1) Seat Height
The easiest way to adjust the height of your seat is to put on whatever shoes you normally wear to go biking and position your bike next to a counter or a doorway. Hop on your bike, balance yourself so that you and your bike are upright, and then put your heal on your pedal in its lowest position. To have an optimal height, your leg should be able to be fully extend in this position. This way, when you are pedaling on the balls of your feet, your leg will be able to do the most work without hurting your knees.
If you feel pain in the back of your knees while pedaling, or you feel yourself rocking your hips back and forth to reach your pedals, than your seat is too high. Conversely, if you feel your legs burning excessively, your seat might be too low. After moving your seat to an approximate position, making minor adjustments in either direction could make your ride more comfortable. The only way to know is to adjust your seat on the road, so if you don’t have a quick release seat adjustment, bring that allen wrench with you for a ride and play around with your height.
Interesting note:
For the skiers out there, if you lower your seat an inch or two in the late fall, you can get in better shape for the upcoming winter. The lower position will work more of the muscles used in skiing.
2) Handlebar Height
Next to seat height, handlebar height is the easiest adjustment you can make to your bike providing the biggest difference in body position. For a typical road bike or general bike, the height of the handlebars should be either equal or up to three or four inches below the height of the seat. This isn’t to say that it is bad to have your handlebars higher than your seat; it will just put more strain on your body. Simply put, the higher your handlebars, the farther back your center of mass will be on your bike. This will result in more weight being put on your hips and butt, making you really feel all of those bumps in the road.
For the people with a need for speed, an optimal aerodynamic position can be achieved by trying to make your back as flat as possible. Lowering your handlebars farther down than you are used to might seem a bit uncomfortable, but as you work your way up to faster speeds and harder pedaling, you will feel yourself sitting comfortably farther forward and more aggressive. When in high gears and hard pedaling the power of your legs will actually support your upper body in the aerodynamic position.
For a more comfortable ride, raising your handlebars could be the key. It is almost a trade-off, the higher the bars the more comfort but the less “powerful” of a position, the lower the handlebars the less comfort but the more aggressive position. It often depends upon the length of a ride you want to do, or the type of cycling. Just make sure that you have a comfortable seat if you want to be sitting upright.
Source: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Jeffrey Abbott
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