I didn't expect that you've been riding your bike wrong all these years.

China is a kingdom of bicycles. If you observe for a while on the roadside, you will definitely see all kinds of bicycles passing by. Some bicycles look very cool, such as mountain bikes and road bikes; some bicycles are folding bicycles, and of course there are many shared bicycles.

In an era of rapid development of various means of transportation, bicycles have always been the most convenient and environmentally friendly means of transportation for people's daily short-distance travel. However, have you ever thought about this question? How to ride a bicycle safely and healthily? What issues should we pay attention to when riding a bicycle?

01 Is your bike really suitable for you?

When it comes to bicycles, many people immediately think of two wheels, a frame, and a pair of pedals - indeed, the main structure of a bicycle is that simple. And shared bicycles are made into "one size fits all", with a row of yellow bicycles parked there, neat and beautiful.

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However, there are certain differences in the body shapes of cyclists, including men and women, heights, weights and thinness. If you just find a bike and ride it without making any adjustments, in most cases your riding experience will not be very comfortable.

If you pay attention, you will find that when we ride a bicycle, there are three parts of our body that are in direct contact with the bicycle, namely our hands (handlebars), feet (pedals) and buttocks (seat). In fact, the relationship between these points of contact between the body and the bicycle and our height directly determines the posture adopted when riding, the efficiency of muscle force and the comfort level when riding.

How should we adjust these points according to our own height?

When we ride a bicycle in our daily life, we often adjust the distance between these points by adjusting the seat height to adjust the force angle of the thigh and knee when pedaling. If the seat height is too high or too low, the leg muscles will not be at the appropriate force angle when riding, resulting in insufficient muscle force, which will reduce riding efficiency and make us feel uncomfortable.

A study on cycling found that for cyclists, the most comfortable riding condition is when the pedals are fully depressed, the knees are bent at 30 degrees (as shown in the figure) (i.e. the knees are slightly bent), and the body is leaning forward at 55 degrees. [1]

From reference [1]

However, when we scan a shared bike, we can't always carry a protractor with us, right? It doesn't matter. Next, I will teach you a simple way to adjust the seat height.

The specific method is to hold the seat under your armpits and stretch your arms. If your fingertips are exactly at the center axis of the car, then the seat height is appropriate.

Although this adjustment is not precise enough, it will allow you to ride comfortably for a few kilometers. Of course, if your riding skills are not good and the road conditions are complicated, you can lower the seat height appropriately to facilitate emergency stopping.

As for professional sports bicycles, they can be adjusted by choosing a frame of appropriate size and replacing parts such as the handlebar and stem; the height, front and back, and up and down angle of the seat can also be adjusted; for the pedals, the position and angle of the cleats on the cycling shoes need to be adjusted.

When making adjustments, in addition to considering the athlete's power, you must also consider aerodynamic factors and take comfort into account. However, these are relatively professional and should be done by a professional bike shop. Due to space limitations, I will not go into detail here.

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02 What are the common cycling misunderstandings?

It is not enough to adjust the bike well. If we want to be safer and healthier during daily riding, we must also avoid the following misunderstandings during riding:

Always ride with one gear ratio

Now that living conditions have improved, many people ride gear-shifted bicycles. Riding a gear-shifted bicycle is very different from our ordinary bicycles. It can reach a very high speed by changing speeds.

When riding a geared bike, the ratio of the front and rear sprockets should be constantly changed according to the terrain to avoid riding with "one sprocket ratio" all the time. If you ride with "one sprocket ratio" all the time, the advantages of riding a geared bike will be eliminated. In fact, the wrong sprocket ratio may even make the riding feel worse than a non-geared bike.

Not wearing protective gear

Many people think that daily commuting can be simple because the speed is low and the distance is short. However, if you ride a speed bicycle and the distance is long, it is still recommended that you wear a helmet and gloves.

This is because professional speed-changing bicycles often have better performance, and with a little effort, they can catch up with the speed of national standard electric vehicles. Many people can even reach a short speed of 60 km/h during bursts of speed. If an accident such as a fall or collision occurs, the consequences of not wearing protective gear can be very serious, so you must purchase a qualified bicycle helmet to protect your head.

On the one hand, gloves are used to prevent shock during long rides (many professional cyclists have problems with numbness in their hands). On the other hand, if an accident occurs and you fall, gloves will provide a cushion and protection for your palms, making them less likely to be scratched or bruised.

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Failure to inspect and maintain vehicle condition

Although bicycles are cheap and simple in structure, they also require daily inspection and maintenance. The most common inspection and maintenance include: checking whether the tire pressure is sufficient, whether the chain is intact, whether the brakes are malfunctioning, etc.

On the street, we often see some bicycles with flat tires still moving forward. Not only does it cause more resistance when riding, but it can also easily damage the inner tube. In addition, the chain should be cleaned and oiled regularly, and the brakes should also be checked frequently.

Especially for those who are used to riding shared bicycles, they should pay attention to checking whether the brakes and bells are working properly to avoid being in a panic in an emergency.

Not old enough to ride a bike

The state stipulates that children over the age of 12 can ride bicycles on public roads, but in daily life we ​​often see some children who are obviously under the age of 12 riding crookedly on the road. This kind of riding is actually a very dangerous behavior.

On the one hand, children are often relatively short, and if they ride an adult's bicycle, they often cannot control it freely, which will put them in danger. In addition, according to relevant laws and regulations in China, minors under the age of 12 are required to bear part of the responsibility if a traffic accident occurs when riding a bicycle on a public road.

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03 Will cycling cause impotence?

Finally, let's discuss some private topics. Some friends may worry that when riding a bicycle, the seat will press on the perineum, affecting blood circulation and causing sexual problems.

This worry is not groundless. Many studies have shown that long-term cycling does affect men’s health. For example, one study counted the physical conditions of 160 male cyclists and found that after long-distance cycling, 33 of them experienced numbness in their penises and 21 developed impotence, of which 11 lasted for more than a week and 3 lasted for more than a month. [2]

However, it must be pointed out here that these studies are aimed at professional cyclists, who often conduct cycling training of hundreds of kilometers, while ordinary people generally cannot reach this intensity.

In addition, choosing the right size seat, choosing good quality cycling pants, taking regular breaks during long rides, and adjusting your posture can help keep blood circulating and prevent men's health problems. Therefore, amateurs usually don't have to worry about this.

To sum up, cycling is actually a good sport, and autumn is also a very suitable season for cycling. I hope that all cyclists can make good use of the golden autumn, adjust the bike and their own condition, exercise moderately, and ride safely.

References:

[1]Priego Quesada JI, Pérez-Soriano P, Lucas-Cuevas AG, Salvador Palmer R, Cibrián Ortiz de Anda RM. Effect of bike-fit in the perception of comfort, fatigue and pain. J Sports Sci. 2017 Jul;35(14):1459-1465. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2016.1215496. Epub 2016 Aug 4. PMID: 27490817.

[2]Andersen KV, Bovim G. Impotence and nerve entrapment in long distance amateur cyclists. Acta Neurol Scand. 1997 Apr;95(4):233-40. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0404.1997.tb00104.x. PMID: 9150814.

Author | Ding Zong

Review | Wu Dongming Associate Researcher, National Physical Fitness Research Center, Institute of Sports Science, General Administration of Sports of China

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