first decent (ie more than 4 minutes) ride on the bike today

lancenewman1

after my last post i decided to follow rule number 5 and go out again... just a quick blast around the villages (3 miles) to see how the bike fits etc etc.


now the pedals and leg fitting is perfect, but when i'm riding i seem to be slipping forwards on the seat, hands on the hoods and i'm having to force myself back into the seat. it's been moved forward on the post, i'm starting to think i could need a shorter stem... would that be the first thing to change?

lancenewman1

i might add, this ride was a different world from the other day, still cold air hitting my lungs but no wind blowing me out into the road...

the bike still feels less stable than anything i've previously ridden, but i'm starting to get the hang of it... and now i can finally change gears without having to think about it!

i'm looking forward to tomorrows ride now!

ooermissus

I'd really try not to worry about whether you need to change this or that bit of the bike for a while - just enjoy the ride.

smidsy

Is your saddle level? If it is tilted forwards this will cause you to slide.

The shape of a saddle can be misleading, to level it place a hard backed book across the saddle and then spirit level the book.

lancenewman1

thanks i'll try that.

simon_masterson

smidsy wrote:

Is your saddle level? If it is tilted forwards this will cause you to slide.

The shape of a saddle can be misleading, to level it place a hard backed book across the saddle and then spirit level the book.

This exactly. I wouldn't worry too much about things like stem length just yet - aside from setting everything correctly, you probably aren't yet used to the positioning on a road bike.

Specifically regarding this problem however, I concur with the honourable gent above. There are sophisticated ways to get your seat position optimal, but a good place to start is level, and far back enough that your weight isn't on your arms. (which won't be comfortable)

Have a read of this.

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm

lancenewman1

yeah seat was tilting forward, i've adjusted and i'll see what it's like tomorrow.

team47b

Velcro

nolight

lancenewman1 wrote:

yeah seat was tilting forward, i've adjusted and i'll see what it's like tomorrow.

This should fix it! I had my seat tilted down before and it puts a lot of weight on my arms.