Cycling

In the bicycle saddle, the height adjustment is probably the most important that you have to do when setting up your bike. Dall ‘ height of the saddle , and by its possible retraction, depend in fact, the comfort on the bike (and any pain due to its lack, as explained here ), the ability to express strength and power on the pedals and finally the prevention of certain disorders such as back pain.

A good method, half scientific and half empirical, to adjust the height of the saddle, particularly in racing bikes , is to start from the correct biomechanics of pedaling . Numerous scientific studies have in fact now established that there is a very precise position that allows you to express maximum power on the pedals with the lowest energy consumption. Maximum yield with minimum effort: this biomechanically advantageous position is called KOPS, Knee Over Pedal Splinde , and consists in the fact that when the pedal is parallel to the ground in the forward position, the knee is vertically aligned with the foot support point on the pedal, which is the metatarsal. It is the most natural position from the biomechanical point of view: with the more advanced knee the power is emphasized but with greater muscular expenditure; with a more backward knee position you are more comfortable but you also put less power on the pedals.

To correctly adjust the height of the saddle with respect to the cycling position, there are a couple of empirical methods, such as that which involves pedaling backwards by resting the heel on the pedal (and the correct position would be the one that allows you to fully stretch your leg when the pedal is in a vertical downward position) or that used by many people which consists in finding the position of balance on the tips of the feet once seated on the seat : these are precisely empirical, practical but also not recommended methods because they are subject to wide margins of error .

The scientifically most reliable way to correctly adjust the height of the bicycle saddle according to a convenient biomechanical position is to start from the height of the horse, i.e. the distance between the ground and the pubic symphysis , which is the resting point of the bones of the pelvis with saddle. The height of the horse is measured by leaning against a wall with bare feet and spreading the feet by about 10cm by simulating the distance on the pedals and then pressing under the pubis upwards with a pencil before marking the height on the wall. Measured in cm, this is the height of the horse.

The adjustment of the position on the bicycle, from the height of the saddle to the handlebar, is an alchemy that is always difficult to find, even for professional cyclists. But of all the adjustments that can and must be done to find the ideal position in the saddle, the one that concerns the part of the foot to be placed on the pedal of the bicycle is probably the most delicate. For two reasons: the first concerns the ability to impart force on the pedals and therefore the thrust or speed with which the bike proceeds; the second concerns biomechanics since, pedaling cycle after pedaling cycle, an incorrect position of the foot on the pedals can lead to serious joint consequences.

Which part of the foot to rest on the bicycle pedals
When it comes to putting your foot on the pedal of the bicycle there are basically 3 possibilities: to support and push with the heel ; support and push with the tip of the feet ; support and push with the forefoot , or rather with the part corresponding to the metatarsal. Each of these positions has its strengths and weaknesses but only one is the really correct one and the one required by the shoes with the quick coupling and release device.

Heel pedaling
It is the typical pedaling when the saddle is set too high. It is not necessarily the heel that rests on the pedal, but surely in this case the heel is lower than the axis of the pedal when it is parallel to the ground in its lowest position. From the biomechanical point of view this pedaling is incorrect because it involves two problems: the first is that the ankle joint always remains too closed, keeping both the tibial muscles and the calves in tension; the second, consequently, is that there is less power on the pedals than could be expressed with a correct and effective position.

The peak ride
This is the opposite of the previous one and occurs when the saddle is set too low . In this case, the ankle joint always remains too open and only the fingertips rest on the pedal. In this case, the calf is always too tense and in the calculation of the directions of the forces impressed by the legs on the pedals, the useless one that wastes energy is too marked.