The correct interface between rider and bike is a crucial foundation
for developing good, or even great, riding skills. The key is
to sort out your three contact points: the saddle; pedals; brakes
and handle bars. The set up of your saddle and pedals primarily
effect "power" while the handle bars are (obviously) all about
control.
1.
Sit on it
Seat height is all about pedalling efficiency and has nothing to do with
being able to touch the ground while sitting in the saddle. To find the
right height - put on your party dress - err no I mean your cycling shoes,
leap on your bike, prop yourself against a handy wall and place one heel
on the pedal at its lowest point while keeping your pelvis square on
the saddle. Your leg should be straight. Now try back pedaling with both
heels resting on the pedals. The whole arrangement is a bit high if your
pelvis rocks from side to side with each stroke.
 There's
an allen bolt under your seat to adjust its angle. Men tend to
find a horizontal setting most comfortable, whereas women prefer
to angle the nose down slightly.
 The
same bolt lets the saddle slide backwards and forwards on its
rails - the central position is about right for most people.
For techno freaks, spin your cranks to the horizontal position
and use a plumb bob to line up the back of your knee cap with
the ball of your foot.
Choose a comfortable saddle. It's an individual thing requiring
trial and hopefully not too much error. Beware of the big softie.
Shape, base material and rail flex determine comfort - not the
amount of foam on top. Women should consider a specific women's
model. There are an increasing number on the market - they tend
to be narrower in the front, softer in the nose and wider at
the back to better suit a women's pelvis shape. Be careful it's
not so wide that you cannot easily slide over the back of the
seat for steep descents.
2.
Power to the Pedals
The secret to efficient pedalling is an even cadence, pushing down on
one pedal while pulling up with the opposite one. Tightening your toe
straps helps achieve this. The ultimate solution though is to score some
clipless pedals. You click in and out of these a bit like a ski binding.
They can be a bit daunting to come to grips with but I reckon are worth
an extra gear, or about 10%, in pedalling power. When setting up your
cleats or toe clips, you want the pedal spindle to be under the ball
of your foot.
Cycling shoes have a stiff sole which effectively provides a
large platform to push on, allowing you to comfortably apply
plenty of power to the pedals. They're a must if you go for clipless
pedals.
Cranks come in different lengths - the standard is 175mm. Riders
with shorter legs should consider 170mm cranks which require
less flexion and extension of your leg muscles to complete a
rotation.
3.
Hang in there
One finger braking. With modern brakes you only need to use one or at
the most two fingers to arrest the progress of your lively mount. Think
of your hands performing two independent functions:
 Controlled
riding in difficult terrain is only possible by performing these
two functions independently. You'll probably need to move your
brakes towards the centre of the bars so your inside fingers
can easily grab the brake at the outside for maximum leverage.
This can make combination brake/gear shifters slightly more difficult
to reach but is an acceptable compromise in my opinion.
  Brake
lever angle - try them angled down at about 45° to begin
with, then jump on your bike and work the brakes - adjust them
up or down until it feels most comfortable.
If you have smaller hands then adjust the brake levers closer
to the handle bars by tightening the bolt under the brake mechanism.
The distance from saddle to handle bars should be comfortable,
ie. not too cramped or over stretched when riding. This distance
will be correct if you have the right size frame. It can be adjusted
with different length stems but this does change the bike's handle.
Keep within a range of 110-130mm..
Your handle bars should be around 25-75mm lower than the top
of your seat (lower bars are better for hill climbing, higher
is better for descending and is more comfortable for your back).
Adjust handle bar height by using a stem with a different rise
(-5° to 25°) or placing spacers under the stem. An
easy option for raising the height is to use downhill bars.
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