Proper body position?
 

School me folks, talk to me about body position. What is it? Is it comfort, safety, purpose. Does it change depending on application? Talk about hips, arms back, etc. Thanks, HR.:)

yes

To add to the OP, what sort of shoes are best for good riding positions for when I am doing bar spinz in the middle of a long skid?

I don't know, but my back hurts a lot when I ride. I'm 6'3" and I ride a 62cm IRO...maybe it's too small for me? I have long legs and a short torso. Ya, that's all...carry on.

A good starting point on bike fit: http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za...LCULATOR_INTRO

Terrible. Just terrible.

It seems as if you're riding fixed on the street a more upright position is more comfortable and safest so you can keep your eyes on the road. At least it is for me anyways but as far as fitting goes it will be so different from person to person based on fitness level and flexibility.

you wouldn't want a smaller one then? Your back doesn't hurt from reaching too far?

I'm 6'1", pretty proportional, and ride a 59 IRO and it is a decent fit.

I guess to answer the OPs question, the good riding position is the one that doesnt destroy your body (e.g. your back or knees), and is comfortable for extended periods of time.

in general youre trying to make an even A frame between sit bones and hands, with a 30 degree bend in your knee, with the patella over the pedal spindle when your feet are at 6 and 12.

Close... the position is more like 5-5:30 if you are looking at the bike from the drive side. The 30 degree rule is best applied when the crank is parallel with the seat tube. Often overlooked (especially on track frames) is knee over spindle. When your right foot is right above the 3:00 position there should be a straight line from the bony protrusion right below the knee to the spindle of the pedal (assuming your foot is properly set on the pedal). Most kids I have seen on track bikes are to far forward (and usually to high).

Hand placement and how it effects fit in relation to saddle position is a much more difficult thing to generalize because there are just to many variables (body proportions, flexibility, history of injuries etc). If you just can't get comfortable do yourself a favor and find someone local who understands bike fit (all of those on line fit formulas are total crap). There is no real substitution to seeing a professional.

Hope this helps.

thanks for the corrections. im still getting trained in fitting...

The front most part your patella should be directly over its respective forward pedal axle when the crank arms are parallel to the ground.

As far as fore and aft saddle position goes, a plumb line dropped from the head of the tibia (the hollow to the inside of your knee cap) should pass through the forward pedal axle with the cranks horizontal.

As far as saddle height, the rider should have a 15 degree bend in his/her knee with the heel down and the pedal at its bottom most position.

I didn't make this up: I paid good money to one of the world's premier bike fitters for this information.

Upper body position depends on the type of riding and the type of rider.

For riding on the track, the rider wants the most aerodynamic position possible, which means back parallel to the ground.
In order to ride in this position with any power, one must move the saddle far ahead of the position I described above.
In other words, normal rules of fitting don't apply to the track or other forms of bicycle racing.

For the street, one can determine the best upper body position for one's self in the following manner:

1. stocking feet or bare feet;

2. sit on a hard chair on a hard floor (no carpeting);

3. place the feet together under the forward edge of the chair;

4. extend your arms forward for balance, and slowly begin to stand up; and,

5. at the very instant your bottom begins to break contact with the chair, note the angle of your torso.

For riding on the street, with no aerodynamic considerations, the angle of your torso, as discovered with the above method, represents the best torso angle for you (and no one else).

Younger men and women will break contact with the chair with their torso much further forward (more parallel to the ground) than will an old guy like me.

However, I don't really ride that upright.

My normal hand position on my bullhorns actually falls a little below the height of my saddle.

Younger folks, though, can ride comfortably (and more aerodynamically) with an even lower hand position.

This natural torso angle (which varies from person to person) makes for more power and agility, and the ability to look around comfortably in traffic.

As for the distance of the handle bars from the saddle, I recommend borrowing as many different angles and lengths of stems as you can and just experimenting until you find a stem length and angle (and a grip angle) that doesn't cause neck pain or hand pain.

You might also need to add or remove spacers on your steerer if you ride with a threadless headset.

Experiment, and when you find the right combination you will know immediately.

For me, the stem that gives me comfort has a 90mm length when my bullhorns have a slight rise to them.

No hard and fast rule governs the distance of the handlebar from the saddle, nor its height.

This varies from person to person.

And, again, those younger riders who put speed and aerodyamics ahead of comfort and agility might accept or tolerate a more horizontal body position.

That said, for one's knee health when riding on the street, try the rules I posted above for positioning the saddle.

ken cox FTW.

I clicked this link at school :o

I almost clicked it at work, not cool. My computer is monitored by Uncle Sam, I would have gotten in some serious - career ending trouble.:(

Thank to the rest for the info.

Thanks, Mr. Cox. My back hurts less now.

Looking at the status bar at the bottom of your browser when you mouse over a link can help you avoid potentially embarrassing clickage. The more you know......