Bump in the Road

by Natalie Ramsland

I’ve ridden a lot of funky miles on a lot of funky-fitting bikes. That was a long time ago though. Since I began studying bike fit and building my own bikes around my ideal riding position, I just can't go back. I have less use for a bike that doesn’t fit well than a beer snob has for a Michelob Ultra. My bike has to be an extension of my own body. It has to respond to my movements. It has to perform as designed.

And bike design can seem like a pretty static endeavor. Saddle positions and handlebar reach are measured in millimeters. Yes, people get stronger or weaker, more flexible or less flexible, but they don't generally add inches to limbs or torsos.

There is, of course, a key exception to that generalization, and one that I am experiencing first hand. I’m 27 weeks pregnant. How many bike fitters get to undergo such a rapid transformation of her own fit? It’s been strange to see the bikes that have felt so perfect begin to feel downright awkward and uncomfortable. In fact, it has been harder for me to accept temporarily hanging up my road bike than it has been to set aside my favorite pair of jeans. And even though it has been many weeks now since my road bike has done anything remotely zippy, I just didn’t feel ready for the “maternity bike.”

Until last Sunday. I took the A-Line for a mid-morning spin. It was just a commute to the gym, but the sun was shining, the air was cold, and I took it all in. With a slightly more upright position, I could breathe more freely. I felt my shoulders relax. I smiled at dog walkers and nodded to passing bikers. I felt like a one person parade in snazzy sneakers and knee high socks.

By the time I locked up my bike 15 minutes later, I had the familiar feeling of well-being that bike rides usually bring me. It was a feeling of lightness and ease that I had looked for on my road bike and rediscovered on the A-Line. Perhaps the real discovery was something that I knew all along. Bike fit is dynamic, not static. The relationship between a body and a bike is not encoded in millimeters and angles but rather, it is played out through movement. With all of the changes to my body and to my life that are ahead of me, I know that my relationship with my bikes will continue to change as well. The part that I will hold onto is the joy of the ride, no matter what I am riding, where I am heading, or how fast I get there.

Thanks for sharing, Natalie!  And we wish you all the best with your pregnancy and with welcoming your new little cyclist into your life.  You're in for the most wonderful ride of your life!

xo Kathleen, Families on Bikes