# Good Road Cycling Posture



## OUTHOUSE (Jul 16, 2006)

New to road cycling.

I know from what I was told when I bought a bike that:

Push your butt back. 
Knee should be right over ball of foot
Arms should be slightly bent
Back should be straight not humped upward.

Is this all correct or am I missing something.

Could someone please discribe in detail good road cycling posture.

Thanks in advance.


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## 99trek5200 (Jan 26, 2007)

I would suggest doing a search on this website or Google for "bicycle fitting". What you have stated is pretty simplistic and there is more scientific (measureable) information available. Here is a basic site http://www.caree.org/bike101bikefit.htm

"Push your butt back" ? While I too am a newbie, that does not make much sense.


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## blacklabel (Jan 12, 2007)

i think, since i am a nebiw myself,,,,
they mean to put your weight on your butt and not on your hands


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## RSPDiver (Jun 3, 2006)

Push your butt back may mean rotate your hips forward, to straighten your lower back. But the other hints seem reasonable. You will probably find your own comfort spot, however, or several as you move around during a long ride.


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## Sims (Mar 5, 2007)

wow. I was just about to ask about that because i'm having a little hand numbness. thank you 99trek5200 for the website.  

Jeremy


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## brianmcg (Oct 12, 2002)

OUTHOUSE said:


> New to road cycling.
> 
> I know from what I was told when I bought a bike that:
> 
> ...


Here you go.


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## bikeboy389 (May 4, 2004)

brianmcg said:


> Here you go.


I would amend what brian wrote to suggest that knee over pedal spindle is a good starting point. It's not what I'd call a myth--it works fine for many people. But it's definitely just a starting point, as your needs/physiology may require you to adjust from there.


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## levels1069 (Jun 9, 2006)

bikeboy389 said:


> I would amend what brian wrote to suggest that knee over pedal spindle is a good starting point. It's not what I'd call a myth--it works fine for many people. But it's definitely just a starting point, as your needs/physiology may require you to adjust from there.



100% correct, also know there is a right way and a wrong way to get the knee over your pedal. Some people move their seat forward to get that as their starting point, which is incorrect. Some people move their cleats all the way forward bringing their foot back to get their knee over their pedal. It's got to be a 50/50 proportion.

I am a bit of a fit nut, constantly tweaking with my position to get the most power and comfort . I started with my knee over the pedal and my seat/cleat neutral. I found that if i keep my seat the same and move my foot backward by moving the cleat forward (bringing my knee slightly behind my pedal axis) I'm much smoother in my stroke and can be more comfortable when "hammering". Alot of people think cleats should be right beneath the ball of your foot, while I've found that I'm MUCH faster with the center of the cleat about 2cm behind the ball of my foot
It's all about the balance....comfort, speed, efficient endurance. EVERY SINGLE PERSON IS DIFFERENT IN THEIR FIT. No one can tell you to raise your seat X amount or get X length stem, its all on you to find out what you need. Trial and error is honestly the way to do it.


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