My bike forces me to lean weight on the handlebars..?

Question

Do I need to change the saddle? I wear the same shoes every time I ride. I know I am leaning too much weight forward because usually after a ride of at least 10 miles my knees and soft tissue hurt!

Answer 1

Should not need a new seat, sounds like your bike just needs a few tweeks in the fitting department.  There are several adjustments you could make, start with the bar height raise them up a bit to take pressure off your arms.  Also check your seat height your legs should be almost strait when your pedal is at the bottom of the cycle, there should be a slight bend at the knee.  Also check your seat angle in reference to the ground the front tip should be level with the back of the seat or slightly higher this will adjust your body position and take pressure off your arms.

If you are not comfortable making these adjustments take your bike to a local bike shop and tell them your problem they can help you with getting it fit to you correctly.  Some shops charge a few bucks, if you bought the bike at a shop they will usually do it for free.  No matter what a few bucks is well worth a good fit on a bike, you would pay that in Advil in a year or so from riding a bike that dosen't fit right.

Answer 2

There are a number of different things that can cause your problems. You need someone who knows what they are doing to help you get the bike properly adjusted for you. Your local bike shop should do it for free if you bought the bike there. If not, they will rightfully charge your for the service.

Take a look at this web page: http://sheldonbrown.com/pain.html

The late, great Sheldon Brown had a lot of wise words about making cycling a more pleasant experience.

HTH

Answer 3

In my opinion it is doubtful that you need to change the saddle. You might need to lower the saddle height a bit.

Try sitting on the bike as if you were riding it and with one of the pedals in its lowest position, you should be able to place the heel of the correct foot onto the centre of the pedal without stretching and with the leg straight.

If this is correct then you might be better to raise the height  of the handlebars so that less weight is taken by the hands and arms.

If you have an older stem with an expander bold through the middle, the alteration will probably be very simple. Loosen the expander bolt (you might need to tap the bolt with a hammer) adjust the height of the bars and then re tighten the expander bolt.

If you have a modern system with a thread less headset, the easiest way of raising the bars will be to buy a different stem so that the handlebars are higher.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

When you say "soft tissues", are you referring to your female parts?  If so, it's not due to putting too much pressure on bars, it's the saddle.  Too soft a saddle actually causes more compression as you sink into it and things get smooshed down.  I just paid about $100 for a Terry Butterfly and it is making a difference.  It's got a cut-out in the center to help alleviate pressure and overall, is a flatter and firmer saddle than the p.o.s. that came with the bike.  As for you knee pain, I get exactly the same problem right around mile ten, which is when I stop riding.  Try moving your seat up, try moving it down, and try adjusting the seat forward a bit.  See if any of this helps.  I'm trying it with the seat a bit higher on my next ride to see what that does.  Also, if it's just in one knee, it might be on your stronger leg, so you are using it more when pedaling, so try to use both legs equally, letting both do equal work.