Are you sitting comfortably? How to set yourself up for a good day on your bike

How do you train for a long-distance mountain biking event? You’ve probably thought a bit (or a lot) about the fitness side of things, but have you also had a look at your bike set-up and thought about your riding technique? Making sure your handlebars, saddle and pedals are in a good position, and you have a relaxed but stable body position are all key to a better day on your bike.

IT’S ALL ABOUT BALANCE

To start with, you need to be balanced in the middle of your bike and the three contact points (i.e. handlebars, saddle and pedals) need to be tweaked to make this possible.

When your body is in the ideal position your bike moves beneath you, working the trail, but your head floats on one plane, allowing you to focus on the trail ahead. If it feels like your head is being shaken from your neck whenever you ride over rough terrain, then you’re probably not centred on your bike.  Here’s what to do.

Pedals

The correct position on the pedals may seem obvious but there are many examples of poor setup.  Power is delivered through to the pedal through the ball of your foot (back from your toes).  If you’re using clipless pedals, note this position on your foot and match the cleat up on the sole of your shoes with that point.

When coasting over rough terrain your pedals should be sitting at 3 & 9 o’clock leaving the crank arm parallel to the ground for maximum clearance.  Having one pedal lower than the other leaves you unbalanced and prone to clipping a pedal on obstacles.

Handlebars

Wide riser bars are best for stability and leverage.  Set your levers so you can reach them with your index finger at the end of the lever. Ensure that when you’re sitting normally on the bike, your brake levers follow the path of your arm.  This will ensure you’re not riding with bent wrists.

Saddle

Experience and practice will tell you when to stay seated and when to stand when the terrain gets rough or steep. Learn to stand on those pedals out of the saddle and balance your weight backwards and forwards on the bike to maintain traction through the wheels.

Once you’ve got the bike well set up, think about your body position when you’re riding.

FIRST UP, RELAX

If your body is tense, you’ll find yourself getting bounced around with every bump.  Your loose, relaxed limbs are the best form of suspension available.

Next, try to work on specific parts of the body, starting with the most important one…

Eyes

Look as far as you can down the trail so your brain can make decisions about what is coming up, then look at the trail just in front of you to negotiate any obstacles and trail changes. Keep doing this. It’s important to look at where you want to go and not what you want to avoid.

Hands

Try to keep them relaxed.  Tuck your thumb under the bar and wrap all your fingers around the bar with one finger on the brake lever.

Your hands should be butting up to the end of the bar.  Many brake levers have reach adjustment.  Make sure you use this feature and have the levers at the right position for you.

Elbows

Bent and pointing away from you gives you stability and the ability to lengthen your arms as your front wheel drops away from you off a step or steeper terrain.

Arms

Need to be relaxed to let your front wheel roll over or into obstacles and not drag or bounce you. 

Legs

Need to be in a strong, slightly bent position with heels down to keep your weight in the centre of the bike and to prevent you moving forward when brakes are applied. Think of your bike rotating from the pedals below you. Like standing on the fulcrum of a see-saw, the see-saw; moves up and down as you stay still.

Waist

Bent at 90 degrees with your back straight. Let your arms hang directly below you with your elbows bent and pointing outwards, as before.

PRACTISE, PRACTISE, PRACTISE

When it comes to riding the trails, nothing quite beats practice.  There is a lot to remember out there on the trail and the more you’re out there doing it, the more natural it becomes.  If you’re struggling to put it all together at once, focus on just one element until it comes naturally,  then move on to the next skill.

Some of the most important skills to work on are:

– Relaxing

– Looking ahead, down the trail and where you want to go, not what you’re trying to avoid

– Standing with cranks parallel to the ground

– Using either a single finger or just two fingers to brake.

– Keep your legs slightly bent and your elbows bent further for natural suspension

This post has been adapted from an article by Saddie Parker and Mark Jagger originally published in Iconic Magazine in 2012