1. You should be COMFORTABLE on your
bike - don’t wait to the point of pain before seeking help!
2. You should feel like you have about
30-40% of your weight on your hands while you are in your brake hoods and
60-75% of your weight on the saddle (if you measured weight distribution it
would be 45% hands / 55% saddle or
so).
3. You should feel like 60-75% of the
weight on your saddle is on the bony part of your pelvis (ischial tub / rami) with
minimal weight on your ‘soft tissues’.
4. Your elbows should be relaxed, bent slightly
(about 20-30 degrees) and not locked, with your neck relaxed.
5. Your back should be almost flat, not
hunched over.
6. Your knees should move in a plane
parallel to the bike frame. They should not move closer or farther away from
the top tube on the way up and down through the pedal rotation.
7. Your hips should not rock more than ½
- 1 inch side to side.
Some of the above requirements are affected by the body’s flexibility, core stability, and an understanding of good cycling mechanics.
For a
decent starting position (a quick guesstimate):
Seat
· Height: knee fully extended with HEEL
on pedal at maximum reach WITHOUT hips dropping, or .87 x inseam measured from
top of saddle along seat tube to center of bottom bracket.
· Fore / aft of
saddle: knee over pedal spindle with foot flat and crank arm horizontal. You’ll
need help here.
· Angle: about horizontal so that
you’re not sliding forward and the saddle is not tipped up into you.
Cleats
· Rotation of cleat: should allow your
feet to stay in their current anatomical neutral position. Knees should not be forced
to twist in an unnatural position. Note that this is not always symmetrical.
· Fore / aft: the back of ball of your
foot is over the pedal spindle (center of pedal).
· In / out (Q angle): move cleat
relative to the shoe to make a straight line from your upper leg through your
lower leg and 2nd toe.
Bar position
· Reach set-up so that you are COMFORTABLE
on brake hoods / shifters with a functional length stem (8-12 cm long with a
slight up angle).
· Drop depends entirely on flexibility,
strength, and goals. Generally the top of the hoods should be 1 -2 inches above
the saddle for fair flexibility / core stability and 1-2 inches below for
excellent flexibility / core stability.
All of
the above are generic recommendations which can vary drastically between people
depending on one’s goals, flexibility, strength, core stability, past medical
history and many other factors. Please consult your fitter or medical
professional before implementing. Also, ALWAYS mark and measure your current position BEFORE moving anything.
By: Curtis Cramblett, PT, CSCS, CFMT, Chair; Medicine of Cycling Bike Fit Task Force & Dave Hopkins, Retul, Specialized Fit Certified
Contact Revolutions In Fitness to Optimize Your Position Today!
Palo Alto - San Francisco - San Jose | (650)260-4743 | Office@RevolutionsInFitness.com | www.RevolutionsInFitness.com
