THE ROAD BIKE FRAME

Selecting a frame size is the beginning of good positioning. The perfect bike size is simply one that will allow you to train and race. The saddle can be raised and lowered and the seat post can be replaced with a longer or shorter post to accommodate nearly anyone.

Saddle height is not the limiting factor in selecting a frame size. The placement of the handlebars will be much more limited than the saddle height. If too small a frame is selected, the rider must bend over quite low to reach the bars. A frame that is too large will put the rider up too high. This tends to make less use of back and leg muscles and place the body in a less aerodynamic position.

Frame sizes are measured along the seat tube. The method of measurement is center to center, center to top when selecting a frame size. Different manufacturers may use slightly different measurement techniques.

There are several commercially available positioning systems that take a series of body measurements and plug the numbers into tables and charts to come up with frame-size recommendations. You should use any system with caution and never purchase a bicycle solely on that basis alone. Ride a variety of sizes while being observed by a coach. Purchasing a frame size without having ridden it is a big risk.

One of the simplest methods of determining a bike size is one of the oldest. Wear a low-profile shoe, preferably the shoe you will be wearing while riding. Stand over the bike directly behind the stem with your feet close together. Pick up the front wheel until the top tube is snug against the crotch, then measure the gap between the floor and the tire.

For competitive purposes this gap can be between 6 and 20 centimeters. The smaller gap of 6cm means the frame is relatively large. The gap of 20cm means the frame is smaller. If you have long arms or you feel you need a very large differential between saddle and bars, a frame size with a 15-20cm gap is recommended. However if you have a stiff back, a frame with a smaller gap might be preferred

If you choose a sloped frame bicycle, these recommendations will not apply. The determining factor in selecting a sloping tube bike is the top tube length rather than the seat tube length. USA Cycling recommends using a “fit specialist”.

Younger cyclists who are expected to grow can select a frame with a lesser gap so that the bike will not be outgrown too quickly. A shorter stem may be installed and then switched to a longer stem as the rider grows. The height of the parents and siblings should be considered when choosing a frame size for a growing rider.

These procedures are not intended to get the rider the ideal bike size the first time. This is simply a place to begin test riding. You should test-ride at least three different frame sizes if possible. The most important thing about any bike is finding the correct size and fit for the rider.

New Bicycle Saddle Prevents Damage Associated With The Genital Area

July 12, 2013 — Researchers at the University of Alicante have developed a novel bicycle saddle that prevents chafing, pain and other damage associated with the genital area as impotence and prostatitis. 

It is a hinged articulated saddle whose coccyx-support narrow front and wide back have been articulately joined. The front part is mobile while the back is fixed, and both may change their positions at the user's will. This new concept of bicycle saddle is designed and patented by researchers from the University of Alicante's Institute of Physics Applied to Science and Technology and the Department of Physics at the Polytechnic Higher School. The UA researcher, Alfonso Panchón Ruiz, head of the research work, explained that "the main advantage of this new design compared to traditional saddles, is that it allows -at the user's will- to rest and recover from fatigue the perineal area suffering lasting intense compression for which they are not designed anatomically."

     "The classic bicycle saddle has a unitary structure formed by a rigid body in anteroposterior direction which makes that, permanently, the perineal tissues, which are soft and not ready to withstand these forces, are being compressed, independent of the position taken by the user. For this reason, soon after starting the exercise, nerves and arteries reach high levels of compression, which causes problems associated with lack of blood supply, such as numbness and affection of the genitals in both men and women, and in the long run, significant pathologies requiring medical treatment may appear," Alfonso Panchón says.

     Up to date, only two solutions have been found, either to go up on the pedals, on a typical pedalling, visible both in professional races and gyms, or dismounting the bike and standing up, abandoning thus, the exercise started. In this sense, Alfonso Panchón explains that "with this new design, it is not the user who must be separated and rising from the seat, but it is the saddle which separates spinning or scrolling down to the perineal area of the user. Thus, it radically prevents pressure on that area, immediately improving the blood supply to the affected areas, resulting in functional recovery of the tissues concerned.

     Another advantage is that the user does not lose balance control ability in driving, regardless of the conditions of use, race, walk, gym, mountain, etc.., and this allows users to make new lateral movements on the anterior mobile part as well as immediately recover -at their will- the traditional full seat with a slight initial reverse movement.

     Also, with this model of saddle, more than ten centimeters can be released between the seat and handlebars, which can be availed with competitive advantage in declines as it allows an aerodynamic position on very steep slopes. 

    The research team has a prototype that allows them to check the health and medical benefits of this innovative aerodynamic concept of saddle. Currently, there is nothing similar on the market, so it is a technology with great potential for international marketing.

NEW BICYCLE SADDLE PREVENTS 
CHAFING, PAIN AND OTHER DAMAGE 
ASSOCIATED WITH THE GENITAL AREA

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130712084439.htm