Adjusting the Bike to Fit Your Body
Before you begin your ride, it is important that the bike
is adjusted to fit your body. Otherwise, the ride will be
uncomfortable and you will tire easily. Riding a bike should
be fun and the first place to start is with a proper adjustment.
Also note that when you are riding, most of your weight is
supported by your hands and seat, with little taken up by
your feet. Therefore, for the greatest comfort, you need to
make sure that the handlebars and seat are adjusted so that
your weight falls equally on each.
1. Seat Height: With the bike in an upright
position, straddle the top tube with both feet placed flat
on the ground. After first making sure that the seat is level,
adjust the height of the seat in such a way that you can maintain
a slight bend in your knee at the bottom of the pedal stroke
with your feet held level and the balls of your feet placed
over the pedal centers. Why this seat height? It has been
shown that the power of the pedal stroke is the greatest when
the leg is fully extended, and that there is little power
at the beginning of the stroke, when the leg is folded.
If your legs do not extend each time you pedal then this can
lead to leg cramping. This happens because the muscle is not
fully extended each time. Cramping produces rapid fatigue
and a burning sensation caused by a build up of lactic acid
in the blood. When people ride with the seat too low, they
can get cramped and never develop any power or speed and give
up cycling after a short period. Why not just raise the seat
to its proper position!
2. The next step is to set the horizontal
position of the seat. Mount the bike and with your feet, rotate
the crank backward until your right crankarm is pointing straight
ahead parallel to the ground. In this position, a vertical
line passing through the pedal axle should intersect your
knee about ½ inch behind the front of the knee. To
adjust, loosen the seat clamp and slide the seat either forward
of backward to get as close as possible to this ideal position.
3. After the seat is adjusted, a rule for
adjusting the stem and handlebars, called the 1 inch rule,
applies fairly closely for general riding. This rule states
that the handlebars should be about 1 inch lower than the
seat height.This may vary with specialized riding needs. For
example, if you are riding on the road and desire a more aerodynamic
position, you may wish to drop the handlebars to a height
lower than the 1 inch. Since it is relatively easy to adjust
the handlebars, try experimenting with different positions
until you find one that suits your riding style.
4. Another way to adjust both the handlebars
and stem is to sit on the seat and lock your arms straight
in front of you and place your hands in position on top of
the brake levers. In this position, your back and the bike’s
top tube should form an angle that is equal to or slightly
smaller than 45 degrees. To adjust the bike you will need
to raise or lower the stem. Once the stem is adjusted properly,
when you ride the angle formed by your body and your arms
held straight in front of you and your hands resting on the
brake levers should not be greater than 100 degrees or less
than 90 degrees. Note: if it is impossible to adjust the particular
stem on your bike to achieve this riding angle, then you should
consider purchasing a different stem. Note that this positioning
of both the stem and handlebars is again subject to changes,
depending on the type of bike you are riding and the riding
position (upright, prone, etc.) you prefer.
Seat
Adjustments
Careful adjustment of the seat can make all the difference
in riding comfort. It is critical to provide an overall proper
fit between the rider and the bike. When you are choosing
a bike size, you should be able to straddle the top tube and
have adequate clearance (most experts say around 2 inches)
when both your feet are on the ground. Make sure you are wearing
the shoes you will be using when you ride. The next thing
to do is to adjust the seat position, both up and down and
forward and backward. On a standard bike, the height of the
seat is determined by how deep the seatpost is set into the
seat tube on the bike. The tilt and left and right positioning
of the seat are controlled by the clamp that holds the seat
on the seat post. To adjust the seat to the proper height,
set the height such that when a pedal reaches its lowest point,
your knee is slightly bent. For the fore and aft setting,
sit on the seat and pedal backwards until the cranks are horizontal.
Then with the ball of your foot placed over the center of
the pedal, a vertical line passing through the ball of your
foot should intersect your knee just in back of your kneecap.
To adjust the seat to this position, loosen the seat clamp
and slide the seat to the correct position. If adjustment
doesn’t work, then the seat on your bike is probably
a poor fit to your anatomy! Try a new seat.
Handlebar
Stem Adjustments
The proper height of the stem and handlebar cannot be determined
until the seat is adjusted to its proper height and angle.
Once the seat is adjusted, you first check the height of the
handlebar in relation to the seat. For general purpose riding,
the handlebar should be about 1 inch lower than the seat.
Remember that the rule may vary somewhat for specialized riding
needs. If you want to ride with your back in an upright position,
then you would set the handlebar height the same as the seat.
If you wish to do a lot of fast riding in a low, aerodynamic
position, then you would set the handlebars a couple of inches
below the seat. The 1 inch rule should be considered a starting
point from which to find the height that suits your needs.
After the stem height has been set, you can then adjust the
handlebar position. To do this you first loosen the nut or
nuts on the stem that tighten the position of the handlebars.
Then adjust the position until your wrists are in the most
natural and comfortable position when you are sitting on the
seat and your hands are resting on top of the housing for
the brakes. Since the handlebars are so easily adjusted, try
experimenting with them until you get the best position for
your riding style.
It should be noted that for the Efun folding bicycles,
some of the models are equipped with handlebars, which can
be easily raised and lowered by simply using a quick release
that allows the handlebars and stem to slide up and down
within the head tube. Some models do not have the quick
release, but the height can be adjusted much like a regular
bike. On these models, the stem, headset and head tube is
below the folding mechanism. On some of the models the slope
of the handlebars can not be adjusted, as they are welded
to the stem as one piece.
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