Now that spring has sprung it's time to get your bike ready to ride again. This full-size Montague folding bike is stored in our kitchen year-round and it’s what my husband and I use to ride on rail trails. Because we are away from motorized traffic and in no great rush to get to our destination, we’ve installed handle bar extensions that allow us to sit more upright, which increases comfort on long bike trips. My rounded-back road-racing friends think the extended handle bars are ridiculous but my riding goal is comfort and enjoyment, not speed.
We've had some wonderful warm temperatures lately and many people in our neighborhood have been out on their bikes enjoying the spring weather. It’s been great to see. Bicycling is an activity people can enjoy throughout most of their lives and, in my Baltimore City community, cycling is becoming an important part of the transportation infrastructure...
We've had some wonderful warm temperatures lately and many people in our neighborhood have been out on their bikes enjoying the spring weather. It’s been great to see. Bicycling is an activity people can enjoy throughout most of their lives and, in my Baltimore City community, cycling is becoming an important part of the transportation infrastructure...
What I often notice early in the season is how poorly some people fit the bikes they’re riding, especially young children. As quickly as children grow, it’s inevitable that they will need their bicycles replaced with larger bike frames on a regular basis. Unfortunately I’ve been seeing many young kids riding bike frames that are much too small for them. During a recent walk I overheard several children complain to their parents that riding bikes hurt or that it was just too hard to pedal. I’ve also witnessed adults riding bikes with very low seats and I can only imagine the knee discomfort they must be feeling.
Bicycling should be enjoyable and if you are encouraging young children to be more active, try to make their bike outing fun and worth repeating. Riding bikes can be enormously liberating for children and as they mature it provides them with an opportunity for increased independence.
Early in my career when I was conducting exercise research at Children’s Hospital National Medical Center, a physical therapist and I used a goniometer to measure children’s knee joint angle before bicycle exercise testing. When the foot pedal is closest to the ground, the recommended joint angle is about 20 degrees so that the knee is just slightly bent in 80-90% of full extension.
Bicycling should be enjoyable and if you are encouraging young children to be more active, try to make their bike outing fun and worth repeating. Riding bikes can be enormously liberating for children and as they mature it provides them with an opportunity for increased independence.
Early in my career when I was conducting exercise research at Children’s Hospital National Medical Center, a physical therapist and I used a goniometer to measure children’s knee joint angle before bicycle exercise testing. When the foot pedal is closest to the ground, the recommended joint angle is about 20 degrees so that the knee is just slightly bent in 80-90% of full extension.
You don’t need measured joint angle precision outside of the exercise laboratory when adjusting children's or adult's bicycles. Position the seat heat to ensure that the knee is slightly flexed at the bottom of pedal motion. If the seat can’t be moved high enough to achieve this, it’s time to move the person up to a larger bike frame size. Remember that the legs should slightly flex and never fully extend during the bottom of the pedal stroke.
There are numerous other bike fitting considerations that are addressed by REI in the following video:
There are numerous other bike fitting considerations that are addressed by REI in the following video:
REI bike fitting recommendations are also available in written format. I look forward to seeing you out and about riding your well-fitting bike!
Be Well,
Mary
P.S. Please ignore the text box below; your comments are always welcome here.
Be Well,
Mary
P.S. Please ignore the text box below; your comments are always welcome here.
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