To be honest, it didn't really occur to me, because prior to this purchase, the last bike I owned was like 22 years ago, and it was simply "the bike I grew up riding as a teen". Bikes? Fit? What? (Yet, that bike must have been just fine for me, I guess.)
But I certainly found it to be true when I was shopping for this one. First you have to decide, obviously, how high you want the seat to be off the ground. I don't know what you call 'em in the UK, but here, "beach cruiser" style bikes tend to have seats that are relatively closer to the ground than "road" bikes (i.e. the kind they ride in the Tour de France, with little skinny tires and rams-head handlebars) and mountain bikes. The "beach cruiser" style also tends to have more of an "upright" ride (you sit more upright, because the handlebars are much higher than the seat).
I wanted to be able to touch the ground with the balls of my feet, at least, while sitting on the seat. (For stability when stopping/stopped.)
So then, it's all a matter of how the bike-frame is built, and where the pedals are mounted in relation to the seat. Bikes really are modeled to fit a certain size of person. This one that I bought was actually advertised by someone saying "fits a woman between 5'7" and 5'9"", and that was perfect for me. Because the thing is, you can lower the seat on some bikes, but if you lower it too far, you wind up with your knees coming up too far and bending at too acute an angle when the pedal is at the top of its trajectory.
In the long term, I would probably like to someday get a new bike (rather than a used one) that is more of a cruiser style, but with some speeds. This hybrid (i.e. a hybrid between a cruiser style and a mountain bike style) allows me to sit kind of upright. I have a feeling that there's a bit more bending of my knee than I'd ideally want, in order to get my feet on the ground as I desire. And the handlebars have been raised, but I could probably use them raised a tiny bit more, and a more upright cruiser style would be good on my back.
I also find, with this style of bike, that the center of the pedals is farther under my butt than I think you find with the cruiser style. So I'm not used to that yet, although I don't actually know whether that makes for easier, or harder pedalling. (You can kind of imagine that where the pedals are in relation to your seat, tucked under or a bit forward, changes the angle of your pedalling stroke.)
All of that is making me wonder whether you've been tried on bikes that not only didn't fit you well, but were conspired to be bikes that weren't making the most efficient use of your energy, you know? As in, they were bikes configured in such a way that your legs were having to work much harder than they ideally should.
no subject
But I certainly found it to be true when I was shopping for this one. First you have to decide, obviously, how high you want the seat to be off the ground. I don't know what you call 'em in the UK, but here, "beach cruiser" style bikes tend to have seats that are relatively closer to the ground than "road" bikes (i.e. the kind they ride in the Tour de France, with little skinny tires and rams-head handlebars) and mountain bikes. The "beach cruiser" style also tends to have more of an "upright" ride (you sit more upright, because the handlebars are much higher than the seat).
I wanted to be able to touch the ground with the balls of my feet, at least, while sitting on the seat. (For stability when stopping/stopped.)
So then, it's all a matter of how the bike-frame is built, and where the pedals are mounted in relation to the seat. Bikes really are modeled to fit a certain size of person. This one that I bought was actually advertised by someone saying "fits a woman between 5'7" and 5'9"", and that was perfect for me. Because the thing is, you can lower the seat on some bikes, but if you lower it too far, you wind up with your knees coming up too far and bending at too acute an angle when the pedal is at the top of its trajectory.
In the long term, I would probably like to someday get a new bike (rather than a used one) that is more of a cruiser style, but with some speeds. This hybrid (i.e. a hybrid between a cruiser style and a mountain bike style) allows me to sit kind of upright. I have a feeling that there's a bit more bending of my knee than I'd ideally want, in order to get my feet on the ground as I desire. And the handlebars have been raised, but I could probably use them raised a tiny bit more, and a more upright cruiser style would be good on my back.
I also find, with this style of bike, that the center of the pedals is farther under my butt than I think you find with the cruiser style. So I'm not used to that yet, although I don't actually know whether that makes for easier, or harder pedalling. (You can kind of imagine that where the pedals are in relation to your seat, tucked under or a bit forward, changes the angle of your pedalling stroke.)
All of that is making me wonder whether you've been tried on bikes that not only didn't fit you well, but were conspired to be bikes that weren't making the most efficient use of your energy, you know? As in, they were bikes configured in such a way that your legs were having to work much harder than they ideally should.
(^not a biking expert by any means, though)