How to Set Up a Cycling Bike Properly

An improperly fitted road bike not only reduces pedal and power efficiency exchange but can also lead to poor biomechanics that will ultimately cause injury and possible time on the sidelines or worse yet, a visit to your physical therapist. If your bike improperly fits you and you are experiencing slight pain under your kneecap or feeling a slight tweak right above your tailbone, follow these simple steps to a better fitting road bike. The keys to a perfect biomechanical and power efficient road bike fit are simply a few easy to do measurements away.

Things You'll Need

  • Bicycle
  • A Stand-up bike trainer
  • An Assistant
  • Multi-purpose bike tool (Allen wrenches, small monkey wrench)
  • Calipers
  • Pluming line (A string with a weight at the end)
  • Carpenters level
  • Tape Measure
  • Notepad & pen to record measurements
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Instructions

  1. Fit Your Road Bike

    • 1

      Start by placing the bike level on the wind trainer. Once the bike is securely positioned on the trainer, take the carpenter’s level and make sure the top tube of the bike is level. Have the rider ride a moderate warm-up to loosen the muscles and ride more naturally during the fitting session.

    • 2

      Saddle Height is critical to a riders comfort and efficiency. A properly fitted road bike will allow the rider to extend their legs to their ultimate extension with out rocking their hips. If the rider’s hips are rocking, the seat is too high. If the rider’s knees are rising above 90°, then the seat is too low. On a properly fitted road bike, the bend of the rider’s leg should be approximately 165° when full extended on the pedals. Trial and error is the best mode to accommodate seat height. There are a few formulas to determine road bike seat height; however, the best method is still to find what is most comfortable for the rider.

    • 3

      Finding the Fore/Aft position of the saddle, or seat, is the most complex of the road bike fittings. Have the rider ride comfortably for a few minutes. Make sure the rider is in the most comfortable part of the saddle. The most comfortable position should be the cradle of the saddle the section that forms the swoop of the seat. Once the rider is riding comfortably, have them slow their pedal cadence and stop the pedals parallel to the floor with the nearest knee to you in the three o’clock position. Drop the plumb line from the point of where their patella, kneecap, and femur make a small indention on the top of their leg. The most efficient pedal stroke will occur when the plumb line runs from the leg through the axle of the pedal. This position will place the tibia and fibula in a perpendicular position to the floor.Over time, as the rider becomes stronger and more efficient, the fore/aft position will change -- in some cases dramatically.