Tips for SHORT Bike Riders

Alanna here from sixthreezero. Today, we're going to go over some tips for short bike riders. Stick around. All right. If you're short like me, the number one thing you want to do when riding a bike is making sure that you have a bike that fits you. We have a body fit quiz that you can enter your height, weight, measurements in and it'll tell you whether which bike models are a good fit for you. But just for your reference, two things to really look for are a low step-through frame and forward pedaling. So, we'll get into why those are so important. So, first of all, with a low step-through frame, that is going to make mounting a lot easier if you're short like me or if you have short legs because you don't have to worry about swinging your leg over. It's a simple step-through, especially if you have a bad balance, you don't want to have to lift your leg up too high.

So, having this low step-through frame is really going to be key. And now, forward pedaling, we've gone over this in a few of our other videos, but forward pedaling is great because it allows you to lower your seat as much as you want while still getting full leg extension. So, that means that you can sit on your seat, have your feet almost flat on the ground, and while you're pedaling, you can still get full leg extension. And why is that good? This is good because one of the main struggles I personally have as a short person is catching my balance whenever I come to a stop at a stop sign or a red light. It's annoying to have to stop and not catch your balance or even dismount sometimes. That can be really annoying. So, being able to keep my seat really low is really helpful and just making the ride more enjoyable. So, you see, I can just easily stop, talk to my friends or do whatever.

I don't even have to hold on while at a stop because my feet can touch the ground. And then, when I start pedaling again, I don't have to worry about having cramped legs like you would if your pedals were directly below your seat. I get full leg extension so I still feel comfortable whether riding or at a stop. Now, if forward pedaling isn't an option for you, you already have a bike and it doesn't have forward pedaling, my suggestion would be to lower your seat as much as possible, to begin with as you get used to your bike. Having it low is going to make it easier for you to put your feet down and just give you more self-confidence in your riding. And then, as you get more comfortable, you can gradually raise your seat until you get the perfect leg extension, and you know how you're used to stopping, and you're comfortable putting your feet on the ground.

Let's say your seat is a little higher, it doesn't go as low as this one does and so you can't necessarily put your feet flat on the ground. And then, in this case, I could go even higher because right now, I still feel comfortable with my toes on the ground. But in the case that your seat is high you can't really touch the ground, then what you want to do is get used to leaning to one side to stop or catch your balance. And I think I always opt, everyone has a dominant side, I'm pretty sure mine is my left side, but just practice biking for a few yards, stopping, and then leaning to that one side to catch your balance. You can sweep your leg totally off if you want or you can stay hovered over the top tube, but that's just going to make things a little easier for you as opposed to trying to figure out what to do when you have to come to an abrupt stop.

Just getting used to leaning to that one side is going to be really helpful for you. So, that's how the looks. And lastly, if you're a short rider, you want to make sure that your bike is adjusted, aside from the seat, you want to make sure that the handlebars are adjusted properly to your body, that it's comfortable to ride. I know that my preference is to have the handlebars a little lower. I like being able to see clearly over the handlebars, everything in front of me, and it just gives me a little more control when they're at a lower position. So, that means, if that means lowering your handlebar stem, you can also play with the tilt, play around with it, make sure you get it right, see what feels comfortable for you. And don't forget that anything you do is not set in stone. You can always make adjustments later, and you should as you become a more advanced rider.

But keep that in mind. It's a good idea to reevaluate, "How does my bike feel? Does this feel good? Could it feel better? Could it be more comfortable?" And make those changes. That's going to make riding a lot more fun for you, a lot more comfortable, which means that you'll continue riding for longer, get out on your bike more often, which is the fun part, right? So, thank you for watching our tips on bike riding for short bike riders. If you have any other tips, be sure to add them in the comments below. Hopefully, you found this helpful. If you have any other questions or any other tutorials you want to see, be sure to leave them in the comments and we'll do our best to get to them. And don't forget to hit Subscribe. It'll really help our channel grow and it'll keep you up to date on all of our giveaways, tutorials, ride-along, anything that we do. But thank you so much for watching. Don't forget, it's your journey, your experience. Enjoy the ride.