most riders come to us for one of three reasons. The assessment is the same in each: find out how you move, measure how you ride, and change the bike to suit the rider rather than the rider to suit the bike.
Pain on the bike
Knee pain, lower back and neck pain, numb hands or feet, and saddle discomfort. Position is often part of the cause and sometimes the whole of it. Because your fitter is a physiotherapist, the fit doubles as a clinical assessment: if the problem needs treatment as well as adjustment, you are told so and it is arranged through the same clinic. See physiotherapy at HP3.
Comfort over distance
A new bike, a first long sportive or gravel event, a return to riding after injury or surgery, or a set-up that has never felt settled. The position you can hold for the whole of your event matters more than the one that looks fastest for ten minutes, and the two are rarely the same.
Performance
Time trial and triathlon positions, pedalling efficiency, and side-to-side differences you cannot feel but the cameras can see. The aim of every fit is the most comfortable and efficient position, which is also the most powerful one you can sustain.
Not sure whether a bike fit or a physiotherapy appointment is the right first step? Call Worsley Physiotherapy Clinic on 0161 702 9474 and ask, and we will tell you plainly.
Assess the rider, measure the ride, change the bike
Every HP3 bike fit follows the same clinically-led process, in the same order. An initial fit takes 180 minutes.
Physiotherapy screen
Before you get on the bike, your physiotherapist assesses range of movement, flexibility, strength and the structure of your body: hips, spine, knees and feet, and the side-to-side differences most riders carry without knowing. These findings shape your position as much as the measurements do, because a bike cannot be fitted to a body that has not been looked at.
Retül 3D measurement
LED markers are placed on your joints and the Retül cameras record your position as you pedal, from both sides of the bike. Measuring both sides finds the asymmetries a static or two-dimensional fit cannot. The data describes the position you ride now, not the one you think you ride, and it is the baseline every change is judged against.
Adjust, re-measure, follow up
Saddle, cleats, bars, stem and insoles are adjusted and your ride is measured again, so the effect of each change is seen rather than assumed. You leave with a record of your final position and, where the screen found something to work on, physiotherapy or strength exercises to help you hold it. A fit is a process, not an event: as your riding changes we advise on further adjustment or follow-up.
What to bring
- Your bike, in good working order. If a seat post or stem bolt has seized, have it serviced before the fit so adjustments can actually be made.
- Your cycling shoes, every pair you ride in, so cleat alignment can be checked on all of them.
- Any custom insoles or orthotics you use.
- No turbo wheel is needed: your bike goes on a direct-drive Wahoo Kickr.
What to wear
- Tight-fitting cycling or triathlon kit. The Retül markers must stay still on your body, and baggy clothing makes the data inaccurate.
- A sleeveless top if you have one.
- No moisturiser on the day, because it stops the markers sticking to your skin.
- You will ride short efforts at race intensity, but not enough to sweat the markers off. There are fans, and a shower and changing room if you want them.
Test saddles from Fizik, SMP and ISM, an adjustable stem to find the length and angle you need, cleat and shoe wedges for the foot-pedal interface, and a range of Sidas insoles are all available during the fit. Any component change is discussed with you as part of your recommendations.
Your bike fitter
Every HP3 bike fit is carried out by an HCPC-registered physiotherapist (Health and Care Professions Council) who is also a certified bike fitter. That combination is the point: the person adjusting your bike is qualified to assess the body riding it.
Will Beauchamp
Lead bike fitter and physiotherapistWill leads bike fitting at HP3. He is a musculoskeletal specialist physiotherapist and clinical educator, a Retül-certified bike fitter, and has worked with Olympic and World Championship athletes. His clinical interest is the injuries of runners and cyclists, which is why the physiotherapy screen at the start of every fit is not a formality. He races himself, with a 2:27 marathon and a 14:46 5k.
Tim Pigott
Founder, supervising fitter and educatorHP3’s founder is an IBFI Level 4 Master Bike Fitter, the highest level of recognition the International Bike Fitting Institute awards, and one half of The Cycling Physios, which educates bike fitters and clinicians worldwide. He supervises the bike fitting service and is available for complex cases by arrangement.
We will not change your position without measuring the effect, and we will not fit a bike around a problem that needs treating first. If the screen finds something that a fit alone cannot fix, we say so and arrange the physiotherapy, through the same clinic, before or alongside the fit.
What riders say
Three of the people we have fitted, in their own words.
“After neck surgery a few years ago I didn’t think I’d be able to ride a drop bar bike again. But after a bike fit from Will Beauchamp; including an off bike exercise programme to address some strength and functionality issues. I’ve just completed a 50 mile Gravel event with 4000ft of climbing without a problem. Thanks to Will for getting me cycling pain free again.”
“The Retul process was very insightful. As a cyclist you get a feel for what you are doing and how you pedal but by being able to see this and analyse real data you can then appreciate how small adjustments can impact and improve the efficiency of the pedal stroke. For example one leg was tracking straight up and down, the other looked like i was pedalling around an avocado! Some minor adjustments got this leg tracking better and I now feel more comfortable on the bike.”
“Just wanted to let you know I came 4th In the British champs duathlon in the new position. Rode 4 mins faster than my last rode on that course for less power (38.6KM). So fair to say a big improvement! Thanks”
Frequently asked questions
How long does a bike fit take, and what does it cost?
An initial bike fit is 180 minutes and costs £300. That covers the physiotherapy screen, the Retül 3D measurement and every adjustment made on the day. A follow-up fit, for a second bike or to review your position after a block of riding, is 90 minutes and costs £200.
Do I need to be injured or in pain to book a fit?
No. Many riders come for comfort over distance or for a time trial or triathlon position. The physiotherapy screen happens either way, because how you move off the bike decides what position you can hold on it.
Is the fit carried out by a physiotherapist?
Yes. HP3 bike fits are led by Will Beauchamp, musculoskeletal specialist physiotherapist and Retül-certified bike fitter, under the supervision of HP3 founder Tim Pigott, an IBFI Level 4 Master Bike Fitter. Both are HCPC-registered physiotherapists.
What happens if the screen finds a problem?
We tell you, and we explain whether the fit can address it or whether it needs physiotherapy first or alongside. Treatment can be arranged through the same clinic, and HP3 physiotherapists also consult online. See physiotherapy at HP3.
How hard will I be riding?
You will pedal for short periods at your race intensity so the cameras see how you actually ride, but we do not want you working up a sweat because the LED markers lose adhesion. There are fans to keep you cool, and a shower, changing room and toilets at the clinic.
Where is the clinic, and is there parking?
Fits are at Worsley Physiotherapy & Sports Injuries Clinic, First Floor, Ackerley House, Forrester Street, Roe Green, Worsley, Manchester, M28 2JL. There is parking directly outside the clinic and on the roads bisecting the green opposite. Clinic details.
What if I have to cancel or postpone?
Give us as much notice as you can so the slot can be offered to someone else; there is usually a waiting list of at least a few weeks. Change or cancel through your online booking confirmation, or call the clinic on 0161 702 9474.
Can HP3 fit me if I am coached elsewhere, or not coached at all?
Yes. Bike fitting is open to anyone. If you are coached by HP3, your fitter and your coach work from the same training record, so the position and any follow-up exercises are written into your plan rather than added to it.
For bike fitters and clinicians
HP3 educates bike fitters as well as fitting riders. Through The Cycling Physios, Tim Pigott and Bianca Broadbent have built a library of webinars on cycling medicine and fitting: knee pain, the cycling foot and hand, pelvic pathology in male and female cyclists, concussion, time trial position within UCI regulations, power and aerodynamics in fitting, and fitting the smaller rider with Emma Pooley.
The full library is free to watch on our bike fitting resources page.
Book a bike fit
Bike fits are booked directly with Worsley Physiotherapy Clinic in Manchester, where every HP3 fit takes place. Choose a bike fit appointment in the clinic’s online booking system and you will receive confirmation and what to bring by email.
If what you need is physiotherapy rather than a fit, start with physiotherapy at HP3. If you would rather get to know the team first, join the TeamHP3 community.
Not sure which appointment you need? Call the clinic on 0161 702 9474.
Both appointments include the physiotherapy screen, the Retül 3D measurement and every adjustment made on the day.
- Initial bike fit, 180 minutes£300
- Follow-up fit, 90 minutes£200