How to move your handlebars back and forth on your Peloton and get the most comfort out of your bike.
The Peloton is a fantastic spin bike. It can bring so much to people. Not only will it help you get fitter and healthier, but it can also completely change your lifestyle, adding something else to focus on and something to look forward to. I have been spinning for years, and never did I ever think a machine like this could become a reality. The Peloton has helped so many, and the community of spinners continues to grow and evolve constantly.
Though it doesn’t come without its flaws, one thing is the machine’s functionality. As a spin instructor and a bike fitter myself, one of the biggest questions I get is about moving the handlebars back and forth, and the simple answer is they don’t, and this isn’t rare. Most bikes don’t have this ability. It is seen more in lower-end cycles than higher-end bikes. This makes it challenging to get the perfect position for users and comfort those longer rides.
By not holding the bars in the right place and creating too much lean forward to too much lean backward, this changes the angles of the hips and the angles at the elbows and the shoulders. In turn, this can make you feel uncomfortable all over the body, even in your legs sometimes. Comfort is one of the most significant issues why people stop riding their Peloton, and it’s a lot easier to fix than you might think. In this article, I want to introduce you to a product that can solve this issue of the Peloton handlebars and give you some recommendations on improving comfort and getting the most comfort out of your Peloton. Introducing the Handlebar Adjuster for the Peloton bike.
How it works
The Handlebar adjuster is a bracket that splits up your handlebars and adds two sliders giving you the option to move the handlebars back and forward. It’s a brilliant design, and it also is straightforward to take on and off depending on if you have any warranty issues. It has four mounting points and will take about 20 minutes to put on the bike, and this can be done by yourself. It gives you the option to move the handlebars three inches forward and three inches back. It comes with a year’s warranty, and the sliders work smoothly and efficiently. This model is for the Peloton original, but they will be releasing it for a Peloton plus very soon. Where to find it? This product is available on Amazon and can be found here.
Benefits
The benefits of being able to move your handlebars back and forth are huge. Not only are you able to get a proper, correct fit, but it also gives you the option for others to use the bike comfortably. As a bike fitter myself, when fitting clients to Pelotons, the biggest issue I have is if people are exceptionally tall or relatively short, the reach to the handlebars usually is wrong. This also is much the same for people of an average height. So let’s talk about the benefits of the correct position on the bike.
Efficiency
Being in the correct position will make you faster. Sitting correctly will help you with power transfer and give your body the ability to be more efficient when pressing down on the pedals.
Comfort
Being more comfortable will help you focus more on the ride. It will also give you the ability to stay on the bike for much longer. If you can stay on long, you get to train more and also get more training and have the ability to burn more calories and work in lower zones, for example, fat burning zones, more effectively.
Distribution of pressure
Being able to move your handlebars forward and back also help you also adjust the height of the handlebars more freely, being able to do this helps you distribute pressure from hand to saddle meaning if you are having issue anywhere, for example, feeling very saddle sore, you can take the stress off these points of contact.
Tips to get more comfortable on your Peloton
Peloton Bike Fit
Although you might not spend long on the bike during each session, getting a bike fit, either online or in-person, will go a long way to helping you feel better on your Peloton. Many of my clients have gone from feeling very tender after half an hour to feeling fine after doing two-hour sessions. They usually take a couple of hours, and the fit is transferable to any bike you have. It’s not only a good investment for you, Peloton, but if you ever plan to ride a bike outside as well, you can take these measurements across.
Padded Shorts
I know it might seem like padded shorts could be overkill, but it does help the comfort when it comes to your backside. They collect sweat much better and leave a soft cushion for you to ride on. They are very hygienic and are cheap to buy. If you are looking for an excellent set for the Peloton, you can find some recommendations here…
Saddles
Saddles are unique to every rider. Just because it works for most people doesn’t mean it will work for you. The best advice I can give when it comes to saddles is to give it a couple of weeks to use before changing and try getting used to it first. If that doesn’t work, here are our recommendations on different saddles to use.
Not going to strong
It’s really easy to want to jump into the longer Peloton spinning sessions straight away when building up to them really will help you feel much more comfortable. Starting at 15 minutes, then 30 minutes, 45 minutes finally to 60 minutes plus. Once you get started, you can also follow some of the indoor cycling programs I have written recently.
The Final Verdict
Cycling for us is not a natural movement for our bodies. Still, with practice, it does become one, giving the riding time and making sure that you’re doing everything you can to make it comfortable will be everything, and before you know it, you will be doing long endurance sessions with no issues.
