[LongSteepDriveway]

so I am constantly expirementing with the correct seat height asnd fore/aft position. I tend to like to mash but am trying to become more of a spinner. I've been riding for about 1 year now and feel my position is to high and saddle too forward. I like the feeling of an almost straight leg on the downstroke however, but sort of think it's too high.

When i lower the saddle of move it back, I tend not to feel as powerful with my legs and they seem to fatigue quicker - silly as its sounds, I actually feel like I am pddling a recumbent, because I feel to far behind the cranks! I have very strong legs (from doing lot's of gym leg work) and also am looking for ways to convert weight room leg strength into cycling leg power/strength.

So any recommendations on saddle height and fore/aft positioning would be welcome as well as bike training to convert the gym strength to cycling power.

thanks,
lst

 

[treebound]

My saddle height gets adjusted during the season/pre-season as my back and legs get into shape. My fore/aft position is usually put so that when my hands are on the brake hoods the front axle is blocked by the handlebars in my line of site. Works for me as a base to adjust from, which happens at least monthly as the season progresses or needs/feeling/conditions dictate.

 

[Henry Chinaski]

Height varies slightly depending on time of year and what kind of shape you're in (when weather conditions are sketchy and I'm in less good shape I like it slighly lower). I see a TON of people with their saddles too high--you can tell cause their hips rock back and forth. Very roughly speaking you have the right height if your leg is totally straight when your heel is on the pedal--that's a good place to start anyway.

Fore/aft if a bit weirder. I have the same setting on all my bikes, and it's the first thing I dial in when I set up a new bike. It's basically where my butt naturally wants to be when I'm riding no hands. For me it's a bit behind KOPS. So I'd say try the no hands thing. Bring an allen on your next ride an experiment.

 

[Dinosaur]

Experiment..

I'm always messing with my saddle position also. What feels good one day with not feel so good the next. I read somewhere that you can determine how much bend you have in your knee by how much it bends when you are riding out of the saddle. They (whoever "they" are) say that is your "natural" knee bend. I kept on raising mine over a period of time and found that I'm about 90% of my inseam length, but I like to ride dead center KOPS. However I don't use KOPS to dial in my saddle anymore. I take a mesurement from the tip of my saddle to the center of my BB, but this has a lot to do about your sta and your saddle. I can get 1 cm further back with one saddle and have the same saddle to bar mesurement, but be 1 cm forward with the same bar to saddle measurement with another saddle. A lot of it has to do about anatomy and pedaling style. I like everything straight and level and lined up on my bike. I just did a lot of tweaking here and there and found out what felt good and what didn't but it took about 2 years (on the "new bike"). If you have someone that is very knowledable about bike fit, have him/her ride with you and check out your position. I have my saddle position dialed in, now I think I need a longer stem. Keep in mind that as your condition improves, so does your set up. Flexibility plays a big role. Check out photos and tapes of the pros, you see a lot of different knee bends out there. It ain't one for all..


P.S.- I started out 5 cm tip of saddle behind center of BB and I'm about 6.5 cm now, 7 cm is about my max. 5cm puts me dead center KOPS, so I'm 2cm back in KOPS if that means anything. Greg Lemond used to ride 10-11 cm back, but he had very strong hams, that's too far back for most of us.

Note- if you make a change do it in very minor increments, 2-3 mm and keep track of your changes. Too many changes at once can lead to injury.

Saddles make a big difference...

 

[bimini]

I'm a spinner and like the seat forward

With the seat forward as far as possible I raise the seat up a bit at a time until my hips rock while down on the drops or down on the aerobars. Once I find the spot where the hips rock I drop the seat back down an eight to a quarter inch so that I have a nice smooth high cadence spin.

I will either get a TT geometry frame or a set forward seatpost this year so I can go forward another inch more. I find I do most of my riding on the tip of the saddle even with the seat full forward.

Fore aft possition is a mater of what feels right to you. For TTs most believe a very forward position is the best but there are some new TT positions with the seat further back.