How does my bike fit me?

[txred9876]

I was having numb toes and my coach suggested a few things, which helped: I made sure my shoes were not to tight around (just beind my toes), reminded me to make sure I didn't point my toes and also reminded me to wiggle my toes while I was riding.

I am just a newby but these things fixed my toe issues!

Tina

[Cataboo]

I try to make sure my wrists don't bend back towards me when I'm riding - so I move the shifters kinda so that they are pointing down towards the front bike wheel... it keeps my wrists in sort of a neutral straight position... If you're bending your wrists you can aggravate things and make things go numb. Move your hands around, and keep the weight off your wrists as much as possible.

You already look pretty upright.

[indysteel]

Are you wearing gloves? That might help with your hands.

I really don't otherwise feel qualified to weigh in on your fit. I'm much more familiar with how a road bike is supposed to fit; not a hybrid or MTB.

[VeloVT]

Are you wearing gloves? That might help with your hands.

I really don't otherwise feel qualified to weigh in on your fit. I'm much more familiar with how a road bike is supposed to fit; not a hybrid or MTB.

I'm basically with Indy, I don't have much knowledge about how hybrids are supposed to look.

But, two things that occur to me (and others can feel free to jump in and tell me I'm wrong ):

1-- looks like you could maybe raise your seat a hair? if I'm right about that, it will feel more efficient and who knows, maybe it could help with the foot numbness. also to my eye (which is not highly trained), you look a bit far forward from a KOPS perspective, so moving the seat back might not hurt either. (remember that height and setback offset each other though, so if you move up, move forward a little, or back less than you would have. maybe a clearer way of explaining it: if your seat is at the correct height for your position and you decide to move it back, you will also want to lower it a hair. if your seat is a little low already, and you move it back, you might still want to raise it, but less than you would have).

2 -- In another thread Oakleaf said something about longer stems sometimes helping to relieve wrist pain... again, I don't know anything about hybrid fit really, but just at a glance it looks like your wrists are bent a bit. I wonder if a stem with less rise that put you out a bit further might not put your wrists in a more neutral position. It's a toss-up, because that will also tend to put a bit more weight on your hands, which could exacerbate the problem... but it might be worth a try. This may be because I'm used to looking at road bikes, but the cockpit looks a bit cramped, and more space might actually increase your comfort.

A related question I had looking at your picture is the following: how does it feel when you stand to pedal? Do you feel unstable or like you're hanging out too far over your front axle? If so, a longer stem might help.

[Biciclista]

re Liza's post, how about a photo of you with your close leg fully extended?

[PamNY]

I second what Biciclista et al said about moving your hands around. This was one of the main things I learned as a noob. That plus I was tensing my shoulders which didn't help.

Your seat might be a little low (just a guess). You do look happy!

Pam

[newfsmith]

In the first photo it looks like your wrists are lower than the level of the bar. Usually, flat bar bikes are set up with the brake levers about 10 to 15 degrees below the horizontal plane so that when your finger are on the levers and palms on the bar your wrist is straight. This might be something your bike shop can help you with.

I would also encourage you to invest in some bar-ends, because they will let you put your hands in the more neutral "hand-shake" position at least part time while riding.

The other thing I notice is that it appears that you may be locking your elbows. I can't be sure because of the long sleeves. Try to make a conscious effort to relax your grip, keep your wrists straight and elbows slightly flexed. All much easier said than done. I often ride with one hand just touching the bar or even on my thigh to give the nerves a break.

Try different brands of gloves. For me the Specialized gloves work better than PI.

We do need another picture with you leg maximally straightened to better judge whether you need to raise/move your seat. The goal isn't to have a perfectly straight leg but with less angle than you are showing in any of the pictures on this round.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Loosen the velcro that closes around your gloved wrist- that used to make my hands numb even though it didn't 'seem' tightly closed.

Dont point your toes as your pedal comes back up- concentrate on relaxing your ankles so the your heels stay down more. Riding with pointed toes can put more pressure on the ball of the foot, causing numbness or foot pain. People who ride horses are always told to keep their heels down.

Relax your shoulders and your hand grip.

It does look almost as though your saddle is a tad low.
Aslo- it's hard to tell, but the sun/shadows make it look like you are sticking your elbows out to the sides- that would not help your hands. Keep shoulders and elbows down and relaxed.

[HillSlugger]

I try to make sure my wrists don't bend back towards me when I'm riding - so I move the shifters kinda so that they are pointing down towards the front bike wheel... it keeps my wrists in sort of a neutral straight position... If you're bending your wrists you can aggravate things and make things go numb. Move your hands around, and keep the weight off your wrists as much as possible.

You already look pretty upright.

I second this advise about angling the brakes and shifter more so that your wrists aren't bent back as much. I have some trouble on my flat bar bike because it forces my wrists to rotate a bit inward.

What kind of pedals are you using? It looks like maybe your feet should be a bit further forward on your pedals so that the ball of your foot is more over the spindle.

[laura*]

I second this advise about angling the brakes and shifter more so that your wrists aren't bent back as much.

I'll third that advice, especially after viewing the pictures in #23. Try angling the brake levers so that they squeeze toward your shoulders, not your midsection.