Bicycling Postures

I ride my old Fuji Road bike to school three times a week (which may have to go down to two times since it is getting darker earlier. . . any suggestions for night/dusk riding?).I am carring on my back a backpack with 5-10lbs of stuff a bag on my bike rack that has my towel/school clothes/shower stuff.

After doing this for about five weeks I was curious to know about other cyclists postures. I tend to switch off and can't tell which is better or the more proper way to cycle:

- Is it better to ride with my elbows stright (more locked than bent) and my back straight or with my elbows bent/leaning forward (I tend to hunch while I do this)

I have seen other riders ride with different postures and I wanted to know how others tend to ride.

I also wanted to know what stretches are absolutely necessary for biking. My calves have becomes super SUPER soar a few times after my ride.

Oh and I am not sure if I should mention but I guess I will throw info on my route:

To school I average 26 minutes to get there (6 miles there and 6 back)

But on the way home it is all up hill for the first 3 miles plus more gradual inclines once I am passed the Cuyamaca grade: it takes 45 minutes to get back.

Anyway, I was just curious to hear proper techniques directly from people before I used a search engine for it.

Thanks!

Bottom line on posture is do what ever is comfortable to you.  Generally speaking you want to be more aerodynamic to go faster, arms bent, head down, and back as flat as you can get it.  This would be good for your trip down hill.  Up hill aerodynamics is not much of an issue so you can sit up straighter, this helps you expand your chest to breath.  Use your gears to keep your cadence high when climbing.

Edit: I don't do any stretching at all but I do warm up on the bike for a few minutes before I up the intensity.

and I will add that when I used to lock my elbows, my left hand would go to sleep.  Not a comfortable feeling at all!!

First thing first, you need to find some way to put your back back on the luggage rack some how. If this mean investing in new luggage rack so be it.

Judging from your comment that your calves are sore after a ride yet you didn't mention your thighs, I think you bike configuration may not be right.

If I were you, I'd find a reputable bike shop have them measure you and set up your bike correctly. There's more to it than commonly known. Personally I've logged many thousands of miles on bike, yet I still pay to get my bike set up even though I think I know my configuration. The cost is usually about $30 and it is well worth it.

Once your bike configuration is set up correctly, you'll find that if you lock your elbow, your body still have a pretty good lean forward for  aerodynamics. When you drop your elbow and bend your back just slightly you should be in full aero mode.

Which posture is better for what?  Keeping your back strait will do more to prevent you from developing back pain, but hunching over will allow you to go faster.

Stretching isn't going to do much of anything to prevent you from getting sore.

Posture has a lot to do with bike fit, and most people are not fitted properly to their bikes and unfortunately often are not riding the correct size either. Getting fitted is definitely the first thing to do as cajunrider said. Although personally I have low expectations of getting a good fit in a bike shop. Most "fits" there are just mechanic or sails rep saying "meh looks good". So if you are going to spent money on a fit choose carefully, and ask what is involved.

As for posture. I ideally you want your elbows to be at least slightly bent. Hitting a pot hole with locked elbows is not fun, and can lead to injury. The back position comes down to the bike fit, bike size, stem length, etc.

Since you hav ea roadbike attaching a pannier might be a bit complicated. Most racks require bike frame to have mounting points. Although I think Old Man Mountain makes racks that can be attached to the skewers.

As for riding at night, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of proper lightning. You want a good blinker, or two, at the back and a good light or two in the front. For rear blinker Planetbike superflash is a good choice, I also like Cateye Ld1100. For front it's a question of how much you want to spent. lol Check out this thread in another forum, it talks about different options: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=59 1881

After you get good light setup consider investing in some reflective clothing, or at least ankle reflective strap.

UD

once you have got your bike fitted, ask for the measurements to be written down.  It is handy to keep those numbers.

like what umneydurak said:  Locking your elbows will make most of the shock from going over bumps absorbed into your wrists and elbows... basically keeping the elbows slightly bent with my arms fairly loose feeling, and core tight is how i ride, that way, the shock from any sudden potholes or bumps will be absorbed through the bike... which may be better than your arms ...depending on whether your value your body or bike more... When I hit a pothole that was hiding in the shadows, I really don't like to think about how my bike feels, but it is better than feeling like my arm bones just shattered... yikes!

on the other hand... climbing is when i let my arms work, pushing down with the right foot while pulling with the right arm on the handlebars... opposite on the other side... especially while on a steep long climb... sorry i have started to daydream a bit...  just remember to keep the downstroke fluid 

Original Post by wesmckean:

and I will add that when I used to lock my elbows, my left hand would go to sleep.  Not a comfortable feeling at all!!

This made me laugh cause my arm falls asleep when I am on the computer for too long

Okay so I've read all of the suggestions.

I already have a rack on my bike but since I carry so much (change of clothes, towel for the shower, change of shoes, notebooks, general school supplies) I split the load and put the change of clothes and what not on the rack and my notebooks and backpack on my back. My backpack unfortunately does not fit onto my rack :(. I have considered buying a new smaller backpack or book bag type deal so the school stuff can go on the rack and my clothes on my back since they are obviously lighter. I just havent had time in the past few weeks cause I've had one exam/lab report after another.

What do you guys mean exactly though by getting a bike fitted? I've moved my seat up to a comfortable height and the handlebars as well. I also had the entire thing tuned up right after I bought it (85 bucks off of craigs list for an older Fugi 14 speed bike. . . my gear "clutches are old school). But yeah, I am not sure by fit what you guys mean.

I recently read about cadence and how I want to be exerting energy more like I would with "swimming" than lifting weights. So my last ride on friday was excellent now that I have that relationship in my head.

Oh and also I swerve around pot holes and/or bunny hop over them. After splitting my chin open from crashing cause of a fat crack in the road I do nay trust any road impurities.

I found a blog from a search engine (google) that says soreness in the ankles, Achilles tendon, and/or calves is from "toeing" when you peddle. I guess toeing is when your foot is too far forward on the peddle and you point your toes when you ride.

So along with posture, where are your feet? I don't clip in, I am too scared too. I get a claustrophobic feeling when I think about being clipped onto my peddles. And when you are peddlaing are you digging your heals in or the middle of your foot?

Bike fit refers to saddle height, position relative to the bottom bracket and front handle bars. Handle bar height is also important, but not as much as the seat. Mainly it depends on how flexible a rider is. Frame size also part of it. If it's too big or too small it is hard/impossible to setup the seat correctly.

Ideally you want the ball of your foot to be over the pedals, although doesn't really work very well if you do not have clip less pedals or toe straps. The soreness can also be explained by seat being out of position, either too high or too low. Although usually it is too low.

As for pedaling technique, you want to have a smooth circular motion. Being clipped in helps. Although it is not as important as proper seat height. Clipless pedals are a bit scary at first, but once you get used to them they are awesome. I can't imagine riding without them. Heck I have them on my fixie commuter.

UD

The fit include the following dimensions (and a lot more if you are deep into it).

1. Frame size and frame type to fit your riding purpose (Off road, road race, time trial, triathlon etc..)
2. Crank length and how it fits your body (most importantly your leg).
3. Your gear and how they fit your crank length and the terrain of the majority of your rides.
4. Your pedals, clips, and how they fit your shoes. Too far forward and they put too much stress on your ankle, too far back and you are not using your calves. Not set up at all could mean you are only pushing down on the pedals and not pulling on the up cycle.
5. Your seat height and its position. Too low you'll stress your knees, too high you'll stress your ankle and not able to push hard. The seat far forward make you work your quad more, far back work your hamstring more etc.. Seat angle too far up put stress on your crotch, too far down put stress on your wrists.
6. Your handle bar height (too high and you are not aerodynamic, too low put stress on your lower back) and width (too wide you are not aerodynamic, too narrow and it restrict your breathing)

After reading more, I think I need to adjust my seat to be higher. I am a pretty flexible person (source: my yoga instructor). But the note about having a seat too low stressing my knees may be the reason why after my ride on Friday my right knee was a bit achy. Call me headstrong or stubborn but I would rather just continue trial and error than pay someone who may or may not know a lot about bikes. I wish my grandfather were still alive, he rode his bike around the world, took two years!

Original Post by skinnylea:

After reading more, I think I need to adjust my seat to be higher. I am a pretty flexible person (source: my yoga instructor). But the note about having a seat too low stressing my knees may be the reason why after my ride on Friday my right knee was a bit achy. Call me headstrong or stubborn but I would rather just continue trial and error than pay someone who may or may not know a lot about bikes. I wish my grandfather were still alive, he rode his bike around the world, took two years!

 I figure that you'd like to do trial and error that's why I posted the effects of the adjustments. BTW I logged in over 40,000 miles before I had one bike fitted because it was free with that bike. I knew my settings for a comfortable ride. However that triathlon bike was fitted to save my hamstrings for the run and to make me use more of my quad on the ride so I needed some expert adjustments.