Finding the perfect bike riding position can seem very tricky! Luckily we've got Manon and Conor on hand to help point you in the right direction. From bike adjustments to riding styles, we take you through 6 easy ways you can improve the comfort of your ride.
00:00 Intro
00:26 Bend your elbows
01:14 Get of the nose
02:03 Saddle angle
03:15 Hood position
04:10 Handlebar height
05:28 Warm up
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Drop your top tip for getting more comfortable on the bike below? 👇
Riding on windless days.
I sometimes change to the lowest possible position on handle bars. It is more aero on headwind and changing position every once in a while helps with tingling hands.
Another awesome video, folks! 🖖😄🇺🇸 Find an upper body position that is comfortable for you. Something you can ride all day in. Not too far forward; I use the old "tops of the bars hide the front hub from view when you're on the hoods" method. Also be mindful of your fore/aft saddle position. Plumb bob from your knee joint lined up to the pedal axle.
Acquire cycling shorts
Ride a mountain bike 🤣
I really appreciate these beginner cyclists videos. The fundamentals are so important!
Great to hear you are enjoying our beginner content. 🙌 What do you think is the most important skills to learn as a new cyclist? 👀
@@gcn I appreciate that you emphasize the fundamentals, such as understanding gearing and bike fit, without emphasizing the latest gear or gimmicks to overcome lack of basic skills. I also appreciate that your presenters clearly love cycling without being egotistical about it.
I would say, from my experience of riding road-bikes for the last 38 years, that an important skill is to find a sweets-spot between grinding too difficult a gear and spinning too easy a gear.@@gcn
I could watch this couple explain anything. Delightful!
I always had problems with pain in the lower back und upper legs - until i slammed my bars, moved my saddle a little bit higher and way more forward. So a more "aggressive" position gave me more power and comfy at the same time, awesome
Super video again Manon and Conor! Best tip (which Manon partly covered), is have your sit bones measured and then ensure that any saddle has at least enough flat at that width to support the sit bone width and doesn't fall off or away so that the sit bones are not supported and you wind up taking it in the pubic arch. OUCH!
Best thing I ever did was shortening and increasing the angle of my stem, lowering my saddle and buying a frame a size smaller. No pain now for a year or so.
love to hear it! Did you get a bike fit or make the decision yourself? 👀
Manufacturers recommended size just never felt right so I did what my body felt was right. I had a bike fit many years ago but the changes were minimal from my own set up!
I struggled on bikes that were too large for years - never felt truly comfortable. When I got my Giant TCX the guy in the shop said to go down a size from my normal size. Got a bike fit thrown in, sorted my back out with a foam roller and have never looked back since (except to see what's coming up before a manoeuvre). I've measured my sit bones and my saddle's the right size but probably like most people I would like it a bit comfier!
Mark Beaumont taught me "relaxed arms" in a GCN vid. I like rides that can get up to 12 hours and this made a MEGA difference
While this is quite the Pandora’s Box, tweaking is the way to go. No abstract formula of angle degrees and millimeters can substitute for listening to your own body, while on your own bike.
Thank you again for the helpful tips. I particularly like how Manon suggested you sit where there's enough saddle to support your weight.
Simple and easy tips 🙌
Another great video Manon and Connor, on covering the essential issues in ensuring a comfortable ride. The advice on bending the elbows as opposed to straight arms, made a massive difference to body posture and comfort for me especially on long journeys. Keep up the good content 👍
Great to hear that these tips have helped you!! Have you been pushing the miles now that you're feeling more comfortable? 👀
@@gcn Definitely and it’s so much more comfortable.
I'd love to ride with more bent elbows but I feel my handlebar is so far in front that I struggle to do so. Might upgrade my saddle front/aft position to get closer and mitigate that issue.
@@lomicwind much better to adjust the stem length rather than saddle fore/aft. Saddle position change could cause more issues for you
@@kernotmiful yes but my stem is already shorter than before and I don't plan to move the saddle that much, just a bit.
Could we have a longer video dedicated to warm up & warm down both for outdoor rides & indoor sessions. eg how long at what typical percentage of FTP? are static stretches good? etc. Appreciate this may be an individual thing but some general tips would be useful.
My moment of realization and what changed to “never having pains again” was GETTING RID OF THE BELLY and stretching. You get more flexible, comfortable, and can ride a heck of a lot faster (of course you have to be in the ballpark of good bike fit)
Maybe most important; working on your core stabiiity! Wish I had done this 20 years ago...
@@dvdp4513 YES that is absolutely true
love the saddlebag an tips longlive
Que buen video justo lo que estaba buscando super buena explicación de todos los consejos ❤🚴🏻♂️
The one that really helped me was getting of the nose but great video👍
Would like to see a flat bar version of this show. I ride a hybrid (road/gravel) bike with flat bars.
Nice ring Manon! He’s a keeper!
Congratulations on the engagement Manon!! Ring looks nice and sparkly!! (minute 3:48) ;-)
I find the hoods angled slightly up gives you a more natural hand position and comfort
great video and really cool advice too. Keep up the good work:)
Glad we could help! It's the perfect video to be sending out to those bike buddies that might be struggling with their fit 🙌
Good advice on warming up, never even thought about that. I live at the bottom of two hills, although not long, they are both about 14-16%😭, and are within 4 metres of my drive. I think that at the age of 73, I'm going to spend 5 mins on my, permanent, turbo to do a pre ride warm up. Great advice, thanks.👍
Wow that must make starting a ride very hard... ending a ride though! That might be a different story 👀
@@gcn 😂 It does, but I've still got a bit of a climb to get back into the village.😭 The joys of living in a beautiful part of the world.🏴
@@peterthomas8053 Haha.. I feel you!! Straight out of my garage I drop down a 15% for 100m then up a 12% for 100m to start my rides
Nice bit of bling there Manon 🎉🎉🎉
Is Manon engaged? Happy news! 🎉🎉🎉 3:48
She's being engaged for more than two years. You either close the deal quick or it doesn't happen
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different stem lengths and handlebars for variances in rise, flare, etc. They’re not terribly expensive to swap out and could easily be the solution to a more dialed fit.
Can't agree enough.
Often its about “trial and error”.
@@dvdp4513 Yeah, each body is different and each individual prefers a particular "feel". It's a shame many popular stems and handlebars are overpriced since it deters people from personalizing their bikes.
Make sure that your handlebars are in the direction the bike is moving. I had back pain for years and this makes all the difference.
감사합니다. Thank you 🙏
This must've been a long day out filming! Looks like you covered bike bags, gears and now bike comfort! Great content guys.x
I love a windless day!
Any day is a windless day if you sit behind Conor 😂
The Wiggle Prime Doyenne saddle is very comfortable and a great price
One thing I learned the hard way was that after some time off due to injury I was uncomfortable when I started back. So I adjusted my saddle and bars. Once I got some time in I was uncomfortable again due to my whacko adjustments. Thankfully I marked everything so I ended up putting it all back, ......
Bike fits can always change after an injury, It's not a bad idea to make the bike a little more relaxed. You might find that you then find it easier getting back on your bike 🙌
Good to know, Thanks. Broke my collar bone last Sunday and was wondering what I might need to change when I'm healed up.@@gcn
Nice video and presentation. It is easier said than done. If we relax our arms pushing down we’d be sinking towards earth with our chest hitting the stem.
The ring 💍Congrats manon 👏
loved the vid Celtic Dup!
Get your saddle lower and longer back on your bike. Takes the pressure away for your hands. Helped me alot.
Great to hear that you've been experimenting with different fits 🙌
I am used to cycling mtb. Bought my first road bike a couple of years ago. I almost regretted it. After the first ride I thought, "What kind of sadistic freak would make and sell a torture device like this?" 😂 But after 2 years of experimenting with narrower handlebars and various things, as well as getting used to riding it, the road bike has become my favorite bike.
@@rah4981cool, which road bike ?
Thanks. On the bike our muscles work a lot within a reduced range of mobility. This is shortening legs and core joints and fascies. I'm missing the recommendation, that bikers should work on their flexibility and core strength before and after every ride. 😉
I’d wear bike mitts to cushion the hands, particularly the nerves. If you do have the misfortune to come off it can save a lot of skin and suffering.
Finally a GCN-clip that go away from the Veluminati sillyness that lower handelbars is always better! (Higher isn't always better either)
Another thing worth looking at is handlebar width. Especially with gravel bikes right out of the box, regardless of frame size, the handlebars tend to be 2-4 cm too wide for most people, and the slightly splayed-out stance, while barely noticeable at first, can wreak havoc on your neck, wrists, and shoulders on very long rides.
So Conor likes to get an aero setup to compensate for the Manon-sized handlebar bag?
Love you much GCN. “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” ― Muhammad Ali 💯
Manon's new bike looks spectacular!!!
Alex has the same bike... check it out here 👉 kzhead.info/sun/p9qfgK5rr4NtfJE/bejne.html
@@gcn yeah. I was teasing him on his “only one in the UK” moment. 😂
It does amuse me, that after years of GCN telling us to slam our stems and not have a chimney (thus removing the possibility to raise your bars again after), you are now telling us not to do that 😄
It seems the further removed they become from their racing days the more the info becomes more suitable for the average rider and not the small number of viewers with grand tour potential.
It’s across the board I think. They’ve done the same with weight loss advice, bike cleaning , wrapping handlebar tape etc I daresay it’s a case of re inventing the wheel to justify continually re hashing the same subjects.
That’s called getting old 😂
I was just thinking when Conor was talking about handlebar height that there's not that much wrong with having a 'chimney' really, the aerodynamic penalty is negligible, it's just a bit of an aesthetic thing. I'm very resistant to making irreversible changes to things I can't replace cheaply so would think very long & hard before cutting a fork column - especially a carbon one!
Nothing wrong with this. We are learning and re-learning about cycling all the time. Science is about testing, observing, analysing and reporting... and then repeating that process again and again. I'm glad they are revisiting some of these things. I don't see that as a negative.
Good bar tape too
Yes, especially if you have a heavy upper body and/or stand on the pedals frequently and/or for long periods
I think back to our brake positions in the 1970s. Wayyyy fAr forward on the bars
Thanks so much for these tips! I am totally new to cycling on a gravel bike and I have so far found a comfortable position BUT: after a few kilometers I get a stabbing pain in the front of my left hip. I tried setting the saddle lower, higher and I tried different angles for the saddle nose. But nothing helped so far. I then have to stand up and straighten myself out, then I'm fine again. Is the handlebar perhaps too low?
I had a perfect riding position for 20 years including a pro bike fit. Then got random back of knee pain and now have had to change it! 😬
Shout Out for the Great Title Sequences ;)
On a slightly different note, could you possibly tell me which handebar-bag Connor is using here? It looks like the sort of item I'm looking for.
The lads: tutoring from the UK with a Pinarello and a SelleItalia saddle Me: watching them from Italy and absolutely on 7th heaven at their fantastic perfect cadence (in English too - me foreign learner) 😅❤
I had a bike fit in my 60’s. The bike fitter gave a great piece of advice. As you get older you do lose some flexibility and tolerance to spending extended periods in uncomfortable positions. So adjust your posture on the bike to suit your body rather than attempt to copy those positions used by pro-peloton riders.
Great point! Adjust your bike to work for you, not the other way around 🙌 - How have you set up your bike?
True get a fit for your body not young professional riders... they get paid so they must do it right all the time.🎉
You guys make a great team Keep up the good work looking forward to more posts from y'all Ok put the bar bag back on the motorcycle where it belongs and we'll forget all about that little fiasco k? Do keepemcoming won't you
More content on the way soon don't you worry! Turn on your notifications and you'll never miss a video 🔔 You can't take the bar bag off Conor... it's like taking candy from a baby
@@gcn well the question is do you take the bar bag off Conor or do you take Conor off the bar bag... Haha all in good fun mate.
Could you also do a similar video with a regular/flat bar for a steering wheel. The position on those bikes is different but no one talks about them
Wow Conner rides with a massive saddle to bar drop !
You have to remember that Conor is ex pro and still has great fitness 🙌 Finding the right hight for you is most important!
Long arms. Notice that Manon bike has tiny saddle to bar drop in comparison yet her body position is just as aggressive because she has shorter arms.
He has to do it otherwise he is as aero as a house 😂
Thanks, I needed that!
Remember that having the bars too high might be just as uncomfortable as having them too low.
Please explain
Important thing is having the handlebars just high enough to be able to maintain a bent elbow or a tuck position. Some riders slam their stem but they can't maintain a "tuck" position very long. You become slower if your arms are always straight. WIth that, I do agree having it too high will cause your shoulders t o shrug and causeback pain.
Modern bikes are much more likely to have super slammed stems and stacks too low. You see it on the road all the time. Like the pinarello the lady is riding. The steerer tube was obviously chopped off, cuz we’ve been taught that’s how it should look. When in reality, except elite athletes almost all of of us would be more comfortable and balances on the bike with higher stacks.
For some people, yes. It doesn't seem to make any sense but when my handlebars were dropped following a bike fit, I actually had less pressure on my hands and my shoulder issues disappeared (I'm no longer shrugging my shoulders to lower my torso). I was told this is rather common in very flexible people like myself.
I think having the bars a bit lower, but not too much lower, than the saddle is ideal for most riders. Now that I've gotten older, though, having the saddle and the handlebars at more or less the same height has been a pretty good way to avoid shoulder and hip pain on longer rides (more than 4 hours).
All good points, I try to use these as much as possible. My main problem is a pain in the right wrist when braking and changing gears, any tips to grip the hoods correctly to aleviate this?
I think that to avoid wrist pains, your hand should be one the same axis as your forearm. Maybe ask a buddy to check this while you are on a ride.
Not sure but I have seen some say angle the hoods inward a little to allow a more natural wrist position
Remember, sometimes your handlebars may actually be too high and too close, giving you neck, shoulder, hand pain, etc. as well as posterior rotating your pelvis. It took me 2 years to figure this out.
Im experiencing this right now. My back, shoulder and hand are in pain. Can you give me a tip how to get rid of this pain. Thanks in advance
@@jamesambrosio2031 Hard to say, but first check your cleats are in good condition and not too far forward. Then check your saddle tilt (most saddles are between 0-3 degrees nose down) and saddle height (both legs should be able to bend normally. Then I would check that your handlebar is not too wide or that it's angle is not off (you can find videos on this by Neill Stanbury). Move your stem up and down and, if possible, try to reduce reach or increase it by switching stems. This is a rough troubleshoot.
Thanks Conor and Manon.......
3:47 thats a nice ring! 💍
Thanks for the tips. I am battling with lower back pain.. Can you kindly advise...
No worries Karl! Thanks for watching & commenting 🙌 - Lower back pain could be a real selection of things. Saddle hight, seat angle or even bar setup, maybe a bike fit will help sort your issues? We've got some great videos that may be able to help 👉 kzhead.info/sun/lpSgp8ONfmOwjYU/bejne.html
Bend arms is a good advice.
On long rides my shoulders have pain from leaning forward. Do you have any helpful suggestions?
Thanks for that information Guys, I'm a new rider on a mountain bike and my hands get numb and I get a tingling sensation after about kilometers and this happens every time I ride, what should I do?
I just blinked by Manon Diamond ring😎💍
What confuses me that I can hardly reach the braking levers from the drops and I have used the positioning screw of my Rival to bring the brake lever as close to the handelbar as possible and I have no small hands, more average to slightly large. Position of the hoods is neutral as is the handlebar (Giant handelbar: Reach: 72 mm / Drop: 125 mm) is also quite normal to comfort from the numbers.
A professional bike fit helped me with my lower back, dropped the seat post by 1cm.
Thanks for video 👍
bike specs of the presenters, frame sz cycling kits used etc hope youd make 1
Damn my guy is taaaaaalllllll🥶🥶🥶
The biggest help for comfort for me was changing the saddle angle. It was level from nose to back but that caused pain, i didnt even know the saddle angle could be changed until a friend told me and your videos showed me how and why. My bike still needs a bit more adjustments but watching such videos is helping me get it right
Warm up. Dilation of the pulmonary and arterial systems. Takes about an hour. During this, muscles, tendons and ligaments heat up.
Nice bike
What is your seat is at the perfect Hight but you don't have enough steer tube to raise your bars up any? Whats the best option?
Doubt this will be seen but could you tell me what handle bar bag you are using?
that "one" perfect position may never be found, for we ourselves change & age every day. the bike won't, so comfort-awareness is lifelong. especially if one watches YT-videos :-) buona fortuna!
I've always wondered about the angle of the saddle. I can't change mine because the screws wouldn't be able to go through
Get a different seat post
Van der Poel continues to drive in the same way, according to De Wolf. “I didn't see Mathieu grab his handlebar from underneath twice in the Tour. He always drives with his hands on the steering wheel. Until he reaches fifteenth place and then he sees a small gap. Then it's: go, just left or right and then he's back in fourth position. That is talent, surplus and having good legs.”
That ring! Manon. 😮
Ride safe Umulan man o umaraw Tuloy lang ang ating bisyo #bisyonato
I’ve come to the realization that I need drop bars and I have to adjust my saddle again. More than likely I’ll go to my LBS and get everything sorted.
Just remember that your body controles all of the muscles automaticaly, without your conscious effort. How tense or relaxed you are is simply a product of how your bike is set up.
Wonderful world greetings
It is not always uncomfortable to sit on the nose of the saddle - on both my winter/summer bad-weather bike as on my summer bike, I have the same saddle (to achieve a nearly 100% identical saddle position): the Tune speedneedle. As both bikes are built up as TT-bikes, I tend to sit on the nose. After nearly 20 years, I guess my a** is used to this position. The pre-ride warming up is another important topic: especially in winter, I ride up to 10 minutes on my Tacx indoor-trainer in the basement. By doing this with my heartrate transmitter on, I can estimate how my condition is on that day, and especially in winter I won't feel cold for the first 20-30 minutes of my ride. In case I want to go on a fast and short ride, I can already do a short intervall to get the "engine" ready for full gas.
Warming up is also healthy. I know riders that are crazy for average numbers of speed... they go crazy from the cold bodies!! They just want high average speed, insanity!
No mention of Q factor or have I missed that?
I get some tingling in my hands after some time on the bike. Anybody have any advice for me?
Manon my Queen
If you warm up on your ride, you ruin your Strava stats. 😊
I have issues with numb palms on longer rides, 4-5 hrs are long for me, and rarely numb seats, no solution worked so far. My saddle is not too high for sure. Would welcome suggestions 🙏
Try to increase the reach by setting your sattle back. That might help to relief the preasure on your hands
If nothing else is bothering you, try a double layer of handlebar tape. I have gone as far as using thick cotton cloth instead of bike specific handlebar tape. Made a massive improvement. Thicker gloves are an option too, at least during cold months.
How about a video on how to find your perfect riding partner? Maybe using Strava data to compare efforts
What handlebar bag is Conor using on his bike? I need something like this for a road bike.
They just did a video on handlebar vs saddle bags and it's from there, not sure if he mentioned the brand but you could give it a check! (at the very least there's a few close-ups and maybe a logo to spot)
Having came from mountain biking to gravel biking I always end up with pain for a week or so after a long ride in my lower stomach/bladder area. Even a very short 2 mile ride to work will leave me in discomfort for two or three days. My crank arms are slightly shorter than my mountain bike crank arms...the seat to bars are about the same part from that lower front position on the gravel bike. It's really annoying. I can jump on my mountain bike and have no issues. I used to have a road bike years ago but was put off when a car wiped me out and drove off leaving me unconscious half on the path and road. Any help will be appreciated.
I'm no expert so i recommend this vid from RCA which explains why you'll notice the difference between MTB and Road bike/Gravel setup kzhead.info/sun/pa-OmNNxbHNjdYk/bejne.html they also have some other really good bike fit vids that might help you figure out what your issue is
Are you using the same saddle? I'm not a Rodie expert. Didnyu figure it out during the last 11 month ?
👌
Can anyone tell me what style Selle Italia saddle that was?
I was just going to ask the same thing! Anyone….?
Being able to properly bend the arms is primarily a function of proper bike fit.
Hi A&O. I have had pins and needle problems in my hands on both flat bars and drops for a few years. After an hour into my ride they start and I have to shake it out every 15mins or so. I've tried lifting my handles bars on my two bikes and adding cushioned tape/grips. Can you suggest anything I might be missing? Thanks
I had the same problem but a bike fit sorted it. Short story is they shift my weight back by moving my saddle forward and getting a shorter stem
I have found that my hand numbness is actually caused by my neck stiffening up. I need to keep my shoulders relaxed and not up by my ears. Also my neck stiffens when bracing for bumpy pavement.
Moving my saddle back helped a lot for me. You'll have to compensate by dropping the saddle about 1/3 of what you moved it back. Try the 'no hands'-test aka 'naruto-run-test', to check your balance.
I'm new to graveling which is as close to a road bike I'm gonna get coming from a mtb oh dear I can't break properly no you don't use one finger ,can't turn properly I'm going to far out ,I feel like a nutter loads to learn
I struggle with SWEAT. Sweat in the eyes. Sweat dripping on sunglasses. Both of which are blinding. If I tighten my helmet to wear the pads direct the sweat to my temples then I get a headache after 60 min.
I guess what be good but carbon saddle over gel saddle any day and normal clothes, yeah no padding at all but so comfortable to me
why my saddle nose always goes up after fixing it. It causes discomfort in my lower back.
Tilting your breaks inward to match your relaxed grip.
Get rid of the drop bar & get a jones bar ;) unless you're going for a world record I can't see the point of drop bars .