Customizing Your Bike
By HOOKED™ Staff
Jul 22, 2002, 10:54
Customizing your seat, stem, handlebars and shoe cleats reduces stress on your legs, arms, back and neck. It also makes you more efficient and powerful.
Seat Height
Most people ride with their seat too low, making for tired legs and weak strokes.
While sitting on your bike, adjust the seat so your leg on the down pedal is fully extended. Then lower it one centimeter. This is your ideal seat height.
Make sure you have a slight bend in your extended leg.
If the back of your knee is sore after riding, your seat id too high.
If the front of your knee hurts, your seat’s too low.
Seat Position
Lining up your butt over your feet is the next adjustment.
Find a friend and a plum bob (a string with a weight on the end).
Sit on your bike with your cranks parallel to the ground.
Have your friend hold the plum bob at the bump just below your kneecap. It should hang down at or behind the axle of your pedal.
Slide the seat forward or backward on the seat post until the bob is aligned with the pedal axle.
Ignore your handlebars when making this adjustment.
Stem
With your seat in the proper position, you will instantly know if your stem is the right length.
If you have to slide forward on the seat to reach the bars comfortably, you need a shorter stem.
Women tend to have shorter torsos than men in relation to leg length and often require shorter stems.
Long limbed people need longer stems.
Whatever feels right is the correct position for you.
Now that your bike is optimized for comfort and strength, you can fully concentrate on keeping the rubber side down!
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