Cycling
We reveal the small tweaks you can make to boost your comfort and performance on the road.
Going for a long ride or a sportive at the weekend is a great way to see the world from your bike, but how do you know if you've got your seat set at the right height? And are there any other quick fixes you can do to boost your performance on the road, while also alleviating some of the aches and pains that ensue after a long day in the saddle?
Fortunately, Paul Mill is here to help. A former professional cyclist, Mill now coaches riders of all abilities in the UK and abroad. We asked him to explain some of the ways in which you can fine tune your position on your bike, and how that will lead to a better performance and recovery next time you hit the road.
Listen to this podcast to find out how Mark Beaumont broke an around-the-world cycling record:
1. Find a saddle sweet spot
An incorrect saddle height can put a strain on your body, especially over longer rides, such as sportives. Sitting too high can lead to issues in the thigh and hips, and anterior knee pain, while remedial knee pain can be caused by sitting too low. Getting it right will make you more biomechanically efficient.
A good starting point to get the saddle right height is to put both heels on your pedals and pedal backwards – you'll have the right height when there isn’t any hip rotation. Another way is to stand next to the bike and make sure that the saddle is in line with your hip.
These are generalisations, though. Each bike is different and the length of the crank [and what the pedal is attached to] can change from bike to bike. If you have any issues, you should see an advanced bike fitter.
2. Pedal in full circles
I see a lot of riders using an up-and-down, choppy pedalling action. You really want to visualise pedalling in 360° circle, rather than just 180°.
When coaching, I get my riders to sit in front of a mirror and do one-legged pedalling drills, where they're engaging their core, not letting their hips drop, and continuously pedalling in a circle.
3. It's time to get handsy
When on a climb, most put their hands in the middle of the bars or on the brake hoods. Not a lot of people use the drops – quite rightly – but this can have a bit of an effect if you really need to pull on the bars on a gradual incline.
I would always recommend that people get in the drops when descending. This is for safety, as you don't have as much control when riding on the brake hoods, but it's also far better aerodynamically when going into a corner.
Changing your hand position while riding also prevents the build up of pressure, and helps circulate the blood in your fingers.
4. Hill climbing: to stand or not to stand?
Whether you get out of the saddle or not will depend on the length and severity of climb. However, changing body position – such as with your hands – gives parts of your body a rest, and will help stretch out your hamstrings and quads.
If you're in a race and attempting to accelerate away from a group on the hill, do it one of two ways. The first is where, coming from behind, you get in a slightly higher gear and out of the saddle for one big blast. The alternative is sitting in the saddle, and just trying to accelerate away from the group out of a bend.
5. Make yourself aerodynamic
On a lot of descents, the pros will pretty much have their head over the front wheel. The reality is, you're not going to be able to pedal your bike that fast when in that position on the flats. Unless you're going up a climb, it's best to be on the drops – the lower and flatter you can get your body and back, the more aerodynamic you'll be. Bending your elbows to get your head position as low as possible is key, too.
6. Get your cleats in prime position
Having the right setup will help eliminate foot aches, which can be caused by having the cleats too far forward or backwards.
Aim to have the cleat on the mid-to-the-rear point of the ball of the foot. The easiest way to do this is, with your shoes on, find where the ball of your foot is, and make a mark on it. Once done, sit on your bike, put your pedals at a horizontal angle, and make sure the mark's in line with the axle of the pedal.
You should also try and get your cleats set up at the same angle of how you stand. If your feet point outwards, this should be reflected in the setup. Like the saddle height, though, this is just a general guide and, if required, you might want to see a professional bike fitter.
7. Optimise your reach
Having too short a reach will leave you with very twitchy handling, while one that's too long will leave you with very sloppy and slow steering.
The rule of thumb is, if you're on the drops and sitting with your bum on the saddle, the front wheel's hub should be obscured by the stem and handlebars. If you can see the hub behind the stem, the stem's too long, whereas if you can see the hub in front of the stem, it's too short. To fix this, you'll need to change your bike's stem.
8. Position your saddle properly
Aim to have the back of the knee cap fall in line with the axle of the pedal. If it's in front of the peddle, a lot of the force is going onto the knee cap when pushing down, and you're not really using the full length of the quadriceps. By sitting further back, however, not only are you still using your quadriceps, but you'll engage your hamstrings and glutes too – relieving any overuse aches and pains in your quadriceps.
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