Adventures in Bike Racing & Commuting: Best Advice I Ever Received

I was recently asked about the best advice I received as a new rider. I received a ton of good advice as a new rider ranging from do not wear underwear with your bike shorts to get a proper bike fit. I now share both pieces of advice with any new rider I meet. This post reminds me to heed my own advice.

Last summer I purchased a new road bike. I thought I could directly transfer my measurements from my old road bike to my new road bike. The bikes are completely different brands with completely different geometry.

After the initial shine and awe of riding a new bike wore off, I started dreading riding my fancy new road bike. I could not figure out what it was about my new bike that I did not like. It was obviously different from my tried-and-true old bike. My old bike was familiar. It was like a limb and we fit together perfectly. I convinced myself that riding my new bike would involve an adjustment period. I still needed to get to know my new bike and bond with my new bike- I just needed to give it a chance.

Fast forward 6 months and I was considering selling my new bike. We were not bonding. Every ride felt slow and sluggish. When I got off my new bike my knees and back hurt and I felt old. I do not like things that make me feel old. But that was the key. As I complained to my husband about how my knees hurt and my back ached inspiration struck- or, maybe common sense finally kicked in. If I felt slow and sluggish and my knees hurt, maybe my seat was too low. My husband is no bike fit expert, but he is pretty smart. His unaided eye immediately recognized that my seat was in fact too low. If the seat was too low, it was likely other things were off too. A quick trip to my local bike shop and sage bike fit expert could remedy my problems and save my relationship with my new bike. Like I had been told years ago - A good bike fit is essential for every single bike in the quiver. My favorite bike fitters are at C3 in Golden- https://c3bikeshop.com/