Home -> Stories

Cycling is hard. Pedaling up hills, riding fast, navigating tight turns, your body is working hard to power you forward. This is part of why we love it so much!

After the ride, sore legs and tight muscles are a reminder of your accomplishments and adventures.

Something that's a part of the experience of cycling for many of us is discomfort- but not always the 'good' kind. Numb hands, sore backs, stiff necks...and some of it relates to how well (or poorly) our bikes fit us.

I spoke with a local professional bike fitter at Burlington's Skirack Jake Hollenbach (and beloved old cycling coach of Bivo's team member Sam!) about bike fit. We covered: how bikes should fit, what small adjustments we can make at home, what solutions to common discomforts he can offer, and when it's time for a professional bike fit.

I learned so much from Jake and I hope to share all his insights with all of you to make your riding experience more comfortable and more fun!

Above image taken at Skirack.

What should cyclists look for in a properly fitted bike?

Comfort is the priority. In cycling as a sport, there can be discomfort, but it's generated by the rider by choice, not by the bike and by time spent on it. Breathing hard and feeling burning in your legs is the good part you can control. 

But, just being on a bike and being uncomfortable isn’t good. Sometimes people expect a certain amount of discomfort just involved in getting on and being on the bike– whether it's numb hands, discomfort with the saddle, neck, or lower back discomfort– All those things should not be considered normal. While plenty of people do deal with these issues, there are bike fit solutions you can make.

What are some adjustments cyclists can make?

Saddle height - Raise or lower the seat to a given height that feels comfortable. Most people have a pretty intuitive sense of what the right leg extension should feel like.

There's a cheater method to getting the saddle height correct: Sit squarely on the saddle. Put the heel of your foot on the pedal and you should have pretty much a straight, locked out knee, but without reaching. Then, when you put the ball of your foot on the pedal to ride, you should have just about the right bend in the knee. 

Saddle position -  One seat adjustment you can make is the position of the seat in relation to the front and back on the bike. Aim to have it basically be underneath you. The best way to determine where it should be is: once you start pedaling with a bit of force, your body will self select where it needs to be over the pedals. A lot of times, if your seat is too far back, you will slide forward on the seat once you're pedaling up a hill.

Wrist angle - A lot of people ride with wrists that are not in line, or not in a neutral position. You have so much less strength when your wrist is at a weird angle. Wrist angle is usually affected by handlebar roll and lever placement. The aim is to get that handlebar roll and lever placement to where your wrist feels like it's in a neutral angle. That's good for both comfort, but also strength and endurance. 

Handlebar height and seat angle -It’s important to understand the relationship between handlebar height and saddle angle. Different types of bikes are suitable for different handlebar heights and saddle angles.

The extreme on one end is a cruiser beach bike. These handlebars are really high in the air. But, that saddle should not be flat. If it is flat, you will feel like you're falling forward and hanging off your hands. For a bike with really high handlebars, raise the front of the seat up to roll the pelvis back. 

If someone has a bike with raised handlebars and their saddle is flat, then they might feel some discomfort, oftentimes in their neck and shoulders. While many people’s first reaction is to move the handlebars out further, that actually will usually make the problem worse. Because the problem is more likely a saddle that’s flat or low. 

The extreme in the other direction is a road bike or even a triathlon bike, where the handlebars are in a lower position. In this case, you certainly don't want a seat with the nose rolled up. You want it either flat or nose down. 

Having fun on bikes is the goal! Photo credit @angelicadixon825

What are some general guidelines on how a bike should fit? 

• At the bottom of the pedal circle, there should be about a 30 degree bend in your knee.  
• You should have a pretty neutral or straight wrist angle when your hands are on the handlebars.
• Your shoulder socket should be centered, not stretching too far forward or back. If the handlebars are too high or too close, your shoulder/ shoulder blades will actually be pushed back, which will often create discomfort in your neck. Or, if you're reaching too far forward with your shoulder joint, a lot of times, you might get numb hands or saddle discomfort. 
• Make sure you're pedaling without rocking side to side. A seat that’s too high might cause you to rock side to side and that is where a lot of saddle discomfort comes from. 
• For people using clipless pedals, trying to get the cleat under the correct part of your foot is important. Aim for the ball of your foot. That will impact foot comfort but also it will affect your weight distribution and where you are standing on the bike. Small adjustments here will have a pretty big influence over the bike. 
• Your shouldn't be putting a ton of weight on your handlebars. Your hands should feel pretty light on the handlebars, and it shouldn't feel like it's really hard to reach down for your cycling water bottle or change hand position on the handlebars.

How do different disciplines of cycling impact how your bike should fit?

Road biking - For high speed and stability on a road bike, you’ll want a longer stem and a low, but not too low handlebar position. 

Anything off road- For both mountain biking or gravel riding, be careful about being biased to the front wheel because, whether it's gravel or mud, if the front wheel moves out from underneath you and you are over committed to that front wheel in your body position, that usually means you’re in for a pretty quick crash. 

Full suspension mountain biking -  When you’re setting up a mountain bike, you have to set up the suspension in tandem as part of the bike fit. Suspension adjustment is part of your bike fit.

To illustrate this: Picture a flat seat when the suspension is unweighted. Imagine how the seat angle changes when the suspension becomes weighted. The front of the seat might be raised up in the air. So, consider what angle you want your seat at when you’re biking on a weighted full suspension bike- not just the angle it is at when it is un-weighted.

What are potential solutions to the most common discomforts on the bike? 

Hand numbness- For this issue, looking at handlebar rotation and lever set up is a good start. The aim is to get the wrist joint into a neutral position. There's a nerve on the outside of your hand called the ulnar nerve, and, when compressed, that usually causes some hand numbness. So whether you adjust your handlebar rotation or hand position, the goal is even pressure across the whole handlebar or across the whole palm of your hand. Try not to ride in a way where there's pressure on the outside of your palm. 

* While investing in thick padded gloves can help, making adjustments to handlebar rotation is a more effective long term solution.  

Lower back discomfort- Consider your reach to the front of the bike. If you’re experiencing lower back discomfort, your reach is potentially either a bit too short of a reach or you’re reaching a too low.

Foot numbness - Too tight of a shoe can cause some foot numbness. Or, having the cleats too far forward could also contribute to this issue.

Knee pain- A loose connection or attachment between the shoe and cleat or shoe and pedal interface could cause this. The first thing I would do is look at the shoe and cleat interface, or the shoe and the pedal interface, to make sure there isn't any undue wear. Replace worn down parts if necessary.

Who would you recommend a bike fit to?

• Newer riders, definitely. 
• If you're having any pain or discomfort, a bike fit is a no brainer. 
• For anyone who just switched equipment, a bike fit is a good idea. 

With bike fits, sometimes it will be a really simple and straightforward set of adjustments and fixes. But sometimes there is a bit of trial and error in terms of getting things right. At the end of the day, bike fitters just want people to be happy on the bike. 

Want more bike fit info? Check out Jake's favorite bike fit YouTuber:Bike Fit Adviser.