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Wednesday, July 8, 2009

The bike doesn't have to hurt

How much can you do to banish the hurt? A lot, actually.

I just read a well written piece on Gregg's Cycles explaining the most common causes of pain from riding a bike and how to tell if a bike fits.

My shoulders were hurting, as were my sensitive parts.

It was easy enough to figure out why my shoulders ached: I was reaching too far forward for my handlebars. The solution: replacing my fixed stem with a shorter, flexible stem.

As for the groin pains, I bought a new saddle that has a cutaway in the middle that relieves pressure and preserves blood flow to sensitive parts.



After my pain seemed to get worse, my awesome bicycle shop guru showed me that the saddle wasn't level; it was tilted upwards. Since he leveled the saddle I've been much happier.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the link to Greg's Cycles! I just bought a bike and was not sure if it was the proper fit! I bought it used and was not able to get much of a professional opinion as to whether or not the bike fit me properly. I had my reservations, but bought the bike regardless.

    Thanks again for your post and for a very interesting blog! :) I look forward to reading all of your posts!

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