Bike Fit Adjustments to Improve Your Commuting Experience
It’s a rare rider who doesn’t require some type of modifications to their existing bike once they decide to put it to regular use. A bike may seem fine for a short, occasional fair-weather hop, but once you start putting in the miles required to get you to and from your commuting destinations, you may realize that certain things about your bike are not as comfortable, or not as suitable for traffic situations, as you’d like.
If you’re starting with a reasonably well-fitting bike, many comfort issues can be solved through relatively minor modifications to the three points of contact: saddle, handlebars and pedals. Because you and your bike are moving together through three-dimensional space, these three points of contact have to be considered and evaluated in relation to one another. Yesterday, you made some observations about how your bike feels based on your initial commuting ride. Let’s say you found yourself wanting to push back on the saddle throughout your ride. You might conclude that there’s something wrong with the saddle itself, when in fact it’s more likely your body responding to the less-than-ideal weight distribution. This could be due to a combination of saddle tilt, height and fore-and-aft adjustment, and the height and position of the handlebars.
Our Common Sense Bicycle Fit Guide is a great place to start when deciding what aspects of your bicycle need modification:
Saddle Position: Many riders initially focus on saddle comfort and padding, but saddle position —height, tilt and fore-and-aft adjustment— must be taken into account first.
Handlebar Position: The height, tilt and extension of your handlebars will affect your weight distribution on the bike, and your comfort. Interestingly —together with saddle positioning— it may also help determine your ultimate choice of saddle type.
Crank Arms: Unless you’re building a custom bike, crank arm length almost never comes up. However, it you’re either very petite or quite tall (or short-legged or long-legged), and find yourself struggling to achieve a comfortable pedaling cadence, it may be that the “average” sized crank that came standard on your bike is not ideal for you.
Once you’ve addressed these three areas of fit, positioning and weight distribution, you can put the icing on the cake by choosing the specific accessories to enhance your riding comfort and efficiency, including the saddle itself, handlebar grips or tape, brake lever modifications, and pedals and foot-retention devices.
Will these things cost a lot of money? Remember, we’re assuming you’re already starting with a reasonably well-fitting bike. Work with a bike shop you trust, and make sure you’re not trying to modify a bike that will never give you a good fit. Basic position tweaks are relatively inexpensive (<$50), and are sometimes all that is needed. Component replacements and modifications —depending on their extent— can run into a few hundred dollar range, however the expense can be well worth it to make your bike a joy to ride, so you’ll want to use it more, and maximize your initial investment.