European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 28, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A amps photos by John Bohmer for selecting and setting up a Road Bike . Cycling team coach Craig Griffin offers a few guidelines a a make sure you get a Bike that is adjustable. The Bike s Frame should. Generally fit your dimensions. If you have Long legs for instance you May need a Bike with a larger Frame. A when you sit on the Bike put the Crank in the horizontal position. Place your foot on the Forward pedal and assume a Riding position. Viewed from the Side there should be some clearance bet Weening a Bike that fits your Elbow and knee. If there s Gross. Overlap that probably Means the Frame is. Too Small. If the overlap is minor adjustments to the seat and Handlebar will open up the space. A a with the Bike in the same setup use a piece of string with a weight tied to one end. Put the string to the Groove Between your Kneecap and lower leg Bone on the inside of the leg. With your foot on the. Pedal the string should intersect with the Center Pivot of the  while sitting on the Bike put the Crank in the vertical position and drag your foot across the Quot Down Quot pedal. The Heel of your foot should just Graze the pedal. Again look at the position of the seat in relation to the Bike to determine if he Frame is too Small for . A now get a pair of bathroom Scales. In. Full gear and holding your Bike step on one of the Scales and note your total weight. With two assistants put the Bike s wheels on the pair of Scales. While sitting on the Bike in a Normal Riding position determine the weight on each of the Scales. According to Griffin there should be a 45 percent to 55 percent weight a distribution on the front and rear wheels. By moving either the seat or handlebars Forward or backward you should be Able to get the weight distribution to within a few pounds. Griffin acknowledged that pot everyone will be Able to get the optimum setup. When making adjustments to the Bike Start with the seat first he said then the handlebars and never adjust either one More than a half a centimetre at a time. Also Griffin said it s a Good idea to make Only one adjustment at a time so if you re not comfortable with the new position you know where to re adjust. Adhering to the adage Quot if it Ain t broke Don t fix it Quot Griffin said Quot if you re comfortable with your Bike leave it . A John Bohmer Guillermo Rivera watches closely As Craig Griffin adjusts the seat on Rivera s bicycle above. Griffin uses a plumb a to determine proper alignment from the Groove Between the knee Cap and lower leg Bone Down the Confer of the pedal Axle right. R. 1_