Fitting a bicycle to yourself?

Question

I recently bought a bike and I am wondering how high my seat and handlebars are supposed to be. It didn't feel right when I rode it the other night. I felt hunched over and felt like my knees were in my chest. I thought the seat was supposed to be as high as my legs so I am already pretty much sitting on it when I am standing with my feet touching the ground. (if that makes any sense.) I would like to know if I am supposed to be judging from my feet on the pedal or do I just try trial and error to find what is comfortable? Any help or sites I could go to would be great. I haven't been able to come up with anything. Thanks in advance! ~Jadine~

Answer 1

Your seat is actually not high enough. The seat needs to be even higher so you can get good leg extension when pedaling. So when you are sitting on the saddle, you are not supposed to be able to even get your toes on the ground. When coming to a stop, you need to hop forward off the saddle to get your feet on the ground.

If you can't get good leg extension, you will get that knee-in-the-chest feeling. On the downstroke where you are getting leg extension, your knee should be slightly bent.

Once you figured out your proper seat height, you need to look at the seat angle to make sure it's properly tilted to give you the right support without chafing the soft parts of your groin. Also look at your handlebars and make sure it's not too forward so that you don't find yourself stretching forward unnaturally to reach the handlebars, or too far back that it cramps your position.

Here's a good beginner's guide to what causes discomfort when riding a bike and what might be done to prevent them: http://sheldonbrown.com/pain.html

Hope this helps, and good luck.

Answer 2

Regarding your saddle height, you should adjust it to fit when you're on the pedals, not standing. Usually, you will almost stretch your foot when its at the bottom of the downstroke. That means that you will have the best riding position, and also that you won't be able to touch the ground when seated on the saddle. what you when you stop is stand on the top tube, and get back on the saddle when you're ready to go.

I think there might be a 'insecure' part when you start riding with a taller saddle. What you should do is do it incrementally. Don't suddenly go from your current height to the right one, but go an inch at a time until you feel confortable.

About the handlebar hegiht, what's important is the grips, so you could have a straigt bar or a riser bar. I like to have the grips at the same height of my saddle, some like it lower, and some a bit higher.

Part of bike fit is trial and error. You can go to a bike shop and ask them for help. They might let you try different stems and handlebars to find the right combination for you.

If you bought the bike at wallmart or other department store or general sports shop probably they sold you whatever they had at the time that met your budget and your fancy. Everybody started that way, so don't worry to much if that's the case. A bike shop should have helped you get a right fit.

Try to go to a good bike shop and see how they can help you. Maybe one or two different adjustments can make a load of difference.

Answer 3

You can get a bike customized to fit your needs... bascially whatever is comfortable is best.

Answer 4

Adjust it til you feel comfy.