We’ll admit, spin bikes aren’t the MOST comfortable things in the world to sit on…especially when you’re just starting out or getting back into the spin life. However, a proper bike set-up will make the experience a little more enjoyable! With the increased awareness of health and safety in mind, we are encouraging all B riders to read through the bike set-up details below to gain a proper understanding of how to set up your bike. This allows our staff to keep a safe distance from you, as well as reducing any additional contact on the bike.
Step One: Find Your Bike
In order to continue spin classes, we have had to move our spin bikes around to allow proper social distancing. Take a look at the bottom right corner of the bike to see the bike number, and if you don’t remember which bike number you’ve booked simply ask our front desk staff and they will remind you.
Step Two: Where to Start
Adjust the seat, then the handlebars.
Step Three: Hip Don’t Lie
As a starting point, the seat should be about hip height. Stand right next to the saddle and place your hand on your high hip bone and then lift your knee closest to the bike up to hip height to get an idea of what height the saddle should be. Take a look at the height number so you can set up more easily next time.
- Take A Seat
Clip your shoes in by aligning the cleat to the clip and press through until you hear a ‘click’. Next, pedal through so you are in the bottom of the pedal stroke – You want a relatively full extension of the leg with a slight, soft bend at the knee. If you hyper-extend the knee or feel as though you are reaching for the pedals, you need to lower the seat. If the knee is too bent and you are not getting a full extension, you will need to lift the seat higher.
- Find Your Power Position
The saddle slides back and forth and you will select its proper position by looking at the angle of your knees and where they fall over the pedals. You want your knees to be over the ball of your foot. Start with the saddle in a neutral position (a good starting point is placing your elbow to the end of the saddle and allowing your fingertips to just touch the handlebars). Then, get your body into riding position (hips back, neutral – not rounded or hyper-extended) and bring one pedal directly in front of the other so that the cranks of the bike are even with each other.
With your feet parallel check to see where the knee is sitting in relation to your foot. If the knee goes too far forward over the toes, slide the seat back. If the knee falls over or behind the ankle, slide forward.
- Raise The Bar
Handlebar height is more of a rider preference. An avid outdoor cyclist may prefer the handlebars quite low, while indoor riders are often more comfortable with the handlebars at seat height or higher. If you have back issues, it’s recommended that the handlebars be up a little higher. Our Johnny G Spin bikes are designed to feel like a road bike, so the handlebar height doesn’t go extremely high. Again, take a look at the number when raising the handlebars, it will say ‘max’ when they cannot be raised anymore.
- Final Check Before Go Time
Make sure all the knobs are tightened and your seat and handlebars aren’t loose or wobbly at all. Take note that the handlebars also slide back and forth – If you feel like you need a slight adjustment, start at a neutral position and see if you can comfortably grip handlebars without reaching for them while keeping shoulders drawn back away from the ears and maintaining a soft bend at elbows. Always have a light grip on the handlebars and let the legs bear the body weight. Check that your knees don’t hit or come uncomfortably close to the handlebars as well, check your positioning for both seated and standing positions.
- We’re Here To Help While we work to maintain proper social distancing, our staff is still available to come and help you get set up. If you are uncomfortable with bike adjustments from staff, we can guide you from a safe distance to ensure you get the proper bike set up.
See you soon, Kelowna!
