"Correct sitting" guide
Keep a grip
Your crotch hurts, your back twinges, your fingers grow numb? To feel good riding your bicycle, you need to match it to your individual needs. Our tips will help you cycle in a healthful and efficient manner.
All a question of adjustment
"No pain, no gain!" Though this legendary statement by Udo Bölts at the Tour-de-France need not apply to us mortal bicyclists, many nonetheless ignore their pain, only to ultimately lose interest in cycling. To avoid discomfort and enjoy the art of cycling, you should properly adjust your saddle and handlebars, and adopt the correct cycling style.
Choice of seat
Selecting the right saddle is not easy. A wrong saddle can squeeze nerves and blood vessels, resulting in numbness and pain. On long journeys, excessively soft saddles can also prove uncomfortable if they heat up too much.
Due to their differing pelvic structures and widths, women are particularly sensitive to uncomfortable saddles. Saddles for women are generally shorter and wider than saddles for men. Saddle width should be matched with pelvic structure. Narrow saddles offering greater freedom of movement are more popular among sporty women. Consult a good bicycle dealership on this matter. Maybe they will lend you a test saddle to help you make the right decision.
Knee pain is often due to an excessively low seating position. Sit down on the saddle, move one of the pedals to its lower extremity, and place your heel on the pedal. If your leg is properly stretched as a result, the saddle is at the ideal height.
The saddle shaft should not be pulled out further than the marking. If the saddle is still too low, it can usually be fitted with a suitable, longer shaft.
Handlebar position
While you ride, your arms should comfortably reach the handlebars, and your wrists should be slightly angled. Slightly bent elbows relieve the arm and shoulder muscles.
Suited best are handlebars offering a variety of grips. This allows you to assume different postures and prevent muscular tension while riding.
Make yourself comfortable
The load exerted on your back depends on your bicycle model and seating position. When you are seated upright, as on a touring bike, your back muscles are hardly able to absorb shocks, hence straining your intervertebral discs. If you are bent slightly forward while seated, as on a city bike, your back muscles act like a shock absorber.
Bio-mechanically, the ideal angle for your back while seated is 45°, as on a trekking or mountain bike, in which case the load is distributed uniformly among your hands and buttocks. Jolts from the road can be absorbed by means of spring-loaded saddle shafts and rear wheels. On long bicycle tours, it helps to shift your seating position and occasionally stand up while riding.
Proper pedalling
For smooth operation: When moving down either pedal, push it past its lower dead centre. This will relieve the other leg, achieve smoother operation and more uniform load distribution. Your legs will stay fresh longer.
