Now that the weather seems to be improving, what better time to get your bike out and enjoy the sunshine?

Before you set off on that Sunday morning epic, you might want to just check that your bike is set up correctly for you. Perhaps you’ve just bought a new or used bike or remembered that the last time you cycled, it wasn’t a very comfortable experience?

Your bike should feel comfortable whilst riding it, so let’s look at a few ways we can ensure that our epic ride doesn’t leave you in any discomfort. All you need is a set of Allen keys or a multi-tool and you’re ready to fine-tune your bike.

How many times have you seen a cyclist on the road and want to stop them to tell them that the reason that their knees are touching their elbows is that they are sitting way too low? Conversely, there are many cyclists that, if you watch them from behind, dip their hips from side-to-side with each pedal stroke, a classic sign that they have the saddle set too high. Neither style is good for your body.

Ideally, when either leg is at the bottom of the pedal stroke, your knee should have a slight bend in it – around 30 degrees is ideal. If your leg is straight, you have the saddle set too high, so bring it down a centimetre or two. Too much bend in your knee will give you sore knees, so you’ll need to raise the saddle by the same amount. Once this is sorted, we can work on a comfortable seating position.

Sitting on the bike (either lean against a wall, or have someone hold the bike for you), find the small indent under your kneecap and then (with the pedal cranks horizontal) check to see whether that indent is more-or-less over where the pedal attaches to the crank. Adjust your saddle forwards or backwards so that this is the case. Setting this correctly ensures that we are pedalling as efficiently as possible, plus your knees and hips will thank you for it too.

The last tip for a comfortable day out is ensuring that our reach to the handlebars is correct. If the saddle is in the right place, then we should be able to lean forwards with our hands on the “hoods” (the rubber bits above the brake levers) and our elbows should have a relaxed bend in them. If your arms are straight out in front of you then you probably need a shorter “stem”, which is the piece that connects the handlebars to the front forks. This will in effect move the bars closer to you and give you that relaxed elbow feel.

Stems are available in various lengths and eBay is a great place to find a bargain. With all these adjustments in place, you should be able to take your hands off the bars and not feel like you are falling forwards. Changing the stem is a five-minute job and YouTube is your friend on this one if you need some instruction.

Lastly, now you have set everything up, grab a tape measure and take a couple of measurements for future reference. Measure the distance from the top-middle of the saddle to the centre of the pedal crank and then measure the distance from the front of the saddle to the centre of the handlebars.

You should now be sitting comfortably and ready for that epic ride around sunny South Cambs and beyond! If you need any help or advice on all the above, then I’m happy to help. 

By Mike Allton