| Biking can be a very good exercise, especially for | | | | be approximately 2 centimeters wider than the |
| those who cannot undergo sustained weight bearing | | | | shoulders. |
| movements. However, in order to prevent injury and | | | | Leg angles |
| improper joint wear, the bike should be properly fitted | | | | When leg is at 3:00 in pedal stroke, knee should be |
| to your body. | | | | directly over pedal and bent knee angle should not be |
| Seat Height | | | | more than 90 degrees. When knee is at 6:00, there |
| Using a doorway or other method of support to hold | | | | should be approximately 15 degree angle, only a slight |
| the bike upright, have someone stand behind you and | | | | bend. The knee to pedal angle should be 35-45 |
| watch your hips while you pedal backwards. If your | | | | degrees for a recreational cyclist, and 30-35 degrees |
| hips rock side to side, the seat is probably too high. If | | | | for a road cyclist. |
| there is more than a slight bend (15 degrees) in the | | | | COMMON PAIN COMPLAINTS AND POSSIBLE |
| knees at the bottom of the pedal stroke (6:00), the | | | | SOLUTIONS |
| seat is probably too low. | | | | Knee Pain is usually associated with a seat position |
| Seat Fore/Aft | | | | that is too high, low, forward or back. Improper bike |
| The seat is a proper distance from the handlebars | | | | shoe or cleat position can also cause knee pain. |
| when a plumb-line (any piece of string with a weight on | | | | - Pain in the back of the knee, backside or outside of |
| the end) hanging from your kneecap, touches the end | | | | thigh: seat may be too high or too far back, too much |
| of the crank arm. If you're over 6 feet tall, ride long | | | | pedal float |
| distances, climb a lot and pedal at about 90 rpm, you | | | | - Pain in the front of the knee: Seat too low, foot too |
| may prefer to be as much as 1 to 2 cm behind the | | | | far forward on pedal, pushing BIG gears |
| end of the crank arm. If you're less than 6-feet tall, spin | | | | - Pain at medial knee: foot position too wide, toes |
| at 95 rpm or faster and like to sprint, you'll probably | | | | pointed out, or too little pedal float |
| prefer to be directly over the end of the crank arm. | | | | - Pain at lateral knee: cleat position to narrow, toes |
| Handlebar Height | | | | pointed in, or too little pedal float |
| For the recreational rider, your trunk should be 40-80 | | | | Another cause of knee pain is using too high of a gear. |
| degrees from horizontal. The shoulder to trunk angle | | | | Try to use a gear that allows you to pedal quickly, |
| should be 80-90 degrees. For the road cyclist, trunk | | | | about 70-100 strokes per minute. |
| position should be 30-40 degrees and the shoulder | | | | Foot numbness may be due to the a toe clip that is |
| angle 90-100 degrees. Rule of Thumb: In general, the | | | | too tight, shoes that are too tight, or sole of shoe is too |
| top of the handlebar should be about one to two | | | | soft thus compressing the digital nerve |
| inches lower that the top of your saddle (for | | | | Neck pain is commonly due to riding a bike that is too |
| accomplished cyclists interested in aerodynamics [on | | | | long or having handlebars that are too low. Tight |
| the road] and good weight distribution [off the road] | | | | hamstrings or hip flexors can also cause this by forcing |
| sometimes go as much as 4 inches). | | | | your spine to round or arch, and your neck to |
| Hand width | | | | hyperextend. |
| For the recreational rider, hand width should be slightly | | | | Hand pain/numbness can be prevented by wearing |
| wider than shoulders. For the road cyclist, hands should | | | | padded gloves and slightly bending elbows. |