Originally Posted by Brianwh
Hi, Huffypuffy!
It seems I've come a little late to this thread, but here's free advice for what it's worth:
-Be sure to get a bike you can ride in a nearly upright position! You're not Lance Armstrong and you don't need to ride like him! Your hands, wrists, arms, shoulders, back and neck will thank you. In general, this means the height of where you grip the handlebars should be two or more inches above the top of the saddle.
-The most important bike fit item is the seat height. If you feel pain or soreness in the front of your knees, raise the seat. If you feel pain or soreness in the back of your knees, lower the seat. When you get near your ideal seat height, small changes in height will make surprizingly large changes in comfort.
-Don't be afraid to get a big fat seat with springs. These are well suited to upright riding. I got one for my wife, added higher handlebars, now she loves her bike.
I've learned this through recent experience, the hard way!
Your advice is suitable for recreational riders not consistently doing long distances.
It is generally the opposite of what is recommended for serious bikers who do centuries and the like.
1. Riding in a nearly upright condition defeats the "three point" process of sharing the weight of your body between your feet, your butt, and your arms/hands. Using an upright position will put almost all the weight on your butt, leading to sores and chafing and tiredness of that area.
2. The most important fit item is the length of the top tube, so that your reach is appropriate to your upper body length. ALso important, as you stated, is seat height, seat angle, bar height, etc. Fit is a personal thing and should be done by a pro.
3. A big fat seat exposes your butt to a whole big area for chafing and rubbing. You do not notice this on 20 mile rides, but you do on longer rides. The purpose of the small seats is to have your weight supported by your Ischeal(sp) Tuberosities - your so-called "sit bones" which is really quite comfortable ince you get used to it.
But, fit also is highly personal and dependent upon your riding goals and individual preferences.
My wife also like a more upright riding position, but the longest rides she does is about 25 miles, and she still supports some weight on her arms.
At 65, I ride a traditinal road bike in a traditional pose, and do just fine. The one compromise Ihave made is that I do have my bars raised a bit to relieve some pressure on my neck.
Anyway, whatever works and gets folks riding is the very best fit.