The importance of getting your bike fitted for your body

I have been biking pretty heavily all summer — back and forth from Brooklyn to Manhattan, about 5.5 miles from my apartment in Fort Greene to my office in Curry Hill.  Sometimes twice in the same day, if I have a class or dance that evening.  It’s been a great workout that I enjoy, but I’m starting to feel the wear and tear.

I feel the pain and achiness mostly in my upper back and shoulders, and especially in my wrists, which are often sore after even a short ride.  It has been getting to the point that I was starting to dread my ride, which has never happened in my three decades of bike riding.

I posted on the forums on Yehoodi about it, cause there is bound to be a yehoodite who knows the answer. Fellow riders Shagbaby and Air suggested that my riding posture and hand position were causing too much pressure on my upper body, and that I needed to adjust my seat and handlebar positions.  (Air linked me to this friendly video demonstration of the importance of getting your bike fitted for your body.)

I tried out Air and Shagbaby’s advice tonight, adjusting my seat down a few inches and trying to think of not putting so much pressure on my upper body.  And — poof! — I found that my ride tonight was significantly more comfortable and enjoyable. 

So get that bike fitted to your body!  Your back (and everything else) will thank you!