Newbie questions
 

Hello,
There is more to pedaling and getting everything all sized up correctly then I ever imagined there would be. Wow.
When I'm normal riding are my feet suposed to stay level?
When they say that your leg should be slightly bent at the knee with the pedal all the way down, what angle is the ankle joint? Is the foot level? Or is the toes pointed down.



Also from what I gather wearing boxers can make the gentlemen sore. I normally just ride in jeans. I like the leg protection they provide. Should I get some tighty whities to hold the gentlemen more securly? Or maybe angle the saddle forward. I'll have to play around with my seat. Most the sore groin threads I found were talking about the sit bone contacting the seat. I have no problem there. My "sit" bone contacts the saddle/seat.
Ive noticed that it's rather hilly where I live. All my rides start with a downhill coast and end going up hill.

In response to the first, do whatever is comfortable

On the off chance the second is not a troll, either get flat seamed athletic underwear to wear under your ridiculous jeans, or better yet, get bike shorts.

No I'm not trolling my own post, but thanks for the input. I hadn't thought of the flat seamed athletic underwear. I just remember going on bike rides when I was a teenager and never having that problem. I wore jeans the entire way. When I saw the outfits that cyclists wear I always thought it was just for flexabalitly and aerodynamics.

For saddle height, start with this ...

Get on the bicycle, pedal a few times, then coast and place your heel on the pedal at the bottom of the pedal stroke. You should have a slight bend in your knee then ... in other words, your leg should not be straight and should definitely not be locked straight.

Ride with that saddle height for a while and see how it feels.


And the outfits cyclists wear are for comfort.

So is that with my foot level, or slightly toe down.? If I angle my foot down, it brings up my ankle bending my knee slightly.

That's with your heel on the pedal ... and your foot level.

But don't ride with your heel on the pedal, that's only for the purposes of measurement. Ride with the ball of your foot on the pedal.

The critical part is that when you ride, you never hyper-extend your knee joint, it should always be a little flexed. The heel-on-pedal measurement is a useful way of preventing hyper-extension. You actually ride with the ball of your foot on the pedal. The angle joint should be whatever is comfortable for you.

Jeans have thick seams and are not ideal for cycling. Cyclists generally require more supportive underwear. I usually ride in cotton briefs and polycotton cargo pants. For longer rides I use padded cycling shorts but I dont think you need these for everyday riding. I find that boxers let things drift around to much.

You also need a saddle that fits your shape and style of riding. Saddles should support your sit bones, not the squishy bits inbetween.

Ok thanks! That makes alot more since now! I'll go do that! I'll also have to see about getting bike shorts.

Underarmor is pretty nice. Although they have various fabrics, some that wick sweat and others that don't. Get the former type.

Most bike shorts have a sewn in padding that is designed to wick sweat and cushion your behind on a saddle.

http://sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html

All you want to know about saddles, including adjustment tips