A Bike Fit is essential for Endurance Cycling

 More people are enjoying long-distance cycling, both as a method of exercise and fitness and also for competition and charity rides. Whether you want to get better for personal reasons or to perform better in those races, one of the big factors that will affect that performance is whether you properly set up your bike in the form of an online bike fit, or one in person. When your distance takes you 5 hours or perhaps even more, you need to consider comfort for that whole time, not just the first hour or two. It is often when a rider starts experiencing discomfort that they then are outperformed by athletes who have prepared better. While part of this is good training your equipment set-up is also a big factor.

Handlebar height, width and stem length

A general guide for road bike fitting when you are looking at the positioning of your handlebar is that is a position is comfortable for just two hours or so, raising them between five to ten millimetres will make them more comfortable for around 5 hours. If your distance is more than 100 miles having a position that is more relaxed will boost your comfort without adding too much drag aerodynamically. This is the case with handlebar width as well. One size wider than the width of your shoulders will make it more comfortable. If while you ride you have problems meaning pain or tightness between your shoulder blades or on your back, having a stem that is one size shorter could help.

Use bar tape

If you add gel pads under the tape and/or double wrap the bar with bar tape this can help your hands-on distance riding. Over several hours of racing or riding your hands can really suffer and any kind of cushioning is welcome. It also benefits your shoulders and reduces any jarring.

Consider the shape and padding on your saddle

Your saddle is particularly crucial when it comes to your comfort. As well as having an online bike fit you need to consider the passing and support the saddle offers. A saddle that feels good for two hours might not into the third, fourth or fifth. Try to choose a saddle with more cushioning than you might want for shorter distances and choose the best shape.

Consider the size of your tires

The type of tire you choose depends on whether you will mostly be on roads where it is smoother, or off-road or on lesser-used and rougher roads. If you are going on the latter then consider the size of your tires. If you go up from a 23 mm tire to a 25 mm tire that extra width will help cushion you and give you more grip when taking corners.

Summary

A good road bike fitting is a very important part of finding a bike that is comfortable as you ride. Make sure you consider the fact that for endurance distances you need some extra features that help your comfort levels. You should also take the time to tweak things as you need to.

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