BIKE SETUP AND BODY POSITIONING

Bike setup and body positioning are crucial to feeling comfortable and helping to prevent injury. If you have just dusted off your old 10 speed, or if you’ve just purchased a new road bike, I recommend taking your bike to a bike shop to get properly fitted.

In the meantime, the main things to look for are:

Seat height. You want your seat height to be tall enough that you are able to use all of your leg muscles in the rotation, but not so tall that you are overextending your knee. Your knees should be going straight forward. If you seat is too low, your knees my turn to an outside angle, as if you were sitting Indian style. You want them to go straight forward, as if they were headlights.

Seat aft position. You can move your seat closer or farther away from your handlebars. You don’t want to be reaching for the handlebars (i.e., overextending your arms). You should be able to comfortably rest your hands on your handlebars in all of the positions your bike allows (top of the handlebars, drop bars, aero bars).

Handlebars. If you are a beginner rider, try a higher handlebar position. You can adjust your handlebar position by increasing or decreasing your stem length. Raising your handlebars should prove to be more comfortable because it allows the rider to stay in a more natural, upright position. A higher handlebar gives a rider less efficient aerodynamics, but far superior balance over a low handlebar position.