Until recently, I’d always resisted making big or sudden adjustments to my bike set-up. 

I feared that any changes might negatively affect my riding position, comfort, power or speed. My seat height, crank length, saddle shape, bar width, reach and stack were non-negotiables. I wasn’t willing to throw away years of trial and error, or expert recommendations. After all, my measurements were backed up by professional bike fits. I like what I like. 

Then, after years of riding in my ‘perfect’ set-up, I started dealing with a recurring saddle sore. I knew something needed to change.

Throughout our lives, parents, teachers, managers, partners and friends have told us how beneficial it is to try new things. While bicycle technology constantly advances and options for components, clothing and gear seem endless, cyclists remain a rather stubborn bunch. 

That was me; but after I spent the first half of last year challenging more aspects of my set-up than I probably had in the past decade, I’m here to say the same thing: it’s time to change your bike set-up and try something new.

Sure, that’s easy for me to say. After all, a big part of my job is riding and testing new bikes and gear. Almost every day, new cycling equipment shows up at my desk from different brands, in all sizes, for my colleagues and me to check out. However, while I embraced and constantly swapped out parts to evaluate function, I was extremely hesitant to change the fixed dimensions of my bike set-up.

Surprisingly, the adoption of new equipment has trickled down from a particular group of cyclists known for their resistance to change: professional road racers. After decades of use, gear such as rim brakes and tubular tyres, for example, is now out of vogue – basically gone from the peloton, in less than five years. Meanwhile, equipment like aero bikes and wide tyres is in. Alongside high-carb fuelling strategies and highly monitored training, modern technology has increased the peloton’s speed and completely changed racing tactics.

Challenge the norm

Bike and component brands have told me that the early adopters tend to be younger racers. Their openness to new technologies and their willingness to challenge long-held equipment norms have forced formerly inflexible teams and mechanics to embrace the changes themselves. The impact of using the new gear soon showed up in podium results. Now, even seasoned pros embrace new equipment and features to keep pace with the up-and-comers.

“The shift in mindset among veteran pros is also a lesson to old-school and change-resistant riders like me.”

I’m certainly not a professional racer, but the shift in mindset among veteran pros is also a lesson to old-school and change-resistant riders like me. If embracing new approaches in order to gain comfort and speed is good enough for the elite guys and girls, it’s good enough for me. Maybe my resistance to changing my bike set-up was based more on tradition and history than anything else.

In an effort to resolve my saddle sore issue, I tried custom seats. Two manufacturers also recommended switching to a wider saddle. It worked – the problem went away, and I was more comfortable on the bike. But the whole exercise opened my mind to making other adjustments…

Next on my list, a bike with a long reach prompted me to push my saddle position forward to achieve my desired reach. That small change moved me closer to the bike’s centre; I was more comfortable on the saddle, and produced a little more power. It also took some pressure off my hands and wrists, and better balanced my weight for cornering.

Suddenly, everything was fair game.

I switched to a narrower, flared handlebar, and I liked that too. The bar reduced some shoulder aches and improved my riding speed.

And then I adjusted a once-sacrosanct measurement: my crank length. By changing from 175mm to 165mm, the occasional knee discomfort I’d been experiencing subsided without a noticeable drop in power.

Embrace change

Remember, changes like these are individual: what worked for me may not work for you. Luckily, if you change a measurement or component and it doesn’t lead to improvements in your riding, you can usually switch back to the old one fairly easily – and although you might lose a little money on the resale of a part, if you don’t ride it that much it won’t lose a ton of value.

Not all changes have been successful, but few have been outright failures either. My switch from Shimano SPD-SL pedals to Time pedals lasted only a couple of weeks before I reinstalled my trusted Ultegra pedals. I wanted to like the Time pedals; but I couldn’t adjust to the slightly different motion needed to clip in and out.

It wasn’t bad; it just wasn’t for me.

Although my Time pedals experiment was short-lived, trying them prompted me to reposition the Shimano cleats further back on my cycling shoes. I’ve ridden with my cleats slammed back on my mountain-biking shoes for several years, but I was hesitant to reposition them on my road shoes. The result surprised me: again, more comfort and better bodyweight distribution on the bike. (Though I did experience some toe overlap on one of my road bikes – the tip of my shoe grazed the front tyre on very tight turns.)

Our bodies change as we age. We might develop new pain points, or gain or lose weight; perhaps we lack the flexibility or power we once had. So, why do so many of us stick to the same measurements we used years ago, or use old-school gear when we could ride more comfortably with newer tech?

You don’t have to change for the sake of it, but if you’re feeling some new aches or if you simply want a more comfortable ride, you might only be a few small adjustments away from a far more enjoyable situation. Some changes will work, some may not – but I guarantee that you’ll learn more about your bike and your riding needs than you currently know now.

 

 

 

READ MORE ON: BIKE FIT maintenance