HELP! my arse is on the move

allez24

To be more specific.......took my new spesh allez out for its first spin (and mine on a road bike for nearly 45 yrs....been mountain biking though for the past 12yrs) and my backside moves forward ont saddle so I end up sitting on the nib and have to shuffle back more times than I like. i've changed the stem from 110 to 90 and moved the seat on its rails further forward but my arse wont keep still.......any ideas chaps and chapesses.

many thanks in anticipation.......although i got this orrible feeling i've left myself wide open for one or three smart arse (see that!) suggestions.

SDK2007

Set the saddle straight or tilt it up a little.

sungod

sounds like the bike isn't set up correctly for you

as a guide look at the 8th post in this thread http://www.roadcyclinguk.com/forum/foru ... TN/117624/

jellybellywmb

Sandpaper on your arse, sorted!!

fallingoff

How slippery is it if you're sitting still?
Can you slide back and forth with ease whilst stationary?

fuelex

I had a specialized toupè on one of my bikes that was particularly slippy, ended up changing it for something else.

fallingoff

fallingoff wrote:

How slippery is it if you're sitting still?
Can you slide back and forth with ease whilst stationary?

By that I mean stationary...have you tried "clenching" btw? :oops:

Erudin

Try putting your MTB saddle on it, and flip you stem for upward rise if it's not already to reduce the reach a bit. It might be you just need to adapt to the road bike position, it took me a couple hundred miles riding to get comfortable on a road bike, found some pilates exercises good too. It takes a while to setup a road bike try small adjustments to seat height, brake position etc. until you find what works best.

I also found a wider shallow drop handlebar better, maybe try a compact bar like the FSA Vero.

allez24

have ordered another saddle as the saddle supplied I dont rate (spesh rival 143)...very plasticky.

SUNGOD.....very interesting article and one that has prompted me to investigate my stance on the bike, thanks

FALLINGOFF......not sure I fully understand the term clenching...been away from road bikes for a long time so quite rusty in the terminology and etiquette department.

Monty Dog

Your weight is probably too far forward and over-reaching - you want to get your weight back over the saddle - your saddle might be too high too. Contrary to earlier advice, avoid pitching your saddle nose-up as it can create problems 'down there' as it puts a lot of pressure on the soft tissue - your weight needs to be on the back of the saddle supporting the pelvic bones.

Paul32uk

Not saying this is your problem but I found this happened to me when I first started riding a road bike too. It seems as I stretch my hamstrings more and more and they become loser I am starting to be able to push the saddle back. The tightness of my hams was what caused me to pull forwards. Someone mentioned pilates above and that would do the trick

Pokerface

Monty Dog wrote:

Your weight is probably too far forward and over-reaching - you want to get your weight back over the saddle - your saddle might be too high too. Contrary to earlier advice, avoid pitching your saddle nose-up as it can create problems 'down there' as it puts a lot of pressure on the soft tissue - your weight needs to be on the back of the saddle supporting the pelvic bones.

I found that when I rode a mountain bike, my saddle was tilted ever so slightly DOWN. When I went to road bikes, I used the same saddle angle (down), and found myself also constantly sliding forward.

The OP should, at the very least, ensure that the saddle angle is FLAT. But I've personally found that a degree or two upwards at the front is ideal. Any more than that and the issues 'down there' start to arise.

danowat

I think dumping the saddle this early in is a bit of a knee jerk reaction, if you haven't set it up correctly, then the chances are you may have similar issues with subsequent saddles.

Personally, I think the Spesh saddle is a brilliant saddle, more than comfortable for me for 6+hours in the saddle.

Mine is set perfectly flat (using a spirit level) and that seems to be the best place for it.

briantrumpet

I actually like being able to sit in different places in my saddle (a Specialized Romin), so although I don't 'slide about', with it level it's easy for me to move to a slightly different position. I don't think I'd like a saddle which made me feel 'stuck to one spot'.

I did find (years ago) when I had a saddle that put presssure on the undercarriage that having tilted it nose down a bit to reduce pressure, that I kept on sliding forwards. The romin, with its cut-out, produces no pressure, so is perfectly comfy when absolutely level.

allez24

Well guys plenty of ideas for me to work on there of which i'm grateful for....

many thanks again

pilot_pete

Are you sure the frame size is correct for you? From my experience of bike fit, it starts with the correct sized frame, then adjustments start from the pedals, to the seat height and setback, followed by stem height and length adjustment. So just moving the saddle forward having fitted a shorter reach stem because you are still over-reaching sounds like your top-tube length is simply too big.

Remember, your saddle set-back (distance relative to a vertical line through your bottom bracket) is important for power and efficiency when pedalling as a result of correct weight distribution - so moving the saddle forward because you can't reach the bars comfortably is the wrong way to go about it.

Hope this helps.

PP