";s:4:"text";s:3193:" The focus of this article is to highlight how optimal bike position can influence endurance cycling performance, reduce fatigue and increase average power output.Below is an example of a rider with good seat height – the slow frame rate and poor resolution of the video means a lot of this is invisible on such a medium unfortunately, but you can see that his knee moves as a pendulum – with a smooth tick-tock-tick-tock motion and no loss of control.Bike position is perhaps one of the most fundamentally important factors in maximising your cycling performance, and is one of the quickest and easiest things to get right!Oxygen delivery in the aerobic model of performance is limited by blood cell mass (elite cyclists have more blood capacity), red blood cell count, ventricular hypertrophy (heart enlargement) and skeletal muscle vascular constriction due to the sympathetic nervous system ensuring that enough blood flow is reserved for preserving brain function. You do that and you'll build up to the point that cramps won't hit come race time when you have no choice but to keep riding. Pedalling at … OCD I guessMy last day off the bike was June 10th. The ball of the foot should be over the axle of the pedal.George, who also builds custom bikes for customers at V02, based on their measurements, says: “We use this as a ball park measurement, when we’ve never met someone and are building their bike. Stand for 30 to 60 seconds every 10-15 minutes to get the blood flowing. The solution to this problem is to raise the saddle height in small increments until your legs remain parallel to the frame through each revolution of the cranks. This assumes the rest of the position is good and no abnormal technique is occurring of course. It’s not a formula and takes individual differences into account.”“The other thing to check is the layback,” George advises; “with a friend, drop a plumb line from the knee.
These fixes are obviously not a substitute for a professional bike fit, but they will get you off on the right foot and may help you pedal pain free.Because at the end of a hard ride, your legs should feel like they're on fire, not your neck, back or knees.With your hands on the bars, tuck your chin in, engaging the muscles in the front of your neck and then look up. I doubt that it is actually very accurate but does provide an easy way to visualise the various muscle recruitment firing sequences.The best way to fine-tune seat setback is to send the rider off for 3-4 weeks to habituate to the new position with gentle riding at no more than 75% intensity, before ramping up their duration and intensity for a few rides which will mimic their intended cycling goals. It is usually better to be slightly too low than slightly too high.Neglecting the last sentence of that paragraph for a minute, how does bike pelvis position in relation to the crank centre influence our performance and where should we position ourselves to optimise performance?