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For a quick fit, the general goal is to keep the seat high enough that you can get a nearly-full leg extension, without 'locking' the knee. Over a long period of time, if you find that you are having knee, foot or hip pains, try making small adjustments with the saddle, about 0.5-1.0cm at a time, either up, down, forwards or backwards. If the pain gets ...

There are a number of ways to determine the seat height for a road bicycle. But you should also pay attention to how you feel while riding your bike at different heights. In addition, it is important to consider your entire position, not only the seat height. Finally, if you are riding a lot, change your seat height in small increments over time to avoid ...

Depending on how much you ride, you may want to consider having your bike professionally fit at a bike store. My wife received a free fit when we bought her Dolce at Peleton Cycles, but they told me they will fit anyone to their bike for about $70. It's pricey, but if you are riding your bike constantly, it may be worth the money. It took them about an ...

This goes against accepted wisdom, but I think test rides are overrated. Not useless, but overrated. You're going to own the bike for a long time presumably. You're going to be able to play with the tire pressure, the handlebar position, the seat height and fore/aft, the seat itself, the pedals, the cranks. As you develop cycling muscles, your position on ...

You will want to be sitting in a postion that has your weight mostly on your sit bones. You also want to make sure that with your saddle in the correct position, your knee is over the axle of the pedal when the crank is in the front-most part of it's circle. Too far off and it can put a strain on your knee. If the saddle can't be adjusted to allow this to ...

The best advice I heard on the topic is to sit comfortably on the bike while placing your heel on the pedal. Move the seat up until your leg is fully extended, and then tighten the seat. This way, the leg will be only slightly bent at full extension when the ball of the foot is on the pedal. You definitely don't want the leg to be fully extended while ...

A factor that is as important as the bike you purchase is the store you purchase it from. Do you feel comfortable talking to the mechanics about problems on your bike or asking for advice with changes to the bike? Do they offer a fitting service that includes measuring your body and putting you up on a trainer (as opposed to eye-balling it)? A good bike ...

@Baltimark asked, "Let use know what you end up getting". I ended up getting: A "Kona Dr. Dew" (with a $200 markdown because it's one of last year's model and now is just before the spring bike show) Hydraulic disc brakes (my first non-rim brakes; they're 'wow' compared to rim brakes) Derailleurs (adjustable travel, and needed to be adjusted by one of the ...

Be very careful about making leg length adjustments on your bike. There are several red flags about this. All of which you may be aware of or may not. 1st, a leg length difference is very difficult to diagnose, ecept with an experienced physio, or an X-Ray/MRI. Most good physios will send you for an X-ray if they suspect a leg length difference is causing ...

Raise the seat until your leg is almost fully extended at the end of a downstroke (i.e., knee bent only a little bit). When you stop you'll be unable to put feet down on both sides, so either lean to one side or come off the seat and straddle the bar. Or, better yet, go to a bike shop and ask them to do it for you. They'll probably be happy to help.

Adapted from Brooks catalogue: Adjust your saddle up, but not so much that you have to tilt your hips side to side to fully extend the pedals; Adjust your saddle forward, but not so much that you feel your body thrown forward while pedalling hard; Adjust the nose of your saddle down, but not so much that you slip forward over your hands. I find the ...

I had to experiment with a number of different saddles to find one that was comfortable. I was experiencing similar issues to what you're describing. The solution for me was to get a saddle with the middle 'carved out'. Something like the Selle San Marco Aspide Arrowhead. The carved out section meant that when I'm down on the drops the carved out section ...

Since I switched to my 29-er in september, I can keep up with the fastest bikers in my "team". Before that I just could not. It could be due to the new material, but I think there's a speed difference of about 2 km/h. I bike on the flat tracks of nothern Belgium and the south of the Netherlands. So no climbing or descending. The 29-er is definitly faster ...

If you think about rolling over a tree root, or rock, or really anything on a mountain bike, the bigger the tire, the easier it is to roll over these obstacles. The angle created by the 29 inch tire is less than the angle of a 26 inch tire, so it rolls up and over with less effort. You also gain more ground clearance, the larger tire elevates your bottom ...

Compared to 26": They are heavier and/or weaker. They force frame designers to lengthen chainstays making bikes handle less well, as well having knock-on effects for rear suspension travel path. Personally I think they are another gimick standard, their lower rolling resistance may outweigh the negatives for mild off-road XC, but for anything else stick ...