Interested in the range of flexibility we have in this forum.

Get into this position.

http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/3...ringsit6km.jpg

How far can you reach up your left leg with your left hand?

hald - half

about where you are. On the trainer, I'll sometimes get into the drops while pedaling and touch my head to the headset

Cold dressed for work I can get my wrist to the sole of my shoe so roughy 21cm past the bottom of my foot. I guess all those dance and karate (had to take karate to protect myself from the boys that wanted to kick my ass from taking dance lessons :D ) lessons as a kid were worth something.

All those dance lessons and I still can't dance...I am REALLY white. :D

I'll bite. I need a little stretch anyway.

beyone. I just got on the floor by me desk and on a cold stretch got my wrist even with my foot.

Tell me, why is this interesting?

Is this supposed to be a factor in cycling fit or something to that effect?

-Z

I get my wrists even with the sole of my foot. I've been quite flexible (in this respect, anyway) since I shredded my hamstrings years ago.

I'm pleased to see how pertanent this thread is to the Road Cycling forum... nice.

Ouch! Crap!!!! My Back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! D*mn You Euro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


edit: I didn't realize this was a "no yelling" forum. I typed the above message in caps but it converted to mixed case when I submitted it!

After the length of your legs, this is the most important factor in bicycle fit.

It really is amazing that so few people know this. I think it's also probably the reason so many road cyclists complain of upper-body discomfort (hands, wrists, neck, shoulders, back etc).

Here's someone with average flexibility for a pro cyclist.

http://www.irishcycling.com/2004/upl...o-_col-si_.jpg

If you can do that, then you can have a seat tip to bar drop around 3 inches. If not, you're asking for some serious discomfort.

Euro, is that you in the first pic?

Yeah

It's in the book By Eddie B. " Bicycle Road Racing" There is a great series of stretches in that book.
It's a good thing to do daily. I can get to the bottom of my foot.

Beyond foot, no warm up.

I suck - I need to become more flexible. Good topic.

I can get to my ankle, but I'm dealing with an injury on my left shoulder from where the SUV clipped me.

Keep stretching dude!!! I take it this is in order to get rid of that ton of spacers on your new bike, right?

I can go beyond my foot. I do about a half hour to 45 mins of static stretches and some yoga stretches pre and post ride.flexibility is super important (as is core strength) in cycling, IMHO. not to mention it knocks the cobwebs outta my joints.

Yeah, but yer insane.

...

Just thought everyone here should know that.

:D

Nah, I can already grab my whole foot with my hand - my flexibility is above average for a roadie, but still way beyond a pro (a bit like my legs and lungs!) - hence the fact my bike isn't set up like a pro's bike.

The spacers are there to stay. I don't think I'll ever be able to do what Rujano is in that picture. Like I say, unless you can do that - even if you are pretty flexible, you are going to feel some serious pain with your bars too low.

I can get my fingers just past the sole of my foot.
Interestingly enough I was much tighter on the right
side (same position only right leg extended) than the
left.

marty
(edited the poll for you).

Do you really have to be that flexible though? After all, your legs aren't out in front of you like that when you're riding.

I'm not saying flexibility doesn't matter as it definatly does, but I don't think you have to be as flexible as the guy in the picture.

If I really stretch, I go beyond my foot, then slowly out of consciousness from the INCREDIBLE PAIN....then into another dimension. Cool.

you do when you attract as many chicks as that guy does. But that's another matter...

Flexibility is important during 3+ hours in the saddle, when muscles can tighten or spasm.

Without warm-up, tip of toes. I'd too self-conscious to warm up properly and stretch at work to see where I might reach. It's no fair, though... I have relatively short arms. But excuses aside, I'm definitely not as flexible as I could be.

When you are low on the bike, there is a steep angle between your thighs and your upper body and at the bottom of the pedal stroke, your hamstrings are quite stretched. The more relaxed and 'within it's limits' your body is, while in that position - the more power you put through the pedal stroke.

This concept is central to the Serrota fitting system, and this is why they sell bikes that are made for real roadies and racers who care about comfort and power transfer, not poseurs who want to ride a bike that looks like Jens Voigts!

This is from memory, so it might be crap, and the source might have been crap in the first place, but I read that a well-stretched muscle is about 10% more effective than a tight one. The reasoning being that a well-stretched muscle has to go through a smaller % of its available range in a pedalling motion, and the greatest strength is in the middle of the total range of muscle movement.

Does this make sense? I've already started on the Christmas port ... :)

Shouldn't this be in "training" though?