Rider area perfect

I consider this to be a good all-around, neutral setup for mountain biking and BMX. It gives you big range of motion with the handlebars plus maximum torque from your hips.

When you stand upright with your hands on the bars:

your hips and back are straight.

your arms are straight.

This should look and feel like the top of a deadlift.

Imagine carrying a heavy box of books: Would you carry it with a bent back or bent arms? I hope not!

Rider area too short

When you are standing upright with good posture, the bars are below your fist.

In order to grab the bars, you have to reach down and bend your back. 

Rider area too long

(Almost every stock mountain bike fits like this.)

When you stand upright with your hands on your bars, your arms are bent.

In order to prevent injury to your arms, your brain cuts off the signals to your hips and legs. This means you can’t sprint with full power. It also limits the power you have for climbing, pumping, hopping, manualing and jumping. 

Have you noticed, on technical climbs, how your legs just stop pedaling? I’ll bet you bent your arms.

Again, would you carry a heavy object like this? I hope not!

What’s better? Too short or too long?

For most of us, a neutral fit is ideal. If your bike fits like you’re at the top of a perfect deadlift, it’ll give you great range of motion with access to peak torque. Relative to your neutral setup:

As the rider area gets longer,

You lose handlebar range of motion.

You lose peak torque in a big way. This is because your arms are bent.

This puts the bars higher or farther forward, which might help some riders feel more comfortable in the saddle.

NOTE: If you need even closer and higher bars than I prescribe, please address your mobility!

As the rider area gets shorter,

You gain handlebar range of motion. This is useful for freestyle and hyper-technical riding.

You lose peak torque, but only a little bit. Think about that moment right before the top of a dead lift. You’re pretty darn strong there.

As the rider area gets too long, torque drops dramatically. As it gets too short, torque drops gradually. When your rider area is a few millimeters short, you are plenty strong.

This can take stress off your shoulders and move it to your trunk, which is good because your core is generally stronger than your shoulders.

Most mountain bike and BMX riders prefer to err a bit shorter. This gives you more range of motion with lots of power.

When you’re at full extension, if you feel a bit of tension in your body, like your bars should be a few millimeters higher, that’s that’s a more powerful and “shreddy” position than having slack in your body, like your bars could be a few millimeters lower.

A bit shorter = more shred.

A bit longer = less shred

I’ve been shortening my bikes by about 5 mm, and that slight change helps me ride with less shoulder pain — while keeping most of my peak torque.

My buddy Zach Lewis, a pro on both bike and snowboard, with a beautiful extension and an impressive bunny hop. Notice how his back is slightly bent: As a freestyler, Zach prefers a shorter rider area. This gives him more range of motion for tricks, while letting him keep most of his impressive pop. 

Keep in mind: Everyone has a different body and riding style. Start with these principles and tweak as needed to suit you.

Write it down

Once your rider area feels good, measure it. Run a tape from the center of your crank, along your frame to the imaginary point right between the centers of both grips. To help you find the upper point, you can run a string from grip to grip.

Save the measurement somewhere safe. I like to email things to myself because I can access the info anywhere, and it’s backed up online.

 

Next time you set up a bike, use this distance as your guide. Keep reading for more details.