How To ACTUALLY Get Comfortable On Your Bicycle

Do you cycle for transportation or leisure? If so, you'd probably be the most comfortable with a *fairly* upright position. Yeah, it's a little slower...but better to enjoy the trip!

Yet the heavy sport emphasis in the North American cycling market means too many folks end up on bikes that are too aggressively forward-leaning for their casual intent.

If your bike is the right size yet you never feel quite at ease on it, then this may be part of the problem.

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There are several ways to get more comfortable. Most of them focus on hand position, since placing your hands high/low, forward/backward, or rotated in/out has a *huge* effect on how you sit.

The easiest way to start is by adjusting stem height. Sometimes just raising your hands an inch takes your posture from a little uncomfortable to just right.

If your stem can't move quite far enough, then it's straightforward and not too expensive to buy a different stem. This can give a couple inches' additional change in reach and/or height.

There are also two cases where it's worth considering new handlebars.

- The first is to let your hands rotate to a more natural angle, almost like they're dangling by your side. Look for "swept-back" handlebars.
- The second is to get a even larger change in reach or height. Some swept-back bars also shorten the reach a great deal, but not all.

If you're riding drop bars, like on a road/touring/cyclocross bike, then you already have plenty of hand positions available. It's possible to convert drop bars to upright, if that's more comfortable for you, but such a *dramatic* posture change make the bike handles differently (since it moves your center of mass so much).

Once you find a bar/stem set-up that creates comfortable riding posture, then it's time to tweak your saddle. Tilting it a few degree may suffice, but if you're drastically more upright than before, then it's probably best to buy a wider saddle that will support your new position more comfortably.

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0:00 Intro
0:42 Forward-Leaning Riding Posture
1:46 Upright Riding Posture
2:26 Preventing Posture Problems
3:02 Hand Position Is Everything
3:43 Stem Adjustment
4:40 Stem Replacement
5:12 Handlebar Replacement
6:46 Drop-to-Upright Conversion
7:49 Saddle Changes
8:54 Recap

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LINKS

[twowheelsbetter_yt]

Thanks for watching! Here's some awesome bike stuff I like & you might, too. (It also helps support this channel!)

[RCPrepping]

I bought a electric assist bicycle in March 2022 as an alternative means of transportation. My alternate is now my main. I only drive my truck if my wife and I have to go somewhere together or if the weather is not favorable. I also lost 36 pounds in four months.

[tomdaoust]

This video is great. It's upright friendly, unlike videos that assume everyone wants to go as fast as possible, never looking left or right to enjoy the beauty all around you. Thanks for sorting that out. I was focused on efficiency when I was young (20s) and I rode in a racing position. Now I'm 71 and I use my bike to enjoy the natural beauty of greenways, creeks, and wildlife.

[Crayshack]

I went ahead and had a bike shop do a full fitting for my bike. They tweaked a bunch of this stuff while closely looking at my posture and listening to me about how each change felt. It was definitely worth it for longer rides. Despite me being on a road bike that sacrifices comfort for speed, I'm pretty comfortable being on that bike for hours at a time. I can only imagine that if I did that with a bike designed primarily for comfort it would feel even better.

[bjornlangoren]

Try to ride for longer and longer distance until something hurts. For some things, it is just a matter of getting over the hump. If you have knee pain, it could be that the saddle is too low, of feet not angled the right way on the pedals. Or even uneven leg length. Back pain could mean seat is too high. If pedaling makes your upper body rock from side to side, it is too high. Make a mark with tape or similar once the perfect position have been found. Or write diwn the measurements. Sometimes a seat will slide down over time or after a bump, and you wont norice until your kneesstart hurting. Once that problem is fixed, you will eventually ride long enough for something else to hurt. Hands, wrist, feet, butt, back. Wearing gloves is a must. Some have a bit of padding to help absorb shock and imprive grip. A death grip on handle bars makes for a short ride full of pain. I wide and padded seat isnt necessarily mire comfortable. A seat that supports the sitbones without causing too much friction is ideal. Shoes with a stiff sole helps with foot pain by dustributing the pressure. Reminding yourself now and then to relax and drop the shoulders, keep a light grip on handlebars and a light foot on the pedals, can make a big difference. Even to take a deep breath in and out now and then. Even the perfect bike setup cannot force you to ride with ease and comfort if you forget to relax.

[mortarion]

gonna comment before i even watch the video: I always saw these 2 viewpoints "sit up straight" vs "lean forward" and i tried both and both gave me a sore afterfeel. Then i just kept switching my pose whenever i felt like it and never had pain afterwards again. The spine usually tells you when to switch your position, just like sitting down and moving around whenever you feel a slight discomfort, then you're good.

[Ugoeh]

A well done video that correlates with my 40 years of selling bicycles. About 10 years ago, and the last 5 years in earnest, I have been experimenting with the influence on comfort and power output of shorter cranks (the pedal arms at your feet that are approx. 170mm long). The opening 10 seconds of the video show both riders struggling with turning over the cranks at the top of the pedal stroke. The woman is squirming around significantly, and the man's shoulders have a twitch at each turn, and he is up on his knuckles because his hips are bugging him.

Crank length is part and parcel of how comfortable you are, and how far forward you will enjoy leaning to get out of the wind.

To keep it short, I have several thousand miles on several sizes, with the greatest improvement happening when shortening from 153 to 140, which is the shortest I have tried. Cranks could be too short, but I haven't found that threshold yet. I'm 6'2" tall. I believe that cranks are 50-70mm too long for 90% of the population.

The argument against this though is entirely from people who haven't ever tried it. I would welcome a different perspective from a user. They all think they will be weaker. I climb hills in much higher gears, and am about 50% faster in most situations.


I've only convinced a few people to try it, none of them have switched back. Strong athletes all. Tomorrow I'm putting a set of 152's on an adult trike for a woman who rides every day, but her knees are killing her. I expect she'll be on 120's when we're done, though those are more expensive and hard to find. We'll see.

[jeffmpvd]

Excellent video!! I recently replaced my handlebars to a more upright position. The best thing about being more upright is that you can easily see your surroundings better instead of your head angled towards the ground!

[jambonsambo]

If you take weight off wrists by going more upright your transferring that weight back onto saddle which increases saddle pressure. For me its about finding that balance between saddle pressure and hand pressure.

[jeffreyclark]

Good and very informative video. When I was 15 drop bars were fine. By the time I was twenty they were not comfortable. I stopped riding and sold my beautiful Super Course. When I was 55 I really wanted to ride again and bought a hybrid. It was not at all comfortable but taught me that I really wanted to be upright. I converted a few vintage Schwinn road bikes to see what might work and was pretty happy with the results. I started looking for a vintage Schwinn touring bike with long chain stays and found a nice Passage which I converted and was pretty comfortable on it. Finally my little brother, who lives in Amsterdam, convinced me to buy an actual real Dutch bike. I found an Azor pastoorfiet in my size and on the first ride quickly understood why the Dutch ride the bikes they do. I'm 72 now, still riding, not very fast but very comfortable.

[evangelossilvaangelopoulos]

This is one of the best cycling videos that there is. Simply perfect.

It literally saved me from a very long demoralizing period of bike discomfort.

[korsveien]

Best and totally free advice that made the most difference for me was doing yoga and stretching. I got from having problems reaching the bar to riding comfortably in the drops.

[TT-fnxb]

Thank you for tackling this issue. I cycle a lot and have been advised often to get a road bike. But I never feel comfortable on a road bike and on my hybrid I still go pretty quick and sometimes just as quick as or quicker than those on road bikes so I stick with my hybrid. I do sometimes find myself getting into a more aggressive, forward leaning stance on my bike. To each their own I say. I also feel safer being able to see more of what is around me when I am on my hybrid.

[russelllevine]

I have been enjoying my Spongy Wonder noseless bike saddle on my electrified, full suspension Giant bike for 5-6 years with absolutely ZERO pain, discomfort or prostate issues. The fact that I don’t have a lot of natural padding on my butt made this seat an essential purchase and I would NEVER consider any other on any of my rides. The fact that Jeff stands behind his product is just icing on the cake. Highly recommended!!!

[IS-xkiq]

Very helpful advice. Haven't found any Youtuber address this vital subject and explained in very simplified form to boot.

[ridefast]

Thanks for the info. I bought a used full suspension MTB to maintain fitness beyond 60, and immediately swapped out the straight bars for a more wrist-friendly bar, probably about 30 degrees angle. I run a high saddle with the bar grips at the same height and with the suspension set soft I can go all day! I don't need to dodge potholes either so that makes it safer in traffic!

[stephenwilliams]

Makes sense. My favorite ridng position is when I can go hands free and sit straight upright. I've logged thousands of touring miles in that position. It doesn't just make me feel cool, it feels like a more sustainable all day position.

[jbratt]

I raced bikes for over twenty years and ride in an aggressive aero dynamic position. It’s comfortable to ride that way for hours at a time but it takes time to develop that ability. It can be done. There are some great bike shop with bike fitters to help. Riding with experienced riders that can mentor new riders is a huge advantage not only for comfort but many other things that need to be learned. Even with a perfectly setup bike it will take a few weeks to adapt.

[smilingdog]

Great information! I have a mountain bike that puts weight on my wrists, which is so painful that I quit riding! Thank you for getting me back in the saddle!

[robkunkel]

Thanks RC … a great story. If Seniors are worried about re-gaining balance to ride again, after a break many decades long, the trick is a NEW bike from a bike shop with modern braking and gear options and PRACTICE. You may have to do figure 8s in your driveway 10 minutes each day for weeks to get up to going out into safe lanes in a flat place, ie a large parking lot. I did it that way and, at 76, I am very happy. Avoid vintage cycles because they are usually nightmares disguised as a dream. Believe me, I have two restored Schwinns that are conversation pieces, not a bike that I should use. If this becomes a “featured comment” thank you. I write from the heart.