How to make you bicycle the most comfortable ride ever

Photo: J.P. Squire

The height of your bicycle saddle should be adjusted so your knees are slightly bent at the bottom of the pedal stroke. The ball of your foot should be over the pedal. Even a small height adjustment can make a big difference.

This is the second column in a series on how to customize your new or new-to-you bike/e-bike to make it the most comfortable bicycle you have ever pedalled.

In the last column, the Bike Sheriff covered the basics of handlebars and stems, and introduced saddle selection.

To ensure a soft ride, the sheriff bought a Thudbuster suspension post with three variations of rubber stoppers from soft to hard. Then it was the wide, soft seat with springs covered by sheepskin.

The Sheriff jokes his Trek Powerfly 5 e-bike with a full-charged battery, low power setting and flat terrain can travel up to 160 kilometres. His rear end is now good for about 50 kilometres.

Too many cyclists have their saddle adjusted too low. A half-inch can be critical. If you raise your toes with your leg straight, your heel should just clear the pedal as you swing the leg forward. Another common method is that your knee should be only slightly bent when your foot is at the lowest part of the pedal stroke. The ball of your foot should be over the pedal.

If your saddle is too high, you can have hip issues because your bum will be rocking sideways. Once your saddle is at the correct height (try slight variations for your custom fit), scratch the post next to the quick release to mark the spot. Magic Marker wears off.

Once your saddle is set at the correct height using the quick release, you won't likely change it. However, that common quick release means someone can steal your expensive saddle and post, so an Allen wrench screw clamp or lockable clamp will provide more protection. There are also lockable axles to prevent wheel theft.

At the ends of the handlebar are grips which come in a variety of shapes and softness from hard plastic to foam to gel. Softer grips will wear out faster. Some have an ergonomic design to better support your palms. Don't bend your wrists when your hands are on the grips.

How upright to sit can be confusing for novices. If you lean too far forward, it can be hard on your hands, wrists, back and neck. Road cyclists use a small narrow saddle and typically lean right over transferring a lot of pressure onto their hands which are on drop bars.

Comfort and hybrid cyclists sit in a more upright position: more weight on the bum and less weight on the hands. As a result, many come with larger saddles. Bigger is not necessarily better, though. It depends on your “sit” bones. Some bike shops have a sit bone-measuring surface to determine how far apart they are. You can feel them with your fingers and then transfer that distance to a saddle to determine where your sit bones will sit, ideally on the softest or most supportive part of the saddle.

As a semi-final adjustment, don't forget you can move your saddle back and forth horizontally on its rails about two inches. A level can ensure the saddle is perfectly flat or whatever angle your bum isn't moving around. The key is determining which bike position is the most comfortable overall for you and your biking style.

Pedals come in variety of shapes, sizes and price if you want to switch out the standard pedals which come with the bike. Pedals are your platform for propulsion so you might opt for larger pedals. Metal pedals, especially those with raised bumps, are better than plastic, which can be slippery. Be beware of mountain bike pedals with aggressive spikes because we have all had them scrap the back of our legs at some point. Stitches are uncommon but can be needed.

If you wear running shoes with a soft sole, you not only lose power but your toes can curl over the front of the pedal producing toe burn or "hot spots." So, cycling-specific shoes come with a stiff sole. Road cycle shoes have cleats to lock your shoes onto the pedals.

Some have even bigger, more aggressive cleats but there are now rubber covers so cyclists aren't sliding (and clicking) when walking around on hard floors.

Next week: More customizing tips.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.