Ergonomic Benefits Of Commuting On Several Bikes?

[bisearoet]

I happen to have ended up with two bikes upon which to commute. The second bought by accident but well loved nonetheless.

What I have found is that if I ride the same bike for more than about three days in a row, I start to get ****ly pains in my legs and back. Whereas if I mix my commute up between the two bikes, I am more comfortable for longer.

The effect seems to be like the advice to change your shoes from day to day rather than wear the same ones all the time. It gives your body a slight change which stops things getting stuck in bad positions.

It has to be said that I have a very picky set of muscles and joints and it doesn't take much to get them twisted. Have other commuters found extra comfort in using more than one bike?

 

[thepieeatingjay]

Yep! Some folks try to make sure all of their bikes are set up identically (which I won't judge), but my bikes have settled into different setups organically, and don't all share the same type of pedal. As a result, I'll use the handlebar positions in different proportions depending on the bike I'm riding, and I'm sure that I recruit muscles in different proportions as well.

 

[blastguardgear]

Sure, "bought by accident..." ... that's what they all say... (n+1)

Joking aside, I am lucky enough to own (and have storage space for) more than one bike. That is a real treat...some folks can't pull that off and I know that I am lucky.

It's not scientific, but anecdotally I think I benefit from changing up my daily driver. Different posture, different muscles used, different gearing, etc.

Not enough to justify running out an buying a second bike, but if you are lucky to have more than one bike, give "bike rotation" a try.

 

[tarverten]

I've got two bikes set up as close as I can get to identical, but it still takes a few miles to settle in when I switch after 2-3 days on the other one. I suspect, but can't prove, that the fact a rider feels better when switching bikes indicates that at least one of them isn't set up quite right.

Though I do switch dress shoes every other day. That's more to give each a chance to dry out, as my feet sweat a lot.

 

[Totalarmordestine]

It's fair to say I'm still developing my position on the bikes, it took buying another bike to make me realise the position I liked as a teenager didn't suit me any more. I'm getting more upright as time goes on and I'm getting the saddle up higher too. Next thing on the list is a saddle with a bit more padding, the current saddles are good for a high intensity ride but don't suit a cruise.

Got my eye on a dutch-style bike if one turns up at the right price. Sadly, they are not that common in the UK.

 

[shadowsupernature]

I definitely agree that it's good for the body to ride a bunch of different bikes that are not all set up exactly the same.

I suppose there might be an ideal setup, but I do not trust any bike designer or fitter to find that ideal setup for a given rider.

 

[joshposh]

It's interesting that you brought the analogy of wearing different shoes. I tend to use just one show until it totally is worn out. Maybe it's just superstition or the fact that once i get use to it then my feet will be contoured to that shoe only. Switching up might affect my performance. Same can be said about bikes. One of your biked might be bad for your body, and they other is letting you heal. So instead of looking at it as switching off make me feel better, try to pin point which bike is actually hurting you and stop using it.