How to run a bike fitting studio diary

A bike fit is the opposite of a drop-off: long, personal, expensive, and the customer is there for every minute. A workshop absorbs a no-show by pulling the next job forward; a fitting studio loses three billable hours. Protect the long slots, arrive at each session already briefed, and make the fit outlast the appointment.

Set session lengths that match the work

• A first full fit takes two and a half to three hours; a follow-up tweak takes one; a cleat setup sits between
• Offer them as tiers with their own durations and prices, not one "bike fit" at one number
• In Velobook, fittings are their own booking type with tiers, and each slot is booked against the fitter who'll run it

Collect intake before they arrive

Injuries, riding history, weekly hours, goals, current bike and setup, previous fits: all answerable from the couch the week before. Velobook asks your intake questions inside the fitting booking, with a different question set per tier if you want, and the answers sit on the booking for the assigned fitter.

Protect the diary with deposits

1. 1Put a deposit on every full fit and state it at booking. Velobook sets the deposit per tier and carries it on the booking; the fitting flow settles it in person.
2. 2Send reminders a week out and 24 hours out. The day-before message should say what to bring: the bike, riding shoes, knicks, insoles.
3. 3Make rescheduling self-serve. Manage links in every confirmation let the customer move the booking, with you told.
4. 4Track no-shows. A per-customer count tells you who gets "full prepayment this time".

Deliver a fit report they can keep

Saddle height, setback, bar reach and drop, cleat position, what you changed and why, what to watch over the next fortnight. Written down, the customer keeps it for years; said aloud, it's forgotten in the car park. Velobook holds the report against the booking: upload the PDF your fit software produces and the customer gets a secure download link.

Let customers book it themselves

• People research for weeks and decide at 10pm. Every step between the decision and the diary loses some of them
• Put the booking link on your site, your Google Business profile and your socials, with tiers, durations and prices spelled out
• Velobook's booker shows each tier with its price and takes the whole booking in under a minute, intake included

Book the follow-up before they leave

A fit that felt perfect on the jig needs a review after a few hundred kilometres. Offer the follow-up as its own cheaper, shorter tier and book it at the end of the session. Between sessions, per-bike history and an optional customer account mean the next fitter sees what was set and when.

Pitfalls to avoid

• One-size session lengths. A follow-up in a three-hour slot wastes the studio; a full fit in 90 minutes wastes the customer's money.
• Doing intake in the room. Paid time on questions an email could have answered.
• No deposit on long slots. One no-show a fortnight is a working day a month.
• Fit data in the fitter's head. The studio's knowledge walks out when the fitter does.
• Treating the fit as a one-off sale. The report, the follow-up and the history turn one fit into a decade-long customer.