PRESSURE POINTS OF CYCLING
Riding a bicycle is fun and a great way
to improve general physical fitness. But, if pain is also a regular part
of your cycling experience, the benefits of fun and fitness lose their allure.
However, with a little attention to a few key issues, it is possible to ride a
bike virtually without discomfort, none during the ride and none after the
ride. With the exception of those rare problems that require the
attention of a medical doctor, consultation with the experts at your bike shop
can work wonders.
When sitting down and pedaling your
bicycle, you have five potential “pressure points”, the five places your
body and the bike are in contact—your rear on the saddle, your hands on the
handlebars and your feet on the pedals. Of these five spots, the one
supporting most of your body weight, the one under the most pressure, is the
rear-saddle connection. The most common complaint heard in bike shops
has always been some version of “my butt hurts”. Backside discomfort
ranges from simple sensations of pressure to numbness to chafing (“saddle
sores”) to outright bruising. If regular shifting around on your
saddle (forward and back, side to side) does not cure your problems, you need
to consider the other measures discussed below.
The first and most routine solution for
dealing with saddle problems is to change the saddle. Find one that is
softer or wider or better designed. It is common now to find saddles
that utilize some form of gel in their construction. Cheap foam padding
compresses past usefulness as you settle your weight on it, whereas gel
maintains most of its shock absorbing qualities under pressure. Be aware
that if you stack a lot of padding on your saddle (for example, putting a
thick gel pad on a thick gel seat) you may create new pressure points as well
as interfering with handling (for the best in performance you must grip the
saddle with your thighs). The advantage of a wider saddle is that your
body weight is distributed over a bigger area so there is less pressure “per
square inch” over your whole backside. However, the wider the saddle
the more upright you must sit to avoid chafing the inner thighs. Also,
gripping the saddle with your legs for handling also becomes more difficult,
and virtually impossible with extremely wide, “exercise bike-type”
saddles. Because of their natural riding position, mountain bikers and
road cyclists should limit their saddles to those of medium width.
More important than softness and width,
the general “design” and shape of the saddle is the most critical variable
for alleviating discomfort. First, be aware that most manufacturers make
male and female-specific saddles. The ones for women are generally a
little shorter and a little wider. The lightest saddles around are
essentially long and narrow, and are a strong draw for the large number of
cyclists who value weight saving For some riders they do not create
problems, but for many people it is kind of like “riding on a
broomstick”—no amount of shifting around eliminates the discomfort.
Some saddles are built on a hard plastic frame while others are constructed
using a “springy” rubber base. Over bumpy roads and trails the give
of these saddles can be pain-eliminating. Other saddles have rubber
bumpers or rubber (or metal) springs to achieve the same effect. All of
these design features are added to lessen the direct impact of road shock to
your rear. Also, any good design focuses your weight on the saddle to
the “sit bones” of your butt and not to the center of your backside or the
“soft tissue” of the groin. Many have grooves or cutouts through the
center of the saddle to relieve any pressure on the prostate of males or
external sensitive areas of either gender.
Finally, once you choose a saddle,
positioning it on the seat post of your bike is also very important.
Your saddle is adjustable not only up and down, but also forward and back and
in degree of tilt. A saddle that is too high can aggravate your backside
and your inner thighs; a saddle with the front end tilted up can cause
discomfort in the groin; and so on. If you are unsure of proper saddle
position or how to make adjustments, consult Great Basin Bicycles staff for
proper saddle height, fore and aft placement and tilt.
The second area of pressure points for
bike riders involves the hands. We regularly hear of numbness or other
discomforts resulting from gripping the bicycle handlebar. The first
line of defense here is padded cycling gloves. Some of these employ gel,
just like saddles, to give substantial and dependable shock absorption.
Incorrect bike size or a bad riding position or improper saddle tilt can
create a situation where you are always leaning forward with a lot of your
weight pressing forward on your hands—these three variables should be
checked when hand discomfort is not alleviated by a good pair of gloves.
Sometimes the fix is easy, like adding rise handlebars for a more upright
riding position or adding bar ends for multiple hand positions.
Sometimes it requires a combination of several actions to achieve a good
result.
The final area of pressure points is your
feet on the pedals. Complaints regarding feet are far less common than
for butts and hands. However, sometimes cyclists have to deal with
cramping or numbness or other pains in the feet. Footwear for riding a
bike should be stiff, not only for maximum power to the pedals but also for
comfort. Wear good quality, well-fitting shoes with a stiff sole—the
best are those made specifically for cycling. Some people benefit by
putting arch supporting or heel cushioning orthodics in their shoes. If
you always wear orthodic inserts for daily living, be sure to put them in your
cycling shoes. Foot position on the pedals is also important.
Always try to cycle with the balls of your feet contacting the pedals (not
your insteps or your heels). Finally, if you experience numbness after
riding a while, maybe you need to loosen the laces on your shoes a little, to
accommodate your feet swelling with heat and exercise.
If you ride with clipless pedals
your feet will always be properly centered over the pedals. However, you
can experience foot (or knee or hip) pain if the cleats on the bottom of your
shoes are not properly oriented in relation to the “natural inclination”
of your feet. For example, if you walk a little “duck-footed” you
should ride a little “duck-footed”, because that’s natural for your legs
and feet. The front of most cleats can be cocked a little left or right
if that is necessary to achieve a more comfortable riding position.
Again, if you have questions about what’s good for you, consult the staff at
Great Basin Bicycles. If you are experiencing pain of any kind as a
result of cycling, consult the experts.
