Bicycle Commuting Guide

Your Bicycle

Fit Your Bike

• Maintenance Check

Your bike's most important safety feature is you: If you're not comfortable, you're more likely to ride poorly. Getting exactly the right fit depends on many things including your height, weight, and riding style. You should contact your neighborhood bicycle store to help you find the right fit. Consider these points:

Frame Size:  If your bike's frame is too tall, too short, or too long, it will be very hard to adjust other things to make you comfortable. You might need a new bike.

To Check the Height:  If your bike has a men's frame (with a tube across the top), stand with the bike  between your legs, just in front of the seat. Measure the space between the top tube and your crotch (figure 1). For road or street riding, a  one-inch to three-inch space is safest. If your bike has no top tube (a women's frame), ask your bicycle store's staff to size you.

Frame Length:  If, when you ride, you feel overly stretched or have pain in your neck, shoulders, or back, your frame might be too long. Try moving the seat and handlebars closer together. Also, some people, including many women, have torsos shorter than what most bikes are made for. If you're one of them, look into a shorter handlebar stem extension, a taller stem, different handlebars, or a custom bike made for people with smaller torsos.

Seat Height:  A seat that's too low will strain your knees, and achilles tendons while a seat that's too high will make it hard for you to pedal and to put your foot onto the ground. Here are some ways to get the right seat height for most riding:

• Sit on your bike and push one pedal all the way down (figure 2). Put the ball of your foot on the pedal. If your seat's high enough, your knee should be slightly bent.
• If your hips rock from side to side when you pedal, your seat's too high.
• Don't raise your seat so high that less than two inches of your seat post extends into the frame (figure 3).

Handlebars:  After you've set your seat height, set your handlebars so you feel comfortable. Some things to guide you:

Start by raising or lowering your handlebars so they block your view of the front axle when you're sitting on your bike with your hands on the handlebars (figure 4). In this position, your elbows should be slightly bent (not locked).

• Lower-back pain often means the handlebars aretoo far away, while upper-arm or shoulder fatigue often means the handlebars are too close to you (figure 5). Try raising or lowering the handlebars, or moving your seat forward or backward. You can also change to a shorter or longer handlebar stem.
• Don't raise your handlebars so high that less than two inches of your handlebar stem extends into the frame (figure 6). If you have to raise your handlebars higher than the safe limit, get a longer stem.
• Rotate your handlebars so that they put even pressure across the palms of your hands without bending your wrists in a strange way.

Seat Tilt:  Many cyclists keep their seats level. Many women, however, tilt them nose-down, and many men tilt them nose-up. Try different angles until you feel comfortable.

Saddle Soreness:  If you haven't bicycled in a while, you may be sore at first. Chafing or soreness should go away with time. If it doesn't, the first thing to check is the seat adjustment. If adjustment doesn't help, try alternatives: a gel-filled saddle or saddle pad; a wider or differently-shaped saddle; one with springs; or one made specifically for women. Many bicycle stores will exchange saddles if they're not damaged, so try alternatives until you're comfortable. Special padded bicycling shorts can also help.

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