Cycling Pain, Power Phases, Prevention &amp; Bike Setup Tips

Cycling Pain, Power Phases, Prevention & Bike Setup Tips

For all the fun and enjoyment of a good ride on your bike, cycling pain is a potential problem.

While cycling is known for of cycling its fractures from nasty high speed falls, it is repetitive cycling injuries that cause most cyclists pain unnecessarily.

In this article, we hope to keep your cycling fun by discovering how to prevent common injuries, improve your power phase and setup your bike properly, to favourably impact your ride.

Whether you are interested in road cycling, mountain biking, velodrome cycling or just the commute to work, the cycling injury prevention principles are similar.

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Common Sources of Cycling Pain

Achilles Tendonitis / Tendinitis

Acromioclavicular Joint Injury

Adductor Tendinopathy

Back Muscle Pain

Bulging Disc

Calf Muscle Tears

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Chondromalacia Patella

Degenerative Disc Disease

Facet Joint Syndrome

Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI)

Hip Arthritis (Osteoarthritis)

Hip Labral Tear

Iliotibial Band Friction Syndrome

Knee Arthritis

Knee Bursitis (Patellar Bursitis)

Knee Meniscus Injury

Metatarsalgia

Muscle Pain: Strains or Tears

Neck Headache

Overuse Injuries

Patella Tendonitis (Tendinopathy)

Patellofemoral Pain (Kneecap Pain)

Pinched Nerve

Piriformis Syndrome

Poor Hip Core

Quadriceps (Thigh) Muscle Strain

Sacroiliac Joint - SIJ Pain

Sciatica

Sinding Larsen Johansson Syndrome

Thumb Sprain

Trochanteric Bursitis (Hip Bursitis)

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Cycling - Power Phases

As you can see from the infographic above, cycling incorporates all of your major leg muscle groups at different phases. This can be wonderful for strengthening but overuse or compensation for a wekn zone may cause an imbalance leading to cycling pain.

A cycling physiotherapist will be able to identify if you have any lack of motion, strength deficits and help you address these possible sources of injury.

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Cycling Setup - How to Setup Your Bike

Riding Position Set Up

A comfortable and efficient riding position is vital.

It is important that your bike is properly set-up and adjusted. If your bike is adjusted to suit your particular body size and shape you will then feel more relaxed and will be able to ride longer distances with less effort.

The notes below are the most common settings that work.

Foot Position

The ball of your foot should be centred over the pedal axle.

Small feet and high cadence pedallers place the ball of your foot slightly behind centre.

If you have clipless pedals you can make this adjustment by clipping your shoes into the pedal and adjusting the cleat fixing bolts.

Saddle Position

Your saddle top surface should be parallel with the road surface.

Set the saddle height the following way:

Sit on the saddle with the crank arm perpendicular to the ground and heel (shoes on) on the top of the pedal.

Your leg should be in the straight “locked” position.

Allow for oversized shoe heels or extra thick soles.

Saddle Front/Back Adjustment

Sit on your bike in your normal riding position with the cranks in the 3 and 9 o’clock position.

Your saddle is correctly positioned when your tibial tuberosity (the bump at the top of the shin bone) is 1cm behind the pedal axle.

You may need a plumb line and a helper to make this adjustment and you may have to readjust saddle height if you move the saddle significantly.

Stem and Handlebars

Correct stem height can be somewhere between level with the saddle height or as much as 6 cm below. The preferred range is 2.5 to 4.5 lower.

Check to ensure that your knee just clears your elbow when seated on your bike with the cranks in the 3/9 o’clock position.

To ensure good chest expansion and breathing your handlebars should be as wide as your shoulders.

On a mountain or hybrid bike some riders may prefer a more upright riding position with a higher stem position.

Extra wide flat-type mountain bike handlebars may give more stable control on unsealed roads but you may find them uncomfortable on long rides over sealed roads.

Bar extensions and narrower handlebars will give you a greater variety of comfortable hand positions and also place your upper body in a slightly lower position to reduce your overall resistance to the wind.

Reach

If the handlebars are too far away you will be very uncomfortable.

Sit on your bike in your normal riding position and your arms should be at 90degrees to your torso.

Repeat Your Checklist

As you adjust each of the above the other adjustments may be effected.

Once you have adjusted everything for the first time go through them all again and check that they are all still correct.

Adjusting to Your New Position

It takes time to settle in to the new position and you may still have to do some fine tuning.
Overall you should feel much better when you ride and less strained when you arrive back home.

What if None of this Works?

If you can’t get comfortable after making these adjustments and riding for a while then it is possible that your bike is not the right size for you.

Considering visiting a professional bike store or a physiotherapist who specialises in cycling assessments for an accurate measurement.

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