Brussels Osteopath
Interactive Guide
Brussels
Cycling Guide
Cobbles, hills and a heavy bag — five fixes for the complaints I see most in Brussels cyclists.
Fixes
5
Setup and habits
Most Common
Saddle Height
Too low, by a long way
Brussels Factor
Cobbles
Vibration and grip tension
1. Get the Saddle Height Right
Targets
Knees and hips — by far the most common fault I see.
How to Do It
- Sit on the saddle with a heel on the pedal at its lowest point: the leg should be almost straight.
- Pedalling normally with the ball of the foot, the knee keeps a slight bend at the bottom.
- Too low overloads the front of the knee; too high makes the hips rock side to side.
- Raise in small steps — a centimetre at a time, over a few rides.
Duration
10 minutes, then reassess after a week
2. Loosen the Grip on the Cobbles
Targets
Hands, forearms, shoulders and neck.
How to Do It
- Brussels cobbles transmit constant vibration; the reflex is to grip harder and brace the shoulders.
- Keep elbows slightly bent, acting as suspension — locked arms send everything to the neck.
- Consciously loosen your grip on rough sections.
- Wider tyres at slightly lower pressure take out a surprising amount of buzz.
Duration
Check in with yourself every few minutes
3. Fix the Commuter's Neck
Targets
Upper traps, neck extensors, base of the skull.
How to Do It
- A bag on one shoulder loads one side for the whole ride — use a rucksack with both straps, or a pannier.
- If your bars are much lower than the saddle, you'll extend the neck to look ahead. Raising the bars is usually the easier fix.
- Shrug and roll the shoulders at every red light.
- Neck ache that starts on the bike and lingers overnight is worth addressing rather than tolerating.
Duration
Every commute
4. Respect the Hills
Targets
Knees, Achilles and lower back on Brussels' gradients.
How to Do It
- Going up: change down early and spin rather than grinding a heavy gear standing up.
- Grinding uphill is where knee and Achilles complaints come from.
- Standing occasionally is fine — standing for the whole climb on a big gear is not.
- Warm up on the flat for a few minutes before the first serious climb.
Duration
Every ride with a hill — which is most of them here
5. Get Off Well, and Move Afterwards
Targets
Hip flexors, held short throughout the ride.
How to Do It
- Cycling holds the hips flexed — if you then sit at a desk all day, they never lengthen.
- Standing hip-flexor stretch, 30 seconds each side, on arrival.
- A short walk after a long ride does more than stretching alone.
- If you commute both ways, the evening stretch matters more than the morning one.
Duration
2 minutes after each ride
After a Fall
Get checked after any fall involving a head impact, loss of consciousness, or pain over the collarbone, wrist or ribs — those need imaging, not manual therapy. Also seek advice for numbness or pins and needles in the hands or groin that persists after riding.
Something niggling since you started commuting by bike? Small setup changes often solve it.
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