Finding Comfort on your Bike

I'm often asked how to make bicycling more comfortable. When nothing hurts, you feel as if you can ride forever.

After a bicycle helmet, padded bike shorts are the most important piece of clothing to have while you’re riding. They’ll allow you to bike longer because your butt won’t get as sore. If you’re shy about the tight lycra look, then get the “shorts-within-a-short” or the new sport-skirts that hide the padded shorts underneath. And remember – always wear them without underwear.

Bicycling gloves should be next on your shopping list. Good cycling gloves have padded palms to help prevent excess handlebar pressure from injuring the nerves in your hands. Gloves will also help prevent injury if you fall, as hands are often the first to hit the ground in an accident.

Once you have the necessary clothing, you need a properly fitted bike to make sure you’re as comfortable as possible while you’re riding. There are many ways to tweak the fit of the bike to match your body better.

If you don’t know how to make the adjustment yourself, bring your bicycle to a bike shop. Most adjustments can be made in a second or two. Think about buying the necessary tool and learning how to do it yourself, as most adjustments are pretty simple. Then you’ll be able to dial in the fit of your bike just right.

Always make one small adjustment at a time. Then try riding your bike to see if it helps. Remember that just half an inch can make a big difference. Here are some suggestions for getting rid of those aches and pains.

•If your knees hurt: try moving your seat higher, lower, forward or back.

•If your neck hurts: raise your handlebars to put yourself in a more upright position. You can also consider changing your bike’s stem to a shorter one that brings the handlebars closer to you.

•If your shoulders hurt: and you use straight handlebars, consider getting narrower bars or cutting the ends off the ones you have. Your arms may be too far apart.

•If your hands hurt or fall asleep: turn the angle of your handlebars toward you so your hands are in a more natural and relaxed position.

•If your butt hurts: try changing the angle of your seat. Point the nose down or up a tiny bit to take pressure off the wrong areas. You can also try changing your seat. Seats are very personal, so it may just be a matter of finding the right one for you.

If you wear the right clothing and make the right adjustments to your bike, you should be pain-free while bicycling. Your body will thank you. And so will your bike, as you’ll spend more time on it!

Underground Railroad cross-country tour takes off!

The group - 29 strong - left Mobile Alabama heading to Canada today, following the 2000-mile Underground Railroad. We designed the bike tour based on the new route designed by Adventure Cycling. To follow their journey, check out some of the blogs from the tour here:
Anne Cowan
Marni Harang
Sondra Hartt
Kathy Leonard
Judi Mittelberg
Sue Rapp
Lois Schneider

Southern Tier Cross-Country Tour ends in St. Augustine!

All 30 women finished in St. Augustine, Florida - I'm so happy for them! Here's Carol, one of our SAG drivers taking the requisite dip in the Atlantic. Congratulations to all of them. You can read about some of their journeys on their blogs below.

Cheryl Berman

Phyllis Biegun

Penny Bradley

Mary Kay Engel

Jane Irwin

Genie Lindberg and Barb Selstad

Ellen Martyn

Barbara Minnick

Debbie Smythe

Jan Sward

Clark Taylor

Arda Tole

Cross-Country Southern Tier Bike Tour isn't all about Bicycling

It looks as if the women on our cross-country Southern Tier bike tour do more than just bicycle. Here are some of them in a spontaneous synchronized swimming class....

WomanTours parking space

It's been cold here in Rochester, New York this April, but with the right clothes, I've been able to get out on my bike. Came across my very own parking space on a ride last week.

WomanTours in the News

As our ladies make it across the country on the Southern Tier tour, they're making the front pages of some of the local papers in their stopover towns. They appeared in the Navasota Examiner in Navasota, TX last week. You can read about them here.

Also, a wonderful article about Anne Cowan, who is preparing for our Underground Railroad tour has appeared on page 20 in her local women's magazine. You can read it here or (here if that link doesn't work.)

And lastly, you can read about our chef Linda Baldwin, who is currently working on our Southern Tier tour on page 48 of the May issue of Bicycling Magazine. I can personally vouch for the macaroni and cheese recipe. I made it this weekend and it was delicious. I think it was the nutmeg.

Cross-Country Tour Past Halfway Point

Our cross-country Southern Tier tour is halfway across the country already! They'll be in St. Augustine, Florida before they know it. Here are Kathy, Jan, Kat and Sandra at Emory Pass. At 8828', it's the highest point of the tour. It's all downhill from here - ha ha!

And here are Jeanne and Candace. What did Lance say - it's not about the bike? Jeanne proves him right every day.