Bike Sizing and BG FIT
Santa Fe Trails Bicycle Shop
Leavenworth, KS
Select the Right Bike
• Road
– Recreational
• Century/Charity Rides
• Local/occasional
– Racing
• Triathlon/Time Trials
– Olympic Distance
– Ironman
• Criterium/Road Racing
– Commuting
• Trail
• Commuting
Consider Your Goals
• Completing a triathlon?
– Placing as an Age Grouper?
– Achieving a PR?
• Commuting to work?
• Riding on Trails?
Riding Possibilities of Your Area
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Low traffic country roads.
Longest rails to trails in the U.S.
Multiple Triathlons
Multiple Century Rides
Multiple Criteriums/Time Trials/Road Races
Multiple Mountain Bike Trails
Analyze Your Tendencies
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Win at all costs?
Fun oriented?
Latest technology?
What type of riding do your friends do?
Road Bikes
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Light weight
Efficient
Geared for speed.
Aerodynamic
Best for group rides
– Century
– Criterium
– Club
• Optimum for entry level triathlons
Mountain Bikes
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Comfortable Upright Position
Fat, Shock absorbent tires
Suspension forks and frames
Plenty of load carrying capacity
Ideal for single-track, commuting, rails to
trails.
• Inexpensive
Hybrids
• Commuting
– Faster than a mountain bike
– More durable than a road bike
• Trail bike
– Works well on improved trails
– Myriad attachments possible
Time Trial Bike
• Aerodynamic Frame – Usually Carbon Fiber
• Maximum Speed and Pedaling Efficiency
• Steep Seat Tube Angle 76 Degrees versus a
road 73 Degrees
• Top Tube Length is Shorter 539 versus 565
Time Trial
• Steep seat tube angle
– Aero position with flatter back
– Rotates you forward, allowing hip and knee angles
to remain open.
– Less stressful on back and hamstring muscles
– Knees should not protrude in or out.
– Line from ear to elbow should be perpendicular to
the ground.
Best Approach
• Go to your local bike shop (SURPRISE!)
• Try bikes that you are considering
– More than a sum of their parts
– Frames, components, geometry varies
• Get fit by an expert
• Get refit as the season progresses
Frame Size
• Stand over is the distance from the ground to
the top of the top tube.
• Frame size measured in Centimeters
– Center of BB to top of seat tube
– Size = Inseam in Cm X .67
Saddle Height
• Saddle Height
– measured from center of bb to top of saddle
– Heel on the pedal, leg is locked.
• Formula = Inseam in Cm X .883
– Formula gets you to within 1 – 2 Cm
– Variables
• Leg length
• Flexibility
Saddle Position
• Generally thought that knee should be over
the pedal when cranks are level.
• Best set up by a professional
• Saddle should be level for women
• Saddle should be level to 2 degree rise for
men.
Top Tube and Stem
• Torso length + Arm Length divided by 2 +4 =
Top Tube and Stem Length
• Individual Comfort is Key
• Flexibility as the season progresses
• Frames come with stock stem length.
• We provide free stem replacement ($45 value)
Saddle Sizes
• Narrow
• Medium
• Wide
Pedals
• Different Types
– Speedplay – Zero/Light Action/X Series
– Shimano SPDR/SPD/Compatible
– Look
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Float/No float
Foot Burn.
Large Feet
Wide Stance – We now have 5 Options
Shoes
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Rigid – Specialized Shoes Stiffness Index
Comfort
Footbeds Red/Blue/Green
Fore Foot Wedge
LLD – Cleat placement/cleat shims
Handlebar Width
• Cm from Shoulder Blade to Shoulder Blade
• Usually 42, 44 or 46
• Can be measured from side to side or center
to center by manufacturer
References
New Cyclists Handbook, by Ben Hewitt, Rodale Inc.
2005
Triathlon 101,Essentials for Multisport Success, by
John Mora, Human Kinetics. 2009
Training Plans For Cyclists, by Gale Bernhardt, Velo
Press, 2009
Specialized Road 2013 Catalog
Greg Lemond’s Complete Book of Bicycling, Perigree
Books, 1987
Pedal Stroke Mechanics
Main Points
1. Get the right fit (foot, leg, hip, body alignment)
2. Learn to use your gears
3. Stay seated as much as practical on hills
4. Develop a good cadence
• NOTE—From this point on, open in “Notes Page” to read the
Key Points of each slide.
Foot/Cleat Position
Pedal Stroke Made Easy
Drills
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Spinning classes
High cadence spin up drill
Isolated leg training
Learn to use your gears
Optimal Cadence
• High cadence
– Works cardiovascular system more
– Reduces workload for each pedal stroke
• Low cadence
– Lower oxygen consumption
– Greater workload for each pedal stroke
• Optimal balance is different for everyone,
experiment to see what works best for you
How to Attack Hills?
Rolling hills
•Use momentum to carry you up start of hill
•Short hills, power hard through lower portion
•Shift through rear sprocket cluster as cadence drops
•Hopefully stay in big chain ring up front
•Near the end, get out of saddle and power over the top
Long steady climbs
•Don’t power too hard at lower end – this could cause you to go anaerobic
•Find comfortable cadence and settle in – maybe around 70 to 75 rpms
•Use your gears!
•Relax hands and upper body – no head/shoulder bobbing
•Shift around on saddle – scoot back slightly
•Stand only to regain momentum – not an efficient way to climb
•Near top explode out of saddle and power over the crest
Hills (power)
Flats (speed)
Cycle Computer
Advanced
Basic
Strength Training
to Improve Your Biking Muscles
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Walking lunge and/or step up
Calf Raise
Leg extensions
Leg curls
Squats and/or leg press
Bike Trainer
Resistance trainers: wind, magnetic, or fluid
$100 - $400
Computer-based trainers
$700 - $2000
Rollers
$100 - $300