Serotta charges $1,600 tuition so students will take his training program seriously. "When you give something away, it lowers the value," he says.
To make the program more manageable in the beginning, Serotta shrank his dealer network by two-thirds and focused on training workers at top shops.
The fitting techniques taught at the school can be applied to any bike. "We teach an ideology that transcends brands," Serotta says.
Serotta gains credibility by having actual bike fitters teach the classes, acknowledging that workers on the front lines know more than he does.
Manufacturer Ben Serotta just wanted to teach retailers how to sell his bikes. He wound up creating something much bigger.