14 ways to make your bike more comfortable Upgrade the fit and feel of your bike with these simple tweaks cycling
to understand what changes are worthwhile making and how these can help make your riding a much more comfortable experience...Before trying a new saddle, first make sure your current saddle is set up correctly, as it could be this that’s causing you discomfort.
People sometimes think that a large, squishy saddle will be the most comfortable, but that’s not always the case. Look specifically at the angle of the back flat portion of the pelvis, the sacrum, and make a qualitative assessment, Kyle suggests.That can help you narrow down the type that'll suit you best. Neck pain can also be a sign that your saddle isn’t suitable for you.
Other technology helps with eliminating pressure from the soft tissue area, such as Specialized’s Mimic concept, which could work better for you. The harsh sides of a cutout could cause numbness so Mimic uses multi-layer materials to minimise soft issue swelling. “For my clients, I tend to reduce handlebar width in a bike fit more than I would increase it," Tim says."Based on my research into it, I would say that generally, the sizing standards of handlebar widths across bikes are too wide."
If you feel the drop is too deep or the reach is too far, you might be better off shifting to a compact handlebar. “Out of the factory the brake levers will often be set as far out as you can get them. Most modern levers, both mechanical and hydraulic, can now be adjusted so you’re able to bring the brakes closer to you.”
If you ride with old or poor quality bar tape, every little bump in the road gets transferred directly to your hands and arms. Across the course of a ride, each minor shake can add up to a lot. Kyle recommends: “With the fore/aft position, get the centre of the cleat roughly one centimetre behind the ball of the foot.
It can be hard to wrap your head around the change in cleat position and what it’s doing to your feet and actually changing with your bike position, so Kyle recommends flipping the shoe so you’re looking down at the top to help with the visualisation. “If you don’t do off-the-bike conditioning work, and you don’t run regularly, often the arches of the foot want to collapse. What an insole does is it helps prevent that collapse,” Kyle explains.With a larger chamber of air between you and the road, a wider tyre allows you to drop the pressure without running the risk of a pinch flat where the inner tube gets punctured as a result of being sandwiched between the rim and the ground.
Tubeless is an extension of this. Tyres without an inner tube have no chance of pinch punctures, so you can let even more air out of the tyres, maximising the comfort.Suspension seat posts exist mainly for mountain biking, but you can fit one to a road bike if you like for extra comfort.If you don’t want to go that far in pursuit of comfort you can fit a seat post that’s designed to flex more than usual.
“One interesting thing that happens regularly in bike fits is riders come in with the assumption that their reach is too long and that we’ll put on a shorter stem or position the stem higher to make the handlebars more accessible. But often what ends up happening is that they’ll need a longer stem, just from the effects of getting the saddle position and selection right.”
Essentially, this means that a specialist bike fitter will get everything adjusted so it is set up just right for you. Some shops offer a fit as you buy a new bike, or you can book an appointment for improving the setup on your existing bike. “Cycling is not the most natural sport or position. It’s about understanding how the body functions and how the bike functions, so you know how those stick together.”If changing your components and set up doesn’t provide the comfort you’re after, it may be that your clothing is the issue. Try new gear, in particular padded shorts. Getting the sizing just right is very important as it makes such a difference to the support and comfort provided.