Bike Fitting, How to Ride in Comfort

One of the things I hear often when it comes to biking is that many have tried it but due to discomfort (usually in the form of numbness in the groin), they gave up riding. Discomfort while riding is VERY common, but it is also VERY fixable.

Proper bike fit is possibly the single most important thing any rider can do to enjoy the sport and maximize their potential as a rider. You can have the best bike in the world, but if it doesn’t fit the rider it will cause pain, numbness, and discomfort. Personally I would recommend that any budget you have set aside for a bike, reserve some budget for a good fit. That budget should include potentially the cost of a new saddle, and new handlebars as those two main contact points are where you interface with the bike. Pedals may also need to be replaced as part of a fit for various reasons as well.

The first thing to consider is bike frame size, and a simple height measurement may be a decent guide but there is more to it than height. The frame size needs to work not only with the rider’s individual leg lengths (seat tube), but also their torso length (top tube + stem). For example, there are bikes which will ideally fit your legs, but will stretch the rider’s upper body out possibly inducing lower back pain, or numbness in the hands because of straight arms. In other words make sure that the starting point of size is right for you and the kind of riding you want to do.

Saddle height plays an important role in knee comfort, there are plenty of articles explaining where knee pain comes from related to saddle height. Too low and the front of your knees will hurt because of strain on the joint to get the pedals around without proper extension of the leg. If the saddle is too high, the back of your knees will hurt because of overextension of the joint for each pedal stroke. Sometimes the front or back of knee pain will not show up until you have been riding for an hour so riding time may be necessary to iron out fit.

When it comes to length, there are a few things at play, saddle position either front or back, stem length, and height of the bars. Each one of these areas may be adjusted for comfort, and they all play a role. The distance from the saddle, as well as height play into comfort for your back, as well as can address numbness in your hands. For example, when I got my current bike the stem length from the factory was too long, and my bar height was too low. I felt extremely stretched out on my bike, my lower back would hurt on long rides and because my elbows weren’t bent at all my hands were numb within minutes of a ride. This was addressed with saddle replacement and adjustment, as well as replacement of my stem and bars. The factory bars were too wide for my shoulders further stretching me out, and the new bars have a little kick up in height. The new stem is 50% shorter than the factory one bringing the bars closer to me. Stems can also be used to affect bar height with an angle change as well as length.

As a novice cyclist, somehow I overlooked the importance of a good saddle, and that was a HUGE mistake. Your saddle is where the vast majority of your weight is transferred into the bike through one or two contact points, it also is where most of the pedaling motion is. A bad fitting or poorly placed saddle can lead to all sorts of problems. I will start with the first complaint I hear all the time. Numbness. Saddle designs have changed a lot in recent years, but many manufacturers due to cost don’t use the new designs. Most saddles these days have a relief or hole in the middle to allow for proper blood flow, as well as relief for any nerves that may be pinched in the middle. The length, width, and placement of this relief are different for almost every saddle. This combined with shape will do incredible things for rider groin comfort. The next thing to consider when choosing a saddle is the shape and size. When riding you are spending time on your sit bones. Your saddle should be fit to your sit bone size and the width will address this so you are supported where you sit. Your pedal motion actually plays into this too as some people roll their pelvis while riding and have more motion than others. There are a variety of saddle shapes to address pedal motion as well. The right saddle coupled with the right shorts can give a rider all day comfort.

The last area of adjustments which may need to be made are to pedal width, float, and crank length. I am assuming here that the riders shoes fit well as a starting point and I will address that for wide feet in another post. Cleat placement on your shoes have a lot of potential adjustment. Typically the pedal should sit right under the ball of your foot for the best transfer of power, but after that, the adjustments can be highly unique to each rider. Some people feet sit at an angle and the cleats need to be shimmed to adjust. Some people have more heel motion when they pedal and they need a cleat system like Speedplay with a ton of float (allowed heel motion side to side). Personally I needed to add width to the pedals themselves because of where my feet sit in relation to my hips. There are special pedals made just for this purpose as well as pedal washers. Lastly in this area is crank length, the crank arms on the bike can be a VERY major change, but it can address knee angle issues during the pedal stroke when pedaling.

This article is intended to show that bike fit isn’t simply adjusting the seat. A professional fit from a professional fitter may be just what you need to be comfortable on your bike. From my personal experience it is essential as a rider to get a good one. For all of the things to worry about if you are training for a race or a long ride, fit should not be one of them. While training for my first century ride, I was able to focus on my nutrition and my riding and not on any pain or saddle soreness. Putting in over 100 miles in one shot with zero discomfort from my fit made the cost of the fit worth every penny.

I personally used Cyclologic in Scottsdale AZ, and I would recommend them highly for all of those in the Phoenix area. As an additional note, your fit will change from time to time as your fitness or your body changes, and it’s a good idea to get your fit checked regularly. Comfort is key to enjoyment.