How To

How To Select the Proper Road Bike Frame Size

October 18, 2014 by Lee Agur

How To Select the Proper Road Bike Frame Size

Just because you are a certain height does not mean you should ride a certain frame size! There are a lot of variables when selecting the proper road bike frame size; however, the most important variable is going to be your reach. The reach is affected by the length of the top tube. Your reach can only be adjusted slightly by different stem lengths so there is generally only a few centimetres of adjustability, where as there is several inches of adjustability in the seat height or seat tube.

Interestingly, once you do figure out what frame size you are on a certain bike it does not mean that you are that frame size on another bike! Each bike manufacturer is different, for instance you could be a large (56cm) on most bikes; however, BMC fits large so it is likely you would be a medium (54cm).

You need to get on the different bikes and get a feel for them and see what is comfortable. Watch the video by GCN below:

Top 10 Things I Wish I’d Known When I Started Cycling

June 19, 2014 by U.M.

There’s a reason the term “rookie mistakes” exists. Every beginner, regardless of sport, is bound to make a few mistakes at the outset. Experience takes time, but with some preparation, it’s possible to avoid some of the more common mistakes made by cyclists early on. To give you a head start, here’s a list of ten things many bikers wish they’d known before they hit the road. [Read more…]

Saddle Tilt

May 16, 2014 by Lee Agur

Saddle tilt

The saddle tilt is an important adjustment that needs to be taken into consideration. Lets take a look at what happens when the saddle angle is in the up, neutral and down positions.

Saddle Tilted Down

If the saddle angle is pointed down too much then there will be unnecessary pressure on your knee and upper body. Your knees are trying to hold you from sliding forward and are more susceptible to injury. Additionally, your upper body is now being enlisted to hold you back as well, instead of being relaxed and focused on proper breathing.

How much of an angle is too much? As little as a 3% saddle angle downwards is too much.

If you find yourself riding on the front part of the saddle often it is usually to alleviate the pressure on the knees, shoulders, arms and hands; however, you do not have adequate support from the saddle and this will cause problems.

Why Do People Tilt Their Saddle Too Far Down?

The most common reason people tilt the saddle angle down is to alleviate pressure on the groin, this is not a wise solution, find a saddle that fits properly and is able to support your weight without pain or numbness.

Many people have no idea that saddle tilt is a very big deal at all and take the bike as it comes from the shop… I did not have a clue when I bought my first bike.

Saddle Tilted Up

When the saddle angle is tilted upwards you may earn some unwanted lumbar pain as your pelvis is angled backwards and you forced reach forwards to the handlebars – this creates a weird and unnatural angle and stress point causinging lower back pain.

Since the pelvis is tilted back it will feel as if you have to reach for the handlebars and this can cause neck and shoulder pain. Another symptom the saddle angle is too far up is groin pain or numbness caused by unnecessary pressure around the soft tissue by your “special” area.

Why Do People Tilt Their Saddle Too Far Up?

The most common reason people tilt the saddle angle too far up is to keep from sliding forwards. It can be a vicious cycle, you tilt the saddle down to alleviate pressure on your groin, but then you start to slide forward too much and so you raise it too much… buy a proper fitting saddle and only make adjustments 1 degree at a time.

Saddle In the Neutral Position

A saddle in the neutral position allows you to keep your pelvis in a neutral position, which in turn, allows the proper alignment of your knees and optimizes the efficiency and enlistment of the quadriceps, gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, soleus, gastrocnemius, and hamstrings muscles.

As you can see, a small thing like the proper saddle tilt can make a big difference in comfort, efficiency and injury prevention. Make sure you have your saddle in the neutral position, or as close to it as possible.

If you climb a lot, perhaps you will want the nose to tilt down a slight bit, or vice versa for downhills. I ride with my saddle tilted down 0.5 degrees and find it just right. If you have a saddle tilt of more than 2 degrees up or down then you need to make other adjustments to feel comfortable as it is not the tilt that is the problem.

Fore Aft Saddle Position

May 15, 2014 by Lee Agur

Fore Aft Saddle position

The fore aft saddle position corresponds to how close or how far the seat is in relation to the handlebars. This positioning is important because it affects your balance as well as your overall comfort level, power and efficiency.

The Knee Over Pedal Spindle Method

The generally accepted way to find the proper saddle position is called knee over pedal spindle (KOPS). To find KOPS sit on the bike with the pedals at the 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock position. Hold a plumb bob at the front of your forward kneecap and see where it hits in relation to the pedal spindle. The line should intersect the pedal spindle/axel. If it falls in front, adjust the saddle rearward. If it falls behind, adjust the saddle forward.

Although the knee over pedal spindle method is quick and easy to do, it does not take into account your individual body type, flexibility or pedalling style.

The Balance Point Fore Aft Saddle Position Method

Grab a friend and warm up on an indoor trainer for 10 minutes, once you have sufficiently warmed up have your friend stand in front of the bicycle and wait. Get into the drops and start pedalling at approximately 80% of maximum effort (a pace you could maintain for an hour) and then swing your hands back behind your butt. You should be able to balance on that point WITHOUT falling forward (that is why your friend is there) or arching your back.

To find the ideal fore or aft saddle position it should be adjusted just forward enough so that your friend barely has to help your torso from falling (a bit forward of the centre of gravity). This is your ideal fore and aft saddle position assuming that your saddle height, saddle tilt and reach to the drops is approximately in the correct position. Ie. If your saddle height is too low or the saddle tilt is up, then it is easier to balance.

Signs That Your Fore Aft Saddle Position is Set Too Far Back

If your saddle is set too far back then you are going to have a lot of power on the flats and slight inclines because you will be able to produce a lot of power; however, once the road turns up (steep grade) then you will not have enough weight over the pedals and you will be forced to stand up to climb. Additionally, a saddle that is adjusted too far back will make it more difficult to maintain a high cadence. Knee pain in the back of the knee can also be caused by a saddle position located too far back.

Signs That Your Fore Aft Saddle Position is Set Too Far Forward

If your saddle is set too far forward then you may be using your upper body too much causing tension in the shoulders and arms as well as having sore hands. You will be able to have a quicker cadence but you will tend to sit back on the saddle up climbs. Additionally, you will be using your upper body muscles to support yourself, wasting valuable energy, and not allowing the torso be relaxed to be able to breathe deeply and properly. Knee pain in the front of the knee (under the knee cap) can be caused by a saddle that is set too far forward.

The Balance Point Method vs the KOPS Method

The whole point of finding the balance point is to allow your upper body to be relaxed and focused on breathing (feeding the engine) while the lower body is focused on propelling the bike forward. You want to optimize feeding the engine with as much fuel (oxygen) as you can so it can go as fast as possible.

If you use knee over pedal spindle method then differences in the lower and upper body are not taken into account. For example: if you are not flexible in the lower back then your centre of gravity is going to be more rearward; therefore, the saddle should come forward more than that of a flexible cyclist. As noted above having a saddle too far back or too far forward is not a benefit.

I would recommend using the balance point method to find your fore aft saddle position as it takes in to account individual differences in body types, flexibility and riding style.

How to Find Your Ideal Saddle Height

May 6, 2014 by Lee Agur

It may not seem likely, but something as small as adjusting your seat can have a big impact on your ride. Ensuring that your seat is at the right height will make a difference in how much power you transfer to the pedals, and how much energy you use to move forward.

How you sit on your bike will also affect how comfortable you are, which could affect your enthusiasm level and overall motivation. Not to mention that you can develop injuries if your seat height doesn’t match your body.

[Read more…]

Bicycling Etiquette 101

April 28, 2014 by U.M.

Bicycling Etiquette 101

It can be argued that the best part of bicycling is the freedom. When you hit the road, you leave your woes behind. Speeding along with the wind in your hair, it’s easy to forget about the stress and demands of your everyday life. If you’re a mostly solo rider, however, it’s also easy to forget that you’re not the only one out there. This can have serious consequences for you as well as others. By following a few simple guidelines, you can ensure that riding remains not just a fun activity, but a safe one. [Read more…]

Cycling in Strong Winds

March 29, 2014 by Lee Agur

Cycling in Strong Winds

It’s race day and you’re confident in your skills, your bike, and your training. You’ve been practicing drafting, breakaways, and tactics so that you have enough energy for that final push at the end. The one thing you may not have counted on is the strong winds that forecasted for that day. Cycling in strong winds can play tricks on you. Here’s a few tips on how best to handle it. [Read more…]

How to Choose a Power Meter

March 20, 2014 by Aaron Robson

How to Choose a Power Meter

Previously, I introduced the concept of power training – that is, training using a power meter, not just really hard training! If you are interested in trying this out, the first thing you will need is, of course, a power meter. This article will tell you how to choose a power meter that will work the best for you.

There are two major classes of power meters – those that ‘directly’ measure power, and those that indirectly measure it. Direct-measure power meters use tiny things called strain gauges to measure microscopic bending in various components on your bike. Indirect meters generally take a bunch of measurements of speed, wind direction, wind speed, etc. and try to ‘guess’ your power based on these numbers. If you want to use a power meter for serious training, you don’t want an indirect-measure power meter – they simply aren’t accurate enough to be useful. Of the direct-measure power meters, there are three main types, which I discuss below.

Wheel-based

These power meters are integrated into the rear hub of a wheel. They measure power by measuring deflection in the rear hub. The most popular version is made by a company called PowerTap and the cheapest version of their ‘power hub’ retails for about $800. Of course, you have to get that hub attached to a wheel – either replacing your current hub, or getting a whole new wheel built up, which will push up that cost.

By placing the power meter in a wheel, you can switch your power meter between different bikes very easily. Of course, if you have more than one set of wheels for your bike, it is going to very quickly get very expensive to always have a power meter available. Most people who only invest in one power hub will attach it to their typical training wheels, but if you race on a different set of wheels, you lose the benefit of power readings while racing, which is one of the big advantages of power training.

Crank-based

There are a few different power meters that measure power based on readings from the crank area of the bike. Quarq and SRM make power meters that integrate with the bottom bracket and crank, while Stages offers a model that is attached to your crankarm. The Quarq/SRM models are on the very high end of the price and quality spectrum, at $1500 and $2000 for the base models of each, respectively, which Stages is currently the most affordable power meter of this bunch at $700.

These type of power meters allow you to use any kind of wheel you want, which a lot of people find valuable, however moving the unit from one bike to another is not something you would want to do very often – requiring completely removing and reinstalling the cranks and bottom bracket AND recalibrating the device. The Stages Power Meter is a bit easier to swap around, since it is only attached to your non-drive side crank arm.

Pedal-based

Recently, the bicycle world has seen a surge of pedal-based power meters. These units claim to offer the same precision as crank or wheel based units, but with far greater flexibility of use – all you have to do to is switch out a pedal to move your power meter, and you can use whatever wheels you desire. Both Garmin and Look have pedal-based power meters available currently, and while a lot of people thought this technology would provide more affordable power meters, it hasn’t panned out that way – Look’s model costs $2500 and Garmin’s is a slightly more palatable $1700.

Still, the flexibility to use this one power meter on any road bike you own, with whatever wheels you want means you only need one of these, instead of potentially being forced to by multiple models of the other types. As these type of power meters are fairly new on the market, there are likely to be some issues to work out, and prices will (hopefully) come down as the technology matures.

Your Decision?

So which one should you get? My number one recommendation would be the Stages Power Meter if you are just starting out with power training. It is cheap, reliable, and can be used with multiple wheels easily, and multiple bikes without a huge hassle. You won’t get quite the level of detail in your data as you will get with some of the more expensive systems, but until you are more familiar with power training, you won’t know what to do with all that information anyways. As you advance in your training, you can always upgrade if you feel it would help. Good luck!

How to Properly Lock Your Bike

March 18, 2014 by U.M.

There is a right way and a wrong way to lock your bike. The wrong way makes it very easy for experienced bike thieves to take the bike or parts of the bike. The right way discourages theft of any kind as it becomes too difficult to even attempt theft. Here are some quick tips on how to properly lock your bike no matter where you are. [Read more…]

How To Speak Like A Cyclist

March 16, 2014 by U.M.

How to Speak Like a Cyclist

So you want to be a cyclist? Then you should probably learn how to speak like a cyclist. Here are some terms you may come across while reading cycling blogs or speaking to your fellow cyclists outside of the normal mechanical jargon. [Read more…]

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How To Select the Proper Road Bike Frame Size

How To Select the Proper Road Bike Frame Size

Top 10 Things I Wish I’d Known When I Started Cycling

Saddle Tilt