Almost all modern mountain bikes are equipped with suspension. The aim is to soften the roughness of the terrain, giving the rider a smoother, more controlled ride.
The front suspension or fork carries almost all of the rider’s weight, so there’s a lot of weight on the front of the bike. Most mountain bike forks have some level of adjustability, ranging from firm to plush, as well as the amount of travel on some models.
Just like telescoping tubes, the fork consists of strut tubes that slide in and out of the lower part of the fork and attach to the bracket. The front wheel is attached to the lower part of the fork, and the strut is attached to the head tube of the bicycle frame via the fork steerer.
There are a number of factors that make a shock fork structure sound, often more expensive forks are more resistant to flex than cheaper ones. Brands can accomplish this in a number of ways, the most popular of which is by using larger diameter strut tubes and a specific oversized axle to hold the front wheel in place, called a thru-axle.
Suspension forks are based on springs and dampers. Air springs are the more popular type of spring, their spring rate is controlled by air pressure, and the adjustability and adjustment of air springs are nearly limitless.
The damper resists and assists the spring. Without the damper, the fork would compress and then return uncontrollably. Here, the role of the damper is to control how quickly the spring returns, while helping to control how easily the spring compresses. For example, most modern forks offer the option to turn off the damper, which locks up the suspension.
The vast majority of suspension forks separate the spring and shock, with the spring usually on the left strut and the shock on the right.
The rear suspension is only for dual-suspension mountain bikes.
As the terrain gets more challenging, the rear shock absorbs more impact and keeps your wheels on the track, giving the rider more control and confidence.
Many of the things that apply to the front suspension also apply to the rear, including adjustments like damping and air pressure.
However, since the setup is different from the front suspension, the shocks have to be handled on their own. The rear shock is usually located under the rider, between the front and rear triangles. The shock is contained in a pivot system that uses linkages to move the shock within the frame. Different bike brands have different pivot configurations, but all modern designs are doing more or less the same thing.
The rear shock consists of two telescopic tubes that slide into each other, which compress under load and are accommodated by a “shock body”. Like the front suspension, the rear shocks can be air or coil springs, come in different axle diameters, and feature a ton of tuning and adjustability to suit the rider’s needs.
Coil spring shocks are still very commonly used on the heavy-duty downhill and enduro mountain bikes, as they tend to handle heat better, but at the cost of fewer fine-tuning options and added weight.
Rear shocks are typically sized specifically for the frame, with size, travel length, and damping options for different frame and linkage systems. Note that if you want to replace or upgrade your shock, it will fit your frame and you have the correct mounting hardware.
Too high a carbon bike saddle can cause pain on the outside of the knee.
A low seat saddle can cause pain in the inside of the knee.
Heavy stepping can cause pain behind the kneecap, and the tenderness point is on the kneecap.
Cycling can indeed cause very serious knee injuries, In short, it can be divided into the following categories:
When riding, try to use the pinion ratio to improve the stepping frequency. Don’t use the gear ratio too heavy. You must use light stepping. Start riding 10 kilometers with light teeth, with even force, and with no excessive rest, We don’t encourage riding uphill. If you can ride uphill, don’t force it. The cart is not a matter of falling off the chain. Please rest assured that the comrades in arms in front will wait for you and won’t fall behind you.
The main reason is that the riding posture is not correct. Avoid riding with the outer figure 8 or the inner figure 8.
If the bicycle is pulled too high and the legs are stretched too straight when pedaling, it is said that it will also cause knee injury.
The pain in the inner thigh of the knee area is non-persistent. It is often found when changing the posture when sleeping or working for a long time. It is manifested as slight tingling. This is not a knee injury, but a strain of the medial thigh ligament. Most of the reasons are due to the incorrect riding posture itself. The most common is the external splayed leg of cycling.
Most of this situation is not serious and does not affect the actual riding. Use the inner leg lock to correct the posture, and at least reduce the strength of KMS.
Pain in the upper seam of the knee area, non-persistent, similar to 1, manifested as swelling or tingling. This situation is due to the strain of muscles and tendons caused by stepping on or shaking the bicycle vigorously, which is common after climbing the mountain and shaking the bicycle continuously. You don’t need to care too much. Just pay attention to rest and reduce your strength.
The cartilage tissue inside the knee is damaged. There is a sense of foreign body in the knee during exercise. There is swelling and pain when pressing the knee bone. The pain will be aggravated by shaking the knee bone back and forth, left and right.
This is the real knee damage, which must be treated with physical adjuvant therapy, and no large-scale activities shall be carried out for a while. Hiking and mountaineering are more prone to such problems, and cycling seems to be OK.
Take the occasional ride on a road you don’t know, throw away the map and start exploring. This versatility keeps you engaged and may also lead to exciting new discoveries.
2、Break interval
Minimize the rest interval with maximum intensity, so that it can be easy to remember what to do next.
3、Conquer steep hills
If it’s not a critical climb in a race, then don’t put your best foot forward. Hold your speed steady at the beginning, then shift gears, maintain a pedaling frequency of about 75-80rpm, and be at a sustainable intensity to achieve a balance between pedaling frequency and intensity. If you use all your strength too early, you’re going to be stuck with too big a gear ratio, which will leave you exhausted and sluggish.
4、Affordable travel
“Not considering a bike in a hockey bag if someone reports such an exception.” Says mountain bike world champion Brian Lopez. “For three years, I flew around with my bike and spent no more than $50 for it.” To get through, he removed the front fork and packed it in his suitcase. (If he’s carrying a mountain bike, the brake disc goes in, too.) Everything else, including the wheels, goes into the suitcase. “When you unpack, there’s only one big suitcase. If you’re staying in a small hotel, that’s really helpful.
5、Conquer the long-distance
Add 10 miles a week to your farthest ride until you reach 80 miles. “At the end of a ride, if you’re feeling exhausted, it’s probably a lack of dietary intake. On departure day, control the pace.” says physiologist and coach Neil Henderson. “Many first-time 100-mile riders ride too fast at first because they’re overly excited. And, be prepared for mental swings. This will allow you to enjoy the ride to the fullest.”
6、Tire problems
Don’t wait until you’re on the road to learning how to fix your bike, says Leonard Zinn, author of Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Repair, “In the garage, practice how to change a tire without fear, and bring your usual air cartridge and tools with you when you hit the road. That way, when you’re away from home, you won’t worry too much even if your tire breaks.”
7、Ride fast
Listen to professional riders and ride with friends, says 1984 Olympic champion Connie Carpenter, “In groups, cycling is always more fun and faster. If you do have to stop at a care station, don’t stop for too long.”
Helmets are equipment related to the lives of cyclists. Although the news does not list those products that are unqualified, there are still some things you can pay attention to when choosing a helmet. In addition to choosing a well-known brand, pay attention to the following misunderstandings and try to avoid them during use!
Myth 1: The lighter the helmet, the better Relatively speaking, the lighter the helmet, the better. But the lighter the cycling helmet, the smaller the chance that it will pass the national safety certification test standards, and the higher the relative price. Therefore, the prerequisite for choosing a helmet is to pass the national safety certification test standard. This weight will not make you tired even for a long-distance, so don’t care too much about the weight index of the helmet. Generally speaking, the lighter the helmet, the more expensive it is. Unless you are for a bicycle race. Try to reduce your own weight, otherwise, it is not worth the extra money to buy an ultra-lightweight helmet.
Myth 2: The bigger or more holes in the helmet, the more windy the helmet Breathability is the key to the helmet, which can keep your head dry during long-distance cycling. The more or larger the ventilation holes on the helmet, the greater the airflow around your head, and the cooler you will feel. However, please keep in mind that the more or larger the ventilation holes on the helmet, the more exposed your head will be, so the degree of protection will be reduced accordingly. Compared with mountain bike helmets, road bike helmets have more or larger ventilation holes. Similarly, road bikers must consider the weight of their helmets more than mountain bikers.
Myth 3: The buckle and the drawstring cannot withstand a certain amount of force You may only know that cycling helmets need to be subjected to some impact tests, but the buckles and straps also need to be subjected to corresponding tensile tests. If they fail the corresponding tensile tests, they cannot be used on the helmet. Therefore, a qualified cycling helmet, small buckle and pull strap must pass the corresponding tests before it can be regarded as a helmet that meets the national safety certification test standards in the true sense.
Myth 4: The helmet is broken or used overdue If it breaks, don’t use it. Wearing it is just comfort for the heart. It is not of much practical use. If you make a small bump, it doesn’t matter, but once the car crashes and the strength is strong, it may not be able to play a protective role. . Don’t underestimate a crack, it has changed the helmet’s force and component effects in the physical structure. Do you know the cause of the collapse of a bridge in Seoul in the 1990s? Later, it was inferred that it might be caused by cracks that were not firmly welded at a certain welding spot on one side of the bridge deck. Changing the simple principle, you pull a piece of brand new A4 paper from both ends forcefully, it may take a little effort to tear it, but once you tear a small hole in the middle of the paper, it will be easy to tear the paper.
Regardless of whether they have fallen or collided, cyclists should change their cycling helmets every three years. Because, although the helmet has not undergone a collision, sun exposure and sweat erosion will also cause the helmet and some accessories to age, thereby weakening the safety factor and damaging the helmet’s protective performance.
Myth 5: Wear a helmet without straps
It may feel more comfortable to untie the chin strap of the helmet, but if the head is hit, it will easily bounce out, and naturally, it will not be able to protect it. Therefore, in order to play the protective role of the helmet, please wear the helmet chin strap at all times.
Myth 6: Wearing a helmet that is too wide or narrow If the helmet is not the correct size, it will not protect your head from impact. Don’t make the mistake of buying a helmet of inappropriate size. To determine the correct size of the helmet, measure around the largest part of the head, (usually 1 cm above the eyebrows), and then buy a helmet according to this measurement. Since helmets are often divided into small, medium, and large sizes, you may only buy a relatively suitable size, and then use the size adjuster rotary button to adjust to achieve the most suitable size. After putting on the helmet, turn the helmet from one side to the other, from the front to the back, and feel whether it is comfortable to wear. If it is too loose or too tight, you need to continue to adjust or replace it.
Myth 7: Use poor quality helmets The manufacture of helmets has strict technical standards. Inferior helmets often fail to meet safe collision avoidance standards and cause danger. Many cyclists may not know how to know whether the helmets they bought are safe. In fact, it is impossible to determine whether the helmets are safe simply from whether the helmets are affixed with the CE certification mark. Corresponding test reports and certification certificates must also be provided. CE mark certification is a certification for specific products, focusing on product safety features. It is a conformity certification that reflects the product’s requirements for public safety, health, environment, and personal safety.
In China, most helmets are produced in accordance with the CE EN1078 standard, because most of the helmet manufacturers in China still export more, so the helmets bought on the Chinese market are basically CE EN1078 standards. Some have affixed this CE mark, but they have not really been sent to TUV. SGS has been certified. Each product and different sizes should have corresponding test reports and certification certificates. Consumers must pay special attention. Helmets without safety certification are dangerous.
Myth 8: Wrong wearing position The most effective helmet position requires keeping the helmet and head level, and the edge of the helmet should be about 1 cm above the eyebrows. If it is not in this position, check whether the size of the helmet is appropriate, and then adjust the adjuster knob and chin strap to ensure that the helmet is worn in the correct position.
Myth 9: The system bandwidth is loose The loose straps make the helmet possible to jump and move at any time, and when the head is hit by a secondary collision, the protective effect is reduced. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the length of the pull strap so that the distance between the pull strap and the chin is adjusted to a space between the fingers, which can maximize the effective safety protection performance of the helmet.
Myth 10: Put the cycling helmet casually after use After every use of the cycling helmet, please put it in a cool and ventilated place to avoid high temperature or long time exposure to sunlight
Does cycling really hurt my knees? Here is a specific scientific answer for everyone~ In fact, in daily life, we use the knee joint every step we take. Every sport we engage in may cause varying degrees of injury to the knee. Cycling, as a very green and healthy sport, exerts far less pressure on the knees than other exercises such as walking and climbing stairs in daily life. Here is the chart about the pressure of various sports on the knee:
It can be seen that cycling is less weight-bearing on the knee joint, which is an ideal way of exercise for people with knee joint injuries. Cycling is one of the more popular sports, the reason is that it greatly reduces the pressure of the weight on the knee, so that the knee injury rate is reduced. What are the benefits of cycling? Cycling is an exercise that does not hurt the knee joint. It has great benefits for the body. It can not only lose weight, but also prevent many diseases.
And cycling is a very beneficial aerobic exercise. Cycling does not require deliberate preparation like other sports. No time limit, no speed limit, no place limit, as long as there is enough space, whether indoor or outdoor, it can become a place for you to exercise freely. You can ride a bike alone or go in groups.
What should I pay attention to when riding a bicycle? Long-term incorrect cycling posture and cycling habits can cause knee strain.
Therefore, when we are cycling, we must choose a bicycle of our own size, as well as the correct cycling posture and habits, otherwise no matter how good exercise is, it will bring unexpected damage to the knee. Here, we pay attention to our cycling style from the following five aspects.
Avoid excessive climbing and sprinting exercises.
Pay attention to the height of the bicycle cushion.
Pay attention to the direction of cycling and the direction of pedaling.
Choose the right bike size.
Don’t use sudden force often. All in all, scientific exercise methods can effectively avoid sports injuries.
Don’t take the risk of expanding your condition and suffer the pain in your spine in silence. Before the cervical spine evolved into a big problem, there are a lot of methods used by professional athletes to solve the small problems of the cervical spine.
Humans were not designed to ride bicycles; the structure of the body was originally formed for the use of upright walking. Cycling completely changes the weight distribution of your spine and muscles, and it bends your back and cervical spine into an unnatural posture.
In fact, when you are in a cycling position, your cervical spine must compensate for this position in order for you to see the road ahead. If your cycling posture is not good, then this problem will be more serious; for a few hours, your cervical spine will stand up straight, staring at the space in front; it’s weird that the neck muscles are not tired.
Minor adjustments
If you are cycling a long distance, you will feel some small pain. Take this opportunity. Before it becomes a big problem, it can be easily solved through small adjustments in posture.
On the bright side—that is, your problem is certainly not as serious as Michael Shermer. After three thousand miles of difficult cycling and racing across the United States, Shermer’s neck muscles became so weak that they collapsed so much that he could never lift his head up again. His team used bungee cords to make a temporary stand to support his head so that he could see the road ahead and allow him to finish the race.
It is indeed an extreme example, to some extent “Shermer’s neck” is now an official term to describe this kind of injury.
Prevention
Fortunately, the human body is very flexible. Only with proper cycling posture, correct bike size, and adjustment, cycling will be a comfortable and painless activity. Below we will provide some preventive measures, and don’t forget that cycling is one of the best exercises for your body.
Your posture
One thing is quite clear, your cycling posture will directly affect the position of your neck and spine. In fact, the position of your handlebars and the assembly of the bicycle are very important.
It is really easy to prevent and correct the problem by adjusting the position of your handlebars. Solving this problem in the field of bicycles is very simple without knowing too many mechanical principles. These adjustments to your bike will have an immediate remedial effect. The whole process is fast and quite cheap (it is recommended to have time to do a bike fitting, you can get more).
One of the main problems is that the distance from the pole to the handlebar is too long, causing your neck to be in a stretched or overstretched state. This not only requires adjusting the distance between the seat cushion and the handlebar, but also the angle between them.
Change the position of the handlebar
You may only need to do one of several items to achieve the desired effect, but if you combine the following items to adjust the effect will be better.
Increase the height of the handlebar
Stem washer: The function of the stem is to tightly lock the head tube. The height of the handlebar can be adjusted without screwing on the stem. In order to make the handlebar higher, you can put a spacer under the stem to ensure that the stem is locked at the top end of the head tube.
Mechanic’s Note: Don’t overdo it. For your safety, the position of the stem can only be a few millimeters above the head tube.
Stem angle: If you can’t cushion the stem to a sufficient height with a spacer, then a raised angle of the stem will be another way to solve the problem. Some stems allow you to find your best cycling angle by adjusting the angle.
Adapter: If none of the above methods help you solve the problem, you can try some specially designed stems or a converter to raise the height of the handlebars, but then again, if you need to do this, then maybe you The most important thing to consider is whether your bike is suitable.
Reduce the distance from the bike saddle to the handlebar
Stem length: Reducing the length of the stem will make the handlebar closer to the saddle. By changing the angle, various sizes can be achieved, so it should not be difficult to position the handlebar to the correct angle and length.
Mechanic’s note: Before you make extreme adjustments, there is an important step to ensure that you will not get the opposite result: take the parts you are currently using, go to the bike shop near your home to discuss with the mechanic what you are going to do. An additional adjustment will reduce the stability of your cycling.
Hand change position: Although your handlebar is in the correct position, where to assemble your hand change position is still a problem. For this reason, the handlebars are slightly higher, which is conducive to a more upright cycling posture.
Mechanic’s Note: Don’t install the handle too high so that you don’t struggle too much when you want to pinch the brake while holding the bend.
Some other considerations:
Small bend handle. The small handle reduces the distance between the upper and lower handles. This means that changing from one posture to another is no longer a huge difference, which can help cyclists use more comfortable handlebar postures. Usually, the lower handle exists only for short sprints, but when you use the small curved handle, you can find that you can also hold the lower handle to complete a comfortable journey.
Neck muscles
The neck is not just a muscle, but many muscles work together: when cycling, it supports your head and keeps your head up.
Take a look at the two X-rays below. The one on the left is a normal cervical spine or a normal neck curve. The X-ray on the right shows a cervical spine that has undergone structural changes due to injury. The tragedy is that most of the cyclists’ cervical vertebrae are of the latter type, which is even worse than that of the X-ray.
Your spine is made up of joints. They have suffered large and small injuries over time. Big injuries include crashes and falls; small ones accumulate, ranging from wrong cycling posture to repeated wrong actions. Under normal circumstances, your joints can withstand these pressures, but they will eventually be damaged over time. It reflects pain, muscle spasms, discomfort, and ultimately structural damage.
Go back to the X-ray film. The normal cervical spine can adapt to a fixed cycling posture, but the less normal cervical spine will become uncomfortable when you ride too fast, making you immediately stop cycling.
From this point of view, what can you do? The first thing is to check your spine. After your cervical spine has been carefully examined, if it is injured here, go for treatment. Once it’s cured, or if it doesn’t hurt, find a professional technician to adjust your bike again.
Remember: early detection and early treatment.
Prevent vertebral pain
Go to the doctor for treatment. Expert JoMcRae will tell you how to do it. The following three exercises will help you get rid of vertebral pain during cycling.
It is not enough to focus on the cervical spine. The cervical spine is part of the spine, and the spine connects the upper back and the lower back. To seek solutions to cervical spine problems alone is irrespective of the overall situation.
When you want to decompress the cervical spine, increase the mobility of the entire cervical spine. Stability and strength are the first things. In general, a flexible cervical spine will put less stress on the muscles and bones of the neck.
Longitudinal foam roller rolling This action will increase the rotation and bending of the cervical spine, giving you better streamline (making you faster) and improving your neck posture while cycling. Remember to relax and take a deep breath, rolling left and right 15 to 20 times.
Neck sit-ups
Before doing this movement, you may have to practice the third movement-neck curling. Before you can stabilize your cervical spine well, you need to make yourself stronger. The key to the action is: be slow, raise your head slowly, and lower it slowly. It’s definitely harder than you think. Try to use your neck only, your fingers only slightly support your head, and your elbows should be on the ground. Repeat 8-10 times for each group, and do 2-3 groups in succession, with intermittent rest for 1 minute.
Bow your head The target of this action is the deep muscles in the front of the neck. These are the muscle groups that are used when breathing heavily while cycling. Just like you exercise the deep core muscles of your abdomen, these are the core muscles of the neck. In order to do this right, you need to close your mouth and press your tongue against your mouth. When doing this action, after raising your head, hold for 10 seconds, and then return to the original position. The position of your tongue is particularly important. Remember to shut up and press your tongue against your mouth.
JoMcRae is a correction and holistic training expert
When you consider solving any problem, the most important thing is to consider the relationship between the part and the whole. Whenever you want to use the ball to enhance your function or performance, you need to understand the connections between the various parts.
In this case, the cervical spine and the spine, then the spine and the cycling posture. Making changes to them will most likely alleviate problems during long-term cycling.
Cycling is not only easy and enjoyable but also enjoys the beautiful scenery. It is even one of the most recommended exercises for middle-aged and elderly people by orthopedic doctors.
Japanese professional doctors even believe that in addition to feet, cycling can also use many muscles such as the back, buttocks, hands, etc., which can improve heart and lung function, help blood vessels to restore youth, and may also prevent and improve arteriosclerosis, diabetes, and high blood pressure. , And fall prevention.
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Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images
Cycling is an aerobic exercise that helps rejuvenate blood vessels, prevent falls, and prevent arteriosclerosis
According to the NHK TV program in Japan, sports will consume sugar, which helps prevent high blood sugar and reduce the damage of sugar to blood vessels. In addition, aerobic exercise can increase blood nitric oxide, which can help relax blood vessels and restore blood vessels to youth.
Cycling is one of the easiest ways to do aerobic exercise. Although walking and cycling consume almost the same calories per minute, cycling is not easy to get tired, it is easier to do it for a long time, and there are better Promote blood flow effect.
An experiment conducted by the Kagaya Institute of Women’s Sports University in Japan found that cycling improves blood flow is more than twice that of walking. It can also help exercise the iliopsoas muscles and prevent falls.
Most importantly, cycling is easy and enjoyable and easy to carry out for a long time. And if you want to keep your exercise habits, the most important thing is to choose the way you like so that you can continue to do it.
Yasuo Kajiyama, a health exercise physician certified by the Japanese Medical Association, also believes that bicycle exercise can reduce the burden on the knees more than jogging and walking, and it also has good exercise effects, making it the first choice for middle-aged and elderly people.
Many people think that cycling is purely a lower body exercise. In fact, cycling must use multiple muscles of the back, buttocks, and hands at the same time, which can help promote metabolism, burn calories, and improve cardiorespiratory function. Therefore, it may help prevent and improve diabetes and high blood pressure. , Metabolic syndrome, arteriosclerosis and other diseases.
Zhu Jiahong, director of the Foot and Ankle Center of Changhua Xiu Chuan Hospital, also pointed out in an article that cycling is the most recommended exercise for the elderly by orthopedic doctors, but it is best to exercise thigh muscles, back muscles, upper arms, shoulders, etc. before cycling for middle-aged and elderly people. Muscle groups to avoid the risk of falling.
Be sure to reduce sports injuries by stretching and warming up before cycling, and also pay attention to water replenishment at all times. Do not grab fast while cycling, and it is best to travel together to avoid unexpected situations.
Ride a bicycle for 160 minutes a week to help the blood vessels rejuvenate
The 40-year-old group rides a total of 160 minutes per week;
The 50-year-old group rides for a total of 150 minutes per week;
By analogy, 10 minutes will be reduced for every 10 years old
Ride for at least 10 minutes each time, and the accumulated time can reach the standard.
Today I write this article about bicycle size science, the purpose is to let you know your bike more clearly, because some cyclists are suffering from injuries due to the unsuitable size of the bicycle during the ride, but in fact, these sports injuries can be completely avoided, and we can get some solutions for this type of problem through the following article.
It’s better to prevent it early than to cure well
After a day of cycling, the discomfort and pain caused by the cushion are inevitable. Just like that motto, No Pain, No Gain. But fatigue is different from injury, and the underlying pain may cause more health problems in the future.
A bicycle that does not fit the cyclist’s body size, whether it is the frame size, the height of the seat, the front and rear position of the seat, the length of the handlebar, etc., can cause varying degrees of harm to the cyclist. The slightest hazard is an uncomfortable cycling experience, and the heaviest hazard will even make you say goodbye to the bicycle forever. However, in the eyes of Phil Burt, the technical consultant of the Sky Team, the problem of unscientific bicycle size causing cyclists’ physical discomfort is easy to find and solve. Burt is an expert in BikeFitting and has written a book devoted to discussing the relationship between bicycle size and cyclist performance and injury. Below, Burt will explain some typical symptoms caused by bicycle size problems.
The soles and ankles
Your feet are the two most important points in contact with the bicycle. Burt believes that many factors in the size of the bicycle will affect the comfort of the feet and ankles, and it is difficult to explain clearly. The position of the shoe cleat is undoubtedly an important factor causing foot pain, and the height of the seat cushion will also affect the comfort of the foot.
The seat cushion is too high, even if the leg is straightened when the crank reaches the bottom, the foot still cannot touch the pedals naturally, and can only be compensated by tiptoe. This way, during cycling, the ankle will increase the amount of exercise, which is bound to cause fatigue. If the cushion is too low, it will also increase the amount of activity in the ankle, which can cause fatigue or injury.
Burt believes that compared to the ankle, the foot is more likely to be injured. Inappropriate lock shoes offset the position of the cleats, and high seat cushions may affect the comfort of the feet.
Burt pointed out that some people did not realize that the position of the cleats of their shoes was too far forward, so that the toes were too tired. Fine-tuning the cleats backward can distribute the pedaling pressure to the entire sole, which can make cycling more comfortable. Burt shared his adjustment experience: the correct cleat position can be obtained by aligning the pedal axis with the first and fifth metatarsals of the foot.
The posture of walking will also affect the position of the cleats. If you are an “outer horoscope”, your feet should correspond to this posture when cycling.
Knee
Viewed from the side, a person riding a bicycle is a four-bar structure. The thigh and calf play the role of the rocker and the connecting rod, and the knee, the connecting point of the rocker and the connecting rod, bears a lot of impacts and wear during cycling, but there are many factors that exacerbate these shocks and injuries.
The front and rear position of the seat cushion, the front and rear position of the lock plate, the height of the seat, and the length of the frame may all affect the working state and comfort of the knee.
Everyone may know that cycling can promote the recovery of knee injuries, but a large number of people have injured their knees because of cycling. At the same time, the knee injury caused by cycling is different from the knee injury caused by physical confrontational sports such as football and rugby. Burt pointed out that the knee pain caused by cycling comes from the patellofemoral joint, and the pressure caused by cycling is applied here.
The cushion is too low, or the cushion is too forward, it will aggravate the knee injury. It is very simple to judge whether the knee injury is caused by the size of the frame. If it is a size problem, the knee will be painful after cycling, rather than the size problem, the knee injury will make you feel obvious discomfort every time you pedal.
The discomfort at the front of the knee is probably because the crank length is too long, or the height of the seat cushion is too low, or because the seat cushion is too far forward, or even the cleat is too far forward. Pain in the middle or outside of the knee comes from the deviation of the seat cushion height and the angle of the cleats. The vertical distance between the feet will also affect the comfort of the knee. The discomfort at the back of the knee comes from the height of the cushion that is too high, or the position of the cushion is too backward, or the shape of the cushion is too bad to be conducive to pelvic activities.
Lower back
The only factor affecting the comfort of the back is the seat cushion position.
As shown in the figure, if the stack of the bicycle frame (refers to the vertical distance from the center of the bottom bracket to the top center of the head tube) is too low and Reach (the horizontal distance from the center of the bottom bracket to the same point (the top center of the head tube)) Too long will cause lower back discomfort. Another extreme situation is that your cushion is too low, so that your back is so straight that all the impact on the road rushes to the lower back.
Burt also said that some unscientific cycling postures can also cause back discomfort. For example, some road bike enthusiasts hold the handlebars in the same position from beginning to end, which is obviously not conducive to the alleviation of lower back fatigue.
Neck and shoulders
Cyclists have experienced neck pain and shoulder pain. Therefore, it is necessary for us to appropriately relieve their pain. The neck pain may be caused by stiff-looking up for too long. Reducing the degree of head-up can relieve the pain. The method is very simple, raise the height of the handlebar appropriately.
Hands and arms
The Stack and Reach of the frame will also affect the arm, too low a Stack and too long Reach can also make the arm feel fatigued. Cycling with straight arms at all times will keep your body away from the handlebars, and will also put too much pressure on the biceps. If the arms are slightly bent, it can effectively reduce the fatigue of the arms. Burt pointed out that some novices have very tired arms after a long ride because they have not learned to adjust their posture during the ride.
They don’t know that they can relieve fatigue and injury by changing their cycling postures because they are not adapted to other cycling postures. Your arms shouldn’t feel uncomfortable during cycling. If you feel this way, it means that there is a problem with the size of your bicycle. Sometimes the numbness of the fingers is not due to physical decline or low temperature, but most likely because you are riding a bicycle with a problematic size, or your riding posture is incorrect. If you put too much pressure on the handlebars, your double gestures will be more numb.
The handlebar drop is too large, the frame length is too long, and the handlebar length is too long or too short, which may cause numbness of the hand. Take a road bike as an example. Your handlebars should be the same width as your shoulders. Specifically, they should be the same width as your shoulders. Female cyclists have shorter shoulders, so they need shorter handlebars, and most handlebars are too long. Too narrow handlebars will reduce the sense of control and cause more fatigue.
Trifox Carbon Fiber Bicycle Club 