I sometimes change to the lowest possible position on handle bars. It is more aero on headwind and changing position every once in a while helps with tingling hands.
Another awesome video, folks! 🖖😄🇺🇸 Find an upper body position that is comfortable for you. Something you can ride all day in. Not too far forward; I use the old "tops of the bars hide the front hub from view when you're on the hoods" method. Also be mindful of your fore/aft saddle position. Plumb bob from your knee joint lined up to the pedal axle.
@@gcn I appreciate that you emphasize the fundamentals, such as understanding gearing and bike fit, without emphasizing the latest gear or gimmicks to overcome lack of basic skills. I also appreciate that your presenters clearly love cycling without being egotistical about it.
I would say, from my experience of riding road-bikes for the last 38 years, that an important skill is to find a sweets-spot between grinding too difficult a gear and spinning too easy a gear.@@gcn
Riding 20 years on my TREK Disovery, never a set up, however watching your video and employing your suggestions changed my riding and made my riding far less painful, more comfortable, and powerful.👍
Super video again Manon and Conor! Best tip (which Manon partly covered), is have your sit bones measured and then ensure that any saddle has at least enough flat at that width to support the sit bone width and doesn't fall off or away so that the sit bones are not supported and you wind up taking it in the pubic arch. OUCH!
Best thing I ever did was shortening and increasing the angle of my stem, lowering my saddle and buying a frame a size smaller. No pain now for a year or so.
Manufacturers recommended size just never felt right so I did what my body felt was right. I had a bike fit many years ago but the changes were minimal from my own set up!
I struggled on bikes that were too large for years - never felt truly comfortable. When I got my Giant TCX the guy in the shop said to go down a size from my normal size. Got a bike fit thrown in, sorted my back out with a foam roller and have never looked back since (except to see what's coming up before a manoeuvre). I've measured my sit bones and my saddle's the right size but probably like most people I would like it a bit comfier!
Another great video Manon and Connor, on covering the essential issues in ensuring a comfortable ride. The advice on bending the elbows as opposed to straight arms, made a massive difference to body posture and comfort for me especially on long journeys. Keep up the good content 👍
I'd love to ride with more bent elbows but I feel my handlebar is so far in front that I struggle to do so. Might upgrade my saddle front/aft position to get closer and mitigate that issue.
I always had problems with pain in the lower back und upper legs - until i slammed my bars, moved my saddle a little bit higher and way more forward. So a more "aggressive" position gave me more power and comfy at the same time, awesome
While this is quite the Pandora’s Box, tweaking is the way to go. No abstract formula of angle degrees and millimeters can substitute for listening to your own body, while on your own bike.
Good advice on warming up, never even thought about that. I live at the bottom of two hills, although not long, they are both about 14-16%😭, and are within 4 metres of my drive. I think that at the age of 73, I'm going to spend 5 mins on my, permanent, turbo to do a pre ride warm up. Great advice, thanks.👍
My moment of realization and what changed to “never having pains again” was GETTING RID OF THE BELLY and stretching. You get more flexible, comfortable, and can ride a heck of a lot faster (of course you have to be in the ballpark of good bike fit)
While pedaling, I angle 📐 my feet slightly forwards, with the toes angled towards the ground, while having rigid feet, I found that this gives me more power translations in every move, and can pedal for hours to hours without wasting too much energy on my feet. Just did 75 km in 3-3.5 hours.
I am used to cycling mtb. Bought my first road bike a couple of years ago. I almost regretted it. After the first ride I thought, "What kind of sadistic freak would make and sell a torture device like this?" 😂 But after 2 years of experimenting with narrower handlebars and various things, as well as getting used to riding it, the road bike has become my favorite bike.
One thing I learned the hard way was that after some time off due to injury I was uncomfortable when I started back. So I adjusted my saddle and bars. Once I got some time in I was uncomfortable again due to my whacko adjustments. Thankfully I marked everything so I ended up putting it all back, ......
Bike fits can always change after an injury, It's not a bad idea to make the bike a little more relaxed. You might find that you then find it easier getting back on your bike 🙌
Could we have a longer video dedicated to warm up & warm down both for outdoor rides & indoor sessions. eg how long at what typical percentage of FTP? are static stretches good? etc. Appreciate this may be an individual thing but some general tips would be useful.
I can't answer all the questions in regards to cycling, but as for stretching: Use dynamic stretches for a warm-up, and static stretches for a cool-down.
The biggest help for comfort for me was changing the saddle angle. It was level from nose to back but that caused pain, i didnt even know the saddle angle could be changed until a friend told me and your videos showed me how and why. My bike still needs a bit more adjustments but watching such videos is helping me get it right
Another thing worth looking at is handlebar width. Especially with gravel bikes right out of the box, regardless of frame size, the handlebars tend to be 2-4 cm too wide for most people, and the slightly splayed-out stance, while barely noticeable at first, can wreak havoc on your neck, wrists, and shoulders on very long rides.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different stem lengths and handlebars for variances in rise, flare, etc. They’re not terribly expensive to swap out and could easily be the solution to a more dialed fit.
@@dvdp4513 Yeah, each body is different and each individual prefers a particular "feel". It's a shame many popular stems and handlebars are overpriced since it deters people from personalizing their bikes.
Thanks. On the bike our muscles work a lot within a reduced range of mobility. This is shortening legs and core joints and fascies. I'm missing the recommendation, that bikers should work on their flexibility and core strength before and after every ride. 😉
I had a bike fit in my 60’s. The bike fitter gave a great piece of advice. As you get older you do lose some flexibility and tolerance to spending extended periods in uncomfortable positions. So adjust your posture on the bike to suit your body rather than attempt to copy those positions used by pro-peloton riders.
The lads: tutoring from the UK with a Pinarello and a SelleItalia saddle Me: watching them from Italy and absolutely on 7th heaven at their fantastic perfect cadence (in English too - me foreign learner) 😅❤
Remember, sometimes your handlebars may actually be too high and too close, giving you neck, shoulder, hand pain, etc. as well as posterior rotating your pelvis. It took me 2 years to figure this out.
@@jamesambrosio2031 Hard to say, but first check your cleats are in good condition and not too far forward. Then check your saddle tilt (most saddles are between 0-3 degrees nose down) and saddle height (both legs should be able to bend normally. Then I would check that your handlebar is not too wide or that it's angle is not off (you can find videos on this by Neill Stanbury). Move your stem up and down and, if possible, try to reduce reach or increase it by switching stems. This is a rough troubleshoot.
that "one" perfect position may never be found, for we ourselves change & age every day. the bike won't, so comfort-awareness is lifelong. especially if one watches YT-videos :-) buona fortuna!
You guys make a great team Keep up the good work looking forward to more posts from y'all Ok put the bar bag back on the motorcycle where it belongs and we'll forget all about that little fiasco k? Do keepemcoming won't you
More content on the way soon don't you worry! Turn on your notifications and you'll never miss a video 🔔 You can't take the bar bag off Conor... it's like taking candy from a baby
No worries Karl! Thanks for watching & commenting 🙌 - Lower back pain could be a real selection of things. Saddle hight, seat angle or even bar setup, maybe a bike fit will help sort your issues? We've got some great videos that may be able to help 👉 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-c0gw_UG1zZM.html
It does amuse me, that after years of GCN telling us to slam our stems and not have a chimney (thus removing the possibility to raise your bars again after), you are now telling us not to do that 😄
It seems the further removed they become from their racing days the more the info becomes more suitable for the average rider and not the small number of viewers with grand tour potential.
It’s across the board I think. They’ve done the same with weight loss advice, bike cleaning , wrapping handlebar tape etc I daresay it’s a case of re inventing the wheel to justify continually re hashing the same subjects.
I was just thinking when Conor was talking about handlebar height that there's not that much wrong with having a 'chimney' really, the aerodynamic penalty is negligible, it's just a bit of an aesthetic thing. I'm very resistant to making irreversible changes to things I can't replace cheaply so would think very long & hard before cutting a fork column - especially a carbon one!
Nothing wrong with this. We are learning and re-learning about cycling all the time. Science is about testing, observing, analysing and reporting... and then repeating that process again and again. I'm glad they are revisiting some of these things. I don't see that as a negative.
Important thing is having the handlebars just high enough to be able to maintain a bent elbow or a tuck position. Some riders slam their stem but they can't maintain a "tuck" position very long. You become slower if your arms are always straight. WIth that, I do agree having it too high will cause your shoulders t o shrug and causeback pain.
Modern bikes are much more likely to have super slammed stems and stacks too low. You see it on the road all the time. Like the pinarello the lady is riding. The steerer tube was obviously chopped off, cuz we’ve been taught that’s how it should look. When in reality, except elite athletes almost all of of us would be more comfortable and balances on the bike with higher stacks.
For some people, yes. It doesn't seem to make any sense but when my handlebars were dropped following a bike fit, I actually had less pressure on my hands and my shoulder issues disappeared (I'm no longer shrugging my shoulders to lower my torso). I was told this is rather common in very flexible people like myself.
@@TurnLeftNow I cannot agree more. The best advice they could have given in this video would be to raise the stem. We are told to go aerodynamic, with slammed stem and all, to be quick and fast like pros, but most of us are really just amateurs with no needs to. Especially when it sacrifices comfort.
Thanks so much for these tips! I am totally new to cycling on a gravel bike and I have so far found a comfortable position BUT: after a few kilometers I get a stabbing pain in the front of my left hip. I tried setting the saddle lower, higher and I tried different angles for the saddle nose. But nothing helped so far. I then have to stand up and straighten myself out, then I'm fine again. Is the handlebar perhaps too low?
What confuses me that I can hardly reach the braking levers from the drops and I have used the positioning screw of my Rival to bring the brake lever as close to the handelbar as possible and I have no small hands, more average to slightly large. Position of the hoods is neutral as is the handlebar (Giant handelbar: Reach: 72 mm / Drop: 125 mm) is also quite normal to comfort from the numbers.
Van der Poel continues to drive in the same way, according to De Wolf. “I didn't see Mathieu grab his handlebar from underneath twice in the Tour. He always drives with his hands on the steering wheel. Until he reaches fifteenth place and then he sees a small gap. Then it's: go, just left or right and then he's back in fourth position. That is talent, surplus and having good legs.”
Thanks for that information Guys, I'm a new rider on a mountain bike and my hands get numb and I get a tingling sensation after about kilometers and this happens every time I ride, what should I do?
All good points, I try to use these as much as possible. My main problem is a pain in the right wrist when braking and changing gears, any tips to grip the hoods correctly to aleviate this?
It is not always uncomfortable to sit on the nose of the saddle - on both my winter/summer bad-weather bike as on my summer bike, I have the same saddle (to achieve a nearly 100% identical saddle position): the Tune speedneedle. As both bikes are built up as TT-bikes, I tend to sit on the nose. After nearly 20 years, I guess my a** is used to this position. The pre-ride warming up is another important topic: especially in winter, I ride up to 10 minutes on my Tacx indoor-trainer in the basement. By doing this with my heartrate transmitter on, I can estimate how my condition is on that day, and especially in winter I won't feel cold for the first 20-30 minutes of my ride. In case I want to go on a fast and short ride, I can already do a short intervall to get the "engine" ready for full gas.
Warming up is also healthy. I know riders that are crazy for average numbers of speed... they go crazy from the cold bodies!! They just want high average speed, insanity!
Just remember that your body controles all of the muscles automaticaly, without your conscious effort. How tense or relaxed you are is simply a product of how your bike is set up.
Damn, the post is a year old, I had questions. 1. I have listened to a number of your posts and noticed that you have never mentioned the difference between saddles designed for males and females. The point being the the physiology of women means their pelvis is spread wider than that of men. Consequently, the "sit bones" for women are further apart and women benefit from a wider saddle. Otherwise, especially if you are new to cycling, as a lady and you use a mens saddle you can cause some heavy bruising to soft tissue from the saddle. The last thing you need is for new riders to experience that discomfort. You wont see them on another ride. 2. With regards to my bike, I end up dancing all over the handlebars and saddle when riding. Any observations on that? Like it shouldn't be happening or I have something wrong in my setup? I do this usually to adjust my posture to stop aches and stiffness.
I struggle with SWEAT. Sweat in the eyes. Sweat dripping on sunglasses. Both of which are blinding. If I tighten my helmet to wear the pads direct the sweat to my temples then I get a headache after 60 min.
Saddle adjustment is a major issue imo. Let's assume that you have the height right according to leg length, knee bend recommendations when fully extended etc. Is it far enough back or forward so that your spine is curved as you want? *IS* the height right? Is the nose too low so that you slide forward? Or too high so that you get numb nuts/sore labia? Is the saddle material right for you - I have a leather Brooks B17 and polishing it can make it VERY slippery! On the otherhand I doubt that a better saddle exists or has ever existed
I have issues with numb palms on longer rides, 4-5 hrs are long for me, and rarely numb seats, no solution worked so far. My saddle is not too high for sure. Would welcome suggestions 🙏
If nothing else is bothering you, try a double layer of handlebar tape. I have gone as far as using thick cotton cloth instead of bike specific handlebar tape. Made a massive improvement. Thicker gloves are an option too, at least during cold months.
A more cushioned saddle does NOT equal more comfort, generally speaking. I'm a slim female but my sit-bones are fairly wide apart, so the wider and flatter/harder the saddle, the more comfortable it is for me. A squishier, more rounded saddle makes me rock from side to side and that is not comfortable after just a few miles.
