Often my non-cycling friends look at my bike set up as if it was some medieval instrument of torture. Yet looks can be deceptive, small saddles can actually be more comfortable than large padded seats. Whatever, kind of cycling you do it is good to maximise comfort as this will inspire you to keep riding.
These are some tips for a more comfortable ride:
- Don’t Carry a Double Bass on Your Back - It will slow you down on the hills and is not very aerodynamic.
- Relax Shoulders and let go of tension in upper body. Don’t waste energy moving your upper body. Keep a comfortable, light grip on the handlebars and try to keep the upper body as still as possible. Swaying from side to side is a sign of fatigue and declining effort.
- Move arm positions. On long rides, it is important to give yourself a change of position. This enables you to give certain muscles rest and enables less stress to be put on the body.
- Saddle Height Make sure saddle height is correct and you keep that height on all bikes you ride.
- Keep a comfortable cadence. Learn to pedal at a good cadence of 80-100 rpm. This use the heart muscles more and relies less on leg power.
- Stay Seated for most of ride. When climbing it is better to stay in the seated position where possible as it is more efficient. Standing on the pedals leads to a higher heart rate. However, it is good to get out of the saddle to stretch every now and then to relieve pressure on the crotch.
- Don’t Fight a Headwind. Make yourself as aerodynamic as is reasonable, drop down to your handlebars and keep your arms into your body. Turn to a lower gear and keep a reasonable cadence. Riding into a headwind can be as difficult as riding up a hill. The important thing is to maintain a constant power output and not churn out a huge a gear.
- Use good Creams to prevent against saddle sores. Chamois Creams
- Efficient Bike. Make sure your bike is in perfect working order with no rubbing of brakes and tyres.
Learn to Pedal efficiently. Don’t just pedal on the downstroke, but keep a constant circle of pressure throughout the 360 degrees. - Stretch. Whilst riding long distances, take the opportunity to stretch your legs.
- Be careful with clipless pedals. Clipless pedals lock your feet into riding at a certain position. The best thing is to cycle with normal pedals and get used to the natural angle of your foot and then check that it feels right with your clipless pedals. (This will probably be not with feet straight ahead). I prefer speedplay because the large degree of float means you don’t have to worry so much. However, give yourself plenty of time getting the right foot position. Unfortunately, you can’t work it out using a neat formula. You need to ride and make sure it feels comfortable and natural. If you feel some strain when pedalling it suggests that you have the wrong angle.
- Eat and Drink in Anticipation. When riding very hard, it is easy to drink and eat insufficiently causing the danger of running out of energy. When you really hit the wall, there is nothing you can do because if the muscles are depleted of energy it takes a long time to rebuild energy.
- Wear suitable waterproofs.Waterproof trousers made a huge difference for my commuting. Cold and wet is the worst for cycling
Related
- Comfortable cycling shorts
- Comfortable saddles
- Dealing with saddle sore
That’s not a double bass, it’s a cello. Double Basses are HUGE
Good Job,
Well there need to be taken care for some condition while cycling,
1)rider should be versed with all necessary resources or kits while riding.
One should approach proper coaching or professional training before getting involve in this sport.
progressive cycle coaching
Tejvan,
Nice article.
I fully agree with your last comment about cold and wet being the worst condition for cycling.
Wearing supposedly waterproof gloves that act as sponges makes it even worse. I am still searching for a good pair of waterproof gloves that would be worth using in this lovely but damp British climate .
Be careful of “waterproof” clothing. I find I tend to over heat and end up wet from perspiration more than rain. Semi dry Lycra tights work best for me.