How to Know If a Bicycle Fits You: Tips for Heavy Riders

For most people, the most common and very first way to test if a bicycle is right for their size is standing over the bike frame with their feet flat on the ground. If the frame of a road bicycle is one to two inches away from your crotch, you must have found the right bicycle for you. With regards to a mountain bike, the space must be three to five inches. For women's bicycles with no high top tube between the saddle and the handlebar, this step would be non-applicable.

SADDLE

The right bicycle for you should be the one that has a saddle with a height that permits you to extend your legs until they are almost totally straight when you are sitting on the saddle. Your knee must be just a little bent when your foot is rested on the pedal in the bottom position. Such position will minimize fatigue and maximize power at the same time.

One common mistake is for bicyclists to think that they need to be able to sit on the saddle and still have their feet flat on the ground. Bicyclists must come off their seats and straddle the handlebar when attempting to stop the bicycle.

To be more comfortable and achieve pedaling efficiency, your saddle must be level, so you can sit and pedal without being too conscious in monitoring your position on the saddle. Too much of a forward tilt can make you feel like you are sliding forward. Too much tilt backward, on the other hand, will not let you have enough power and you will most likely slip off backward. These two situations are both inconvenient, distracting, and unsafe.

When you are sitting on a saddle, your weight must be carried by the same areas on your rear which you feel underneath you when you are sitting upright on a hard and firm surface. Aside from adjusting the angle of the saddle, you could also move the saddle forward and backward with regards to the seat post. Such adjustment will make sure you are conveniently centering your weight on the correct spots.

HANDLEBAR

The main aim of handlebar height adjustment is to look for the position where you can be able to ride more conveniently without putting tension on your wrists, back, or shoulders. Keep in mind that when you are setting your handlebars' height, variations in physique and personal preferences will not be very important. You must feel free to adjust your handlebar until you have the position that permits you to ride conveniently. But normally, the higher your handlebar is positioned, the more upright you can be able to sit.

Just take note that handlebars have minimum insertion mark. Be sure not to raise the handlebar into a permanent position too high that it goes beyond the mark. If you put less than two inches of your handlebar's stem inside your bike frame, this would most likely lead to an ugly crash.

Generally, the right bicycle that would fit your size and weight is a custom built bicycle.