Saturday 12th October
The first thing to consider is the height of the saddle. For a road bike, you want to have a straight leg when sat on the seat and put your heel on the pedal. This way when you attach the cleats (shoes that clip in to the pedals), you will have a slight bend in the knee when peddling. For a mountain bike, this is slightly more variable. It depends on the terrain you are covering and may want to be a bit lower, it’s best to vary the height a little more here to find your preference depending on the style.
Next, consider the position of the handlebars. Imagine being sat on the bike and you need to reach the handlebars. A correct frame size is paramount. If its too short you’ll be very compressed, one that’s too large will leave you being too stretched. The angle of the handlebars will change the tension through the wrist.
In a perfect world, when you’re sat on the bike you will have constant tension through your core. Not as though you’re shaking in a plank, but you should feel some engagement in your stomach and low back. Every time you press through one leg you will contract through the opposite side of your upper body for stability. There should be a slight bend in the elbow to allow force to dissipate through the arm and not get stuck in the elbow. It shoulder be so bent as to over engage the triceps.
The last thing to consider is the saddle height to handlebar height. When you are riding the bike, you don’t want to be really extended through your neck to see forward. Often people put the handlebars low down to be more aerodynamic. You want to have them at a height which allows you to have a neutral neck whilst looking forward.
If you are experiencing pain in the low back, knee, elbow, wrist or neck, it is likely that the set up isn’t well suited to your body. We would suggest having a professional bike fit to make sure your bike is not going to cause you pain when you should be enjoying your ride.
