“Proper handlebar and seat heights may be the most important adjustments when fitting a bicycle”
Bike fitting as a profession predates the clipless pedal system that most roadies use by several decades. For example, the LeMond method, which measures “optimal” seat height, was developed in the 1970s when road bikes still had flat pedals with toe straps and cages. Bike fitting became more important as the clipless pedal system advanced, however, there is a reason why bike fitting was a “thing” before clipless.
The most common areas of pain and injuries in cyclists are to the knee, upper back, hand/wrists, butt, and low back, all of which are directly related to saddle height and/or handlebar height. If you have pain in any of these areas, then chances are you’re riding a bike that is not set up properly for you and it’s recommended you get a bike fitting to change your settings to suit your unique body, regardless of what pedal type your ride.
Understanding how to make bike-fit adjustments allows you to ride faster, more efficiently, comfortably, and injury-free, and applies to bikes of all pedal types, as seat height and handlebar height are the 2 most important settings for performance and comfort.
Possible Bike Adjustments for Bicycles With Flat Pedals:
- Crank length
- Saddle width
- Handlebar height
- Handlebar width
- Foot position
- (clipless pedals have about 5 more adjustments)
- Distance in height between the saddle and handlebars
- Handlebar ‘drop’
- Distance from saddle to pedal
- Saddle height
- Saddle angle
- Seat setback (fore/aft)
- Distance from saddle to handlebars
- Also called ‘reach’
All of these bike settings are important with flat pedals and will determine how comfortable your ride is and how efficient you are while cycling.
Image Source: Applied Ergonomics
Do I need a bike fit if I ride flat pedals?
Yes, you need a bike fit, since seat height and handlebar height are the two most important bicycle settings for comfort, performance, and injury prevention, regardless of the pedal-foot interface.
Bike fitting: 3 points of contact
Do you have a sore butt or back, an injured knee, general discomfort, or do you have friends who are in worse shape than you but are faster?
A combination of bicycle settings determines your pedal efficiency, power, comfort, and chance for injury.
There are 3 main contact points between rider and bike. I have listed them in order of importance:
Butt to saddle
Hands to handlebars
Feet to pedals
The goal is to adjust these settings so you can optimize either performance, comfort, or injury prevention, or to find some middle ground between them. If you are a recreational rider, comfort might be more important than performance. So copying the pros doesn’t make sense, as their bike is set up for aerodynamics and efficiency vs comfort.
seat height: Most important cycle setting
“Seat Height is the Holy Grail for power”
Regardless of what type of pedal you use, the most important bicycle-setting is saddle height.
If your seat is too low, your legs can’t fully extend and you lose power and pedal efficiency as your legs work harder and fatigue more quickly.
If your saddle is too high, you lose power on the downstroke as your pedaling motion is overstretched and the excessive hip rocking causes saddle sores.
Both of these situations pose a risk of knee injuries, cause discomfort, and limit performance.
Most important setting = saddle height
Pedaling efficiency
Power
Comfort
Saddle height is the most important cycle-position setting. Many other positioning recommendations are attempting to correct a sub-optimal seat height.
Any adjustment that changes the distance from your seat to your pedals effectively changes seat height. This means that adjustments to saddle tilt and setback (fore/aft) also change your effective seat height and alter your pedaling mechanics, muscles used, and pedal stroke.
Bike fit: Foot to pedal
From a performance and comfort standpoint, the foot to pedal contact point is the least important.
However, if you ride with a clipless pedal system, it’s very important for injury prevention, since your feet are locked to the pedals. A poorly fitted clipless system, over thousands of pedal revolutions, will magnify any possible injuries or pain.
If you ride with flat pedals, after setting your saddle and handlebar heights correctly, then your feet will naturally fall into proper alignment onto the pedals.
handlebar adjustments
“Whether a weekend warrior or elite Olympic hopeful, all cyclists are positioned the same, with the exception of the hands-handlebar interface. A recreational rider may prefer to be positioned more upright.”
The difference in height between your saddle and handlebars have a huge impact on the amount of power you can generate and on overall comfort.
However, handlebar height is just one setting:
Handlebar width is one of the most important fit parameters for road cyclists.
Brake levers: Can you reach your brake levers without adjusting your hand position? If not, then it’s time to adjust them.
Handlebar position: Hugely important in avoiding hand/wrist numbness or pain
Jesse is the Director of Pedal Chile and lives in Valdivia, Chile. Jesse has a Master of Science in Health & Human Performance and a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. Hobbies: Mountain biking, bicycle commuting, snowboarding, reading, weight-lifting, taster of craft beers, & researching.
More articles from Pedal Chile
Sources
Burt, Phil. Bike Fit : Optimise Your Bike Position for High Performance and Injury Avoidance. London, Bloomsbury, 2014.
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Davis, Andrea et al. “Plantar pressure of clipless and toe-clipped pedals in cyclists - A pilot study.” Muscles, ligaments and tendons journal vol. 1,1 20-4. 30 Oct. 2011
FitzGibbon, Sinead et al. “INTERVENTION AT THE FOOT-SHOE-PEDAL INTERFACE IN COMPETITIVE CYCLISTS.” International journal of sports physical therapy vol. 11,4 (2016): 637-50.
Grainger, Karl, et al. “Predicting Bicycle Setup for Children Based on Anthropometrics and Comfort.” Applied Ergonomics, vol. 59, Mar. 2017, pp. 449–459, 10.1016/j.apergo.2016.09.015. Accessed 19 Apr. 2020.
Silberman, Marc R, et al. “Road Bicycle Fit.” Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, vol. 15, no. 4, July 2005, pp. 271–276.
Wadsworth, D., & Weinrauch, P. (2019). THE ROLE of a BIKE FIT in CYCLISTS with HIP PAIN. A CLINICAL COMMENTARY. International journal of sports physical therapy, 14(3), 468–486. https://doi.org/10.26603/ijspt20190468