7 Tips to Make You More Comfortable on Your Bike

7 Tips to Make You More Comfortable (and Faster)
By Victor Jimenez (the Bicycle Lab)
Though there is no substitute for seeing an experienced bicycle fitter. There are a lot of simple things you can do on your own.
Adjust Your Seat Height

A properly adjusted seat height is the most important aspect of bicycle fit. A rough starting point is with your foot at the bottom of the pedal stroke you should have around a 30 degree bend in your knee. This will give you a pretty close approximation of your saddle height from the bottom bracket to the top of the saddle.
Adjust the Cleats on Your Shoes

While you can play with this on your own. I strongly encourage you to have the cleat position professionally evaluated. If set up incorrectly you will be waisting power and in some cases cause muscle strain and injury. But if you choose to adjust on your own. The basic idea is to set the rotation of the cleat so that the center lines up with your natural gait. The fore and aft adjustment is dependant on your style of riding, body asymmetries, among other variables.
Raise Your Handlebars

Yep you read correct. A higher bar height will open up your torso to hip angle and help with saddle comfort. Lower-back, hamstring, and hip flexibility are key to this positioning in this area. Improve your flexibility and improve your position. Raising your bars is also a good thing to do when you are not riding as much. Your flexibility will change as your fitness changes.

Level Your Saddle

Your saddle should generally be level or the nose pointed slightly up. If the saddle is uncomfortable in this position there may be something else in your position that needs to be adjusted.
Level Your Bars

The drops of your handlebars should be roughly level or slightly up. This helps keep all the hand positions open.
Tilt Your Aerobars Up Slightly

By tilting your aerobars (if you use aerobars) up slightly most people will find a more relaxed position for their upper body. Aerobar set up is a complex issue, because of differences in design and use. For more information on Aerobar set up, please contact me.
Put Insoles in Your Shoes

Most cycling shoes have no arch support at all. There are many off the shelf brands to choose from or even better get a custom made pair that is molded to your feet.

There has been a lot of interest in “The Law of Attraction” over the past few years. Books like “The Secret”, “The Answer”, and many more have become bestsellers and created a huge following and a lot of interest. Even Fat Cyclist himself did a post on “How to use ‘The Secret’ in Cycling”….so you know it’s got to be a hot topic.

The secret and the law of attraction are definitely not new concepts or ideas, and they don’t claim to be. The laws and principles have been around forever. If you haven’t found yourself caught up with the hype, let me tell you that “The Secret” is pretty much the old “Fake It Until You Make It” idea….or “Acting As If”.


But you know, there is something to it and it can be applied to any aspect of your life…with cycling being one of them. We’re not just talking road biking here. Visualization and acting as if, can apply to any type of cycling that you do or cycling related goals that you have.


Maybe you’re already acting as if you’ve dropped those 20 pounds you’re looking to achieve by cycling. Pretend it’s already happened. Talk that way. Act that way. Believe it. Or you’re talking it up like you are this person who cycles everywhere they go. In reality it’s not happening yet, but you are acting as if it’s good to go. Whatever it is, try acting as if it’s already happened. Yeah, it will feel strange. Yeah, you might not believe yourself….at first. But I know you’ll have fun with it, and I know you’ll get positive results.

I have heard that when the band Aerosmith was just getting started, they used to play a lot of shows in small nightclubs. Even though many of the places were kind of seedy and the people there were not totally interested in hearing them…….they would act as if they were playing to a sold out arena where the fans were crazy about them. Well, I don’t need to tell you that “acting as if” eventually became a reality for these rockers.


We all love make believe right? Of course we do. We all grow up playing and pretending we are one thing or another. Why not incorporate that idea into our Adult lives? Into our Adult Cycling Lives? It’s not only fun…..it’s also very effective.


William James once wrote:

“Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create that fact.”

Fake it ‘til you make it……Act as If…The Secret…Thoughts become things….Believe. Whatever you want to call it, try it out.

Kids on Bikes

Another school year has officially wrapped up here in Austin, and the rest of the Country will be letting out any week now.  With the arrival of summer holidays, comes a whole lot of kids outside on bikes....at least we hope they opt for being outside as opposed to sitting on the couch playing video games.

It's a good time to remind everyone to pay more attention out on the road and be aware of kids darting into traffic either on foot or on bike.  Being proactive and aware, can go a long way.

For all of the kids out there on bikes this summer, we wanted to provide some bicycle saftety tips to make sure you have the best (and safest) summer ever.

Wear a Properly Fitted Bicycle Helmet.  The first thing you should always do before pedaling off on your bike is to make sure you've got your helmet on.  Also be sure to have a helmet that fits you right.  For more information on how to ensure a proper fit, check out "Easy Steps to a Properly Fitting Helmet".


Adjust Your Bicycle to Fit.  When buying a new bike, be sure to have the bike shop properly adjust the bike to fit your child.  If you've already got a bike for them, make sure that it still fits them properly this summer after a winter of continuous growing.  Read this to ensure a proper fit.

Check Your Equipment. Before riding, inflate tires properly and check that your brakes work.
See and Be Seen. The more visible your child is to the traffic around them, the better.  This is even more important when kids are cycling in high traffic areas.

Control Your Bicycle. It's fun to go no hands and do tricks, but it's really important to maintain control of your bike....and this means at least one hand on the handlebars at all times.

Watch for and Avoid Road Hazards.  Unfortunately there are things like pothots, broken glass, gravel, and water on the road.  All of these things can cause problems when out on your bike, so be sure to educate your kids on how to avoid and deal with hazzards.

Avoid Riding at Night. If possible, try to keep your kids off the road at night.  It's difficult to see cyclists when it's dark outside and when you're on a bike at night it is difficult to see any hazzards that might be out there.  If they must ride at night, be sure to install a good headlight and reflectors on their bike.

Have a great summer.  Get out on your bike...have fun....and be safe.

It's been a great Bike month

As the month of May slowly comes to an end, we can already look back at a fantastic month of cycling related events here in Austin in celebration of National Bike Month.  There have been so many wonderful events and we'd like to highlight a few of them here.


Ride of Silence


Each year, a National Ride of Silence is held on May 18th to honor bicyclists killed by motorists, promote sharing the road, and provide awareness of bicycling safety.  This year's event in Austin was held to honor Andrew Runciman who was recently the tragic victim of a hit and run in Southern part of the city.  The Please BE KIND to Cyclists took part in this memorial ride and were proud to help honor this young cyclist.

Bike to Work Day

May 20th was National Bike to work day and as always, the city of Austin was buzzing with activity for this celebration of bikes.  Please BE KIND to Cyclists sponsored three checkpoints and were able to meet and interact with a whole bunch of cyclists making their way around the city.  The morning was overcast, but the smiles were sure shining on each and every cyclist who stopped in to see us.

How did you spend your Bike Month?  We'd love to hear your stories and have you share your experience with us.

Cycling Safety Related Videos

Our friend Darryl from Loving the Bike has a couple of Cycling Related Safety Videos that we'd like to share with you today.

Safety From Sun Glare:

Safety in Strong Winds:

Bike Month

Each May the nation celebrates the bike, and here in Austin there is definitely no shortage of bicycle related goodness.  Once again there will be Bike to Work Week, Bike to Work Day, and countless cycling events and rides to go along with all the celebrations.  It is a great month to get excited about cycling and to get out for a solo ride, with your family, or maybe even a commute to work.

Please BE KIND to Cyclists will be sponsoring 3 stations in Austin's Bike to Work Day: Tsunami Bike Shop, Jack and Adams Bike Shop, and Bouldin Creek Cafe (their new location on Mary and South 1st).

Volunteers Needed:
We are in need for 4 volunteers to help us out with our Bike to Work Day activities.  We require 2 people for Tsunami BikeShop, one for Jack and Adams, and one for Bouldin Creek.  Please contact us at al@bekindtocyclists.com or by phone at 512-924-6683 to let us know you're able to help out.  Below are more details on what are required:

Date: Friday May 20, 2011
Arrival Time - 6:45AM
Required from 7:00 - 9:30AM
Duties: Greet cyclists, handout goodies, talk to people about cycling and Please BE KIND to Cyclists, collection donations for bumper stickers, help sell merchandise.

Free breakfast will be served to all volunteers at each station.

If you aren't able to volunteer, we hope you'll take part in Bike to Work Day on May 20th and stop by and see us at one of our stations.  For a map of all the stations for this year's event, please visit: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/rideyourbike/downloads/btw_map4chron_2011_temp.pdf.  For a list of other cycling events taking place in Austin during Bike Month, visit http://www.austinchronicle.com/bike-month/.

Come out and celebrate Bike to Work Day with us......it's going to be a guaranteed great time.

The Pledge

Okay, here the deal I'd like to make with y'all. It's really simple actually....you agree to our terms and we'll deliver on what we pledge to do. Is it a Deal?

As a Driver I Pledge:

• Not to drive while under the influence of alcohal or drugs
• Not to text, tweet, e-mail, talk, or do anything else with my phone while driving
• To give all cyclists at least 3 feet of space
• Not to drive while drowsy, tired, or sleepy
• Not to throw garbage and other items out of my car
• To follow the rules of the road

As a Cyclist I Pledge:

• To continue to do my part for the environment by riding instead of driving
• To bring down the cost of national health care by keeping my body in top health
• To spread my positive vibes and attitude that comes through cycling and exercise
• To encourage my fellow cyclists to show respect and be safe on the road
• To follow the rules of the road
• To be street smart on the road and make sure I make it home safely to my family and loved ones

*We understand that not all drivers or cyclists can be classified in the lists that we provided here, and we hope to continue to educate and develop all cyclists into safe and pro-active riders.