Saddle as far forward as possible. Is it ok to do this?

dubcat

I've had a suspicion for a while that my bike is set up all wrong so after reading the guide on bike radar I decided to make some adjustments. In order to get my saddle such that placing my elbow against the front of the saddle my longest finger is half way up the stem I have to move the saddle to its absolute forward most position. Is it ok to ride the saddle like this?

richardjiles

Dubcat wrote:

I've had a suspicion for a while that my bike is set up all wrong so after reading the guide on bike radar I decided to make some adjustments. In order to get my saddle such that placing my elbow against the front of the saddle my longest finger is half way up the stem I have to move the saddle to its absolute forward most position. Is it ok to ride the saddle like this?

Take a picture, when you say all the way forward it can mean two things

If your bike saddle rails have these markings then follow them, are you within these?
Take note of the "max" marking, showing how far you can put these forward for this particular seat

dubcat

I did not see any markings but I will check again tomorrow. What I mean is that I have had to push the nose/front of the saddle as far towards the handle bars as I can and the bracket underneath is touching the curve of the rails at the back of the saddle.

paul.skibum

It's OK but not ideal as long as you are not outside the max lines (if they exist - if they dont just dont clamp onto the bend).

Is your seat post a layback (ie the post comes up from the bike then there is a backward kink or offset before the clamp positioning the clamps behind the seat post). If so you may want to consider an inline post where the clamp sites directly atop the seatpost and which will allow you to have the saddle in the same position as you have it now but without it being mounted off centre on the rails.

You can get a pretty cheap one to try it out.

What problem with your bike are you seeking to resolve with this revised saddle position?

nicklouse

Dubcat wrote:

I've had a suspicion for a while that my bike is set up all wrong so after reading the guide on bike radar I decided to make some adjustments. In order to get my saddle such that placing my elbow against the front of the saddle my longest finger is half way up the stem I have to move the saddle to its absolute forward most position. Is it ok to ride the saddle like this?

old skool set up.

that went out years ago unless we are talking for a road bike.

yes it can be a fair guide to get started but is normally wrong for many MTBs.

but if you have moved the saddle forward an inline seat post would help. if you have moved it back a layback post may help.

But how does it feel and what felt wrong before?

benpinnick

As Nicklouse says, that method of set up doesnt work for MTBs, as stem length and bar rise are important factors in the handling of a bike, which then dictates (to a certain extent) saddle position. Weight distribution is much more important on an MTB too, so putting your saddle forward will not give you optimal weight distribution. You'd be better off getting a shorter stem and maybe rolling your bars back a little.

YeehaaMcgee

Also, the knee-plumbob thing doesn't work on MTBs

dubcat

Bah the knee plumbob thing was my next move after reading that the elbow to longest finger method is no good What is the best way to do this? I am not experienced enough to know what is 'right' and what is 'wrong'. I wouldn't know a good feel if it hit me in the face really.

I want to get this right because my bike was bolted together for me by Evans and then I went and picked it up. I did not know anything about bike fitting and then when I found out about it I was too lazy to do anything. Now I have a big ride coming up and I want to get the fit right as much as i can.

I have always felt stretched out on my bike. When going down hills I always feel like i can not get back further off the back of my seat and this makes me unstable. In addition to this I was riding the other day and i sat really far forward on my seat and pedalling felt much nicer, almost like my knees were underneath me rather than out in front of me. It felt like this kind of position would be sustainable for longer and put less stress on my knees.

To set height I straightened my leg with my heel on the pedal with the pedal being in its lowest position. Is that right?

Can anyone guide me to an accurate diy method to get saddle position (height and fore/aft position)?

Thanks,
Dub

nicklouse

have read of http://sheldonbrown.com/beginners/index.html

YeehaaMcgee

Dubcat wrote:

Bah the knee plumbob thing was my next move after reading that the elbow to longest finger method is no good What is the best way to do this? I am not experienced enough to know what is 'right' and what is 'wrong'. I wouldn't know a good feel if it hit me in the face really.

Ah, but you would know a "bad" feel.

To be honest, at first glance, it sounds like the bike may be too long, however, it may also be that you just aren't used to it.
Could you post a picture of you on the bike, side on? Maybe we can see if there is a problem, and if so, what the solution is then - as you say yourself, you have very little experience, so you may be barking up the wrong tree - no offence.

As for the sitting behind the pedals thing, that's common on MTBs. All seat tubes angle away from the BB area, some significantly so.
This may sound strange until you get the hang of it, but try to pedal by pushing forwards and down, rather than vertically down, so that the power comes on at a 1 o'clock to 4 o'clock angle of the crank, then use your body weight to get the last bit of the downward revolution.
By bracing yourself with the handlebar you can get a lot of force this way, and you're not trying to lift your bodyweight with every pedal revolution.

benpinnick

For height of seat post, I prefer to put the ball of my foot on the pedal, and drop the heel while keeping your leg straight. You should be able to drop your heal to the point that you couldn't go any further - i.e. stand feet flat on the ground, and lift your toes - the angle you stop at is the same as the angle you should be able to get when on the pedals, this gives you maximum flexibility on the bike, while still being efficient.

For the fore / aft adjustment, thats about where your bum fits on the saddle more than anything. When riding, start with the saddle in the middle. Your 'sit' bones, need to feel comfy with the wider part of the saddle. If you find you ride too much on the nose, bring it forward, hanging off the back, bring it back. Somewhere it will feel natural.

Also play around with the angle, I prefer a tiny drop on the front relative to the back, as this gives me better 'drive' with something to push against. People who like to jump and DH generally prefer the other way, so they can hang off the back more.