Seat post clamp rubbing inner thigh

neilo23

I've found several threads on the internet regarding this (including one here which was inconclusive) but have yet to find a solution. No harm in trying here again.

It's been a problem on all of my bikes which have had different frame sizes and shapes, saddles and seat post clamps. It only happens on one side as can be seen by the fuzzy patch on every pair of bibs I've ever had. The only thing I can see that would work is moving my saddle forwards but seeing as my preferred terrain is hilly this puts me in a position which is much further forward than I would like (and using the basic set-up technique my knee is quite a bit in front of the axle when the pedals is in the 3 o'clock position).

I'm certainly not a big fella so it's not a case of my thighs being so huge that they rub the clamp.
My saddle is a standard Selle SLR which isn't the problem anyway as it's definitely the seat post clamp.
The clamp itself is pretty unobtrusive. It's just that my inner right thigh constantly brushes against it.

Any ideas other than putting my seat further forward than I want to?

DiscoBoy

If the only problem is the bibshort wear, then I would put some heli tape over the clamp to make it smooth.

You must have an odd pedal stroke, though...

neilo23

DiscoBoy wrote:

If the only problem is the bibshort wear, then I would put some heli tape over the clamp to make it smooth.

You must have an odd pedal stroke, though...

I'm a bit lopsided in general :-)

Apparently, according to a few people who should know, my pedal stroke is very smooth.

jkboxall

DiscoBoy wrote:

...my pedal stroke is very smooth.

Thats what she said..

neilo23

jkboxall wrote:

DiscoBoy wrote:

...my pedal stroke is very smooth.

Thats what she said..

I stroke my pedal very effectively

foggymike

Have you tried a compact frame like a Giant? The seat post clamp is lower down and out the way. An aero (narrower) post and clamp design will help too.

neilo23

foggymike wrote:

Have you tried a compact frame like a Giant? The seat post clamp is lower down and out the way. An aero (narrower) post and clamp design will help too.

My frame is relatively compact (Wilier Gran Turismo) but I also have the same problem with my old-school steel winter bike.

I've just put my saddle forward a bit and I'll take it out for a spin. One of my legs is slightly longer than the other which I see by the way the cuff on my trousers hangs a bit lower and scuffs the ground more on one side, but I'm not that wonky. It's a puzzle and annoying as it messes up expensive bibs.

Monty Dog

Is it a removable clamp - can you turn it 180 degrees? Alternatively, try an aftermarket replacement - seatpost clamps come in standard sizes - there are some carbon fibre ones that are very low profile.

Old_Timer

Along the line of the question about the design of your seat post clamp, is the contact with the clamp itself or is the bolt's head sticking out enough from the clamp body to contact your inner thigh? A different clamp with a flush blot head could help you out some. Even doing some research at a home improvement center or an industrial supply store (not sure what these are called in the UK) for a different bolt design. There are many different heads available for bolts, depending on the application. Hope you can find a solution, if you wear expensive kit this could get serious with the £ spent on replacements.

goonz

Can you raise the seat at all? Where is the wear on the bibs?

Sounds like you would be sitting really low down?

Or is this just a boast post about how large your thighs are?

neilo23

Here's a pic of said clamp. It doesn't prodrude much and all edges are smooth. My thigh only rubs against it on one side which suggests that the problem is due to my body more than to the bike. As said, it happens on other bikes and set-ups as well. And no, my thighs are not what you could call massive

feltkuota

I can't offer a solution because I cannot understand how it is possible to be rubbing the seatpost whilst riding.

neilo23

Ok boys and girls, here's what you've been waiting for: the raunchy crotch shots.



It rubs when my leg is at the bottom of the stroke.



In this pic there's a small gap, when when I'm riding the wobbling (for want of a better word) of my thigh causes the rubbing.







A nice pic of where I rode to today to cleanse your minds of my inside thigh :-D

goonz

Ah ok so you have one of those fancy seatposts. Why do you have such a fancy seatpost though? Whats wrong with the slim normal types?

Surely that would not catch your thigh? Your clamp is double the height of a normal one?

littledove44

Your seat is too high.

goonz

Hardly

neilo23

littledove44 wrote:

Your seat is too high.

The pic was taken after I'd raised it half an inch to see if that would help.

neilo23

neilo23 wrote:

littledove44 wrote:

Your seat is too high.

The pic was taken after I'd raised it half an inch to see if that would help.

And it wasn't and still isn't too high :-)

littledove44

neilo23 wrote:

neilo23 wrote:

littledove44 wrote:

Your seat is too high.

The pic was taken after I'd raised it half an inch to see if that would help.

And it wasn't and still isn't too high :-)

Really? Almost straight leg with heel above horizontal. Anyone got a photoshop angle measurer?

philwint

Seat a bit too far back maybe? If it were an inch further forward you leg might miss the clamp completely? Though would obviously affect your fit.

neilo23

I'm putting the saddle back down to where it was as it didn't help. The picture is deceptive: when I'm actually pedalling my leg isn't as straight as it looks on the photo. I'm constantly checking my reflection in shop windows when I ride :-)

I moved the saddle forward by about an inch before the pics were taken and the position still felt ok. I'll try moving it a bit more tomorrow. Think it's all that could really help but as you said, I don't want to change my position too much.

paul_onabike

From the limited view in your pictures, it looks as though you might benefit by using cleat shims or shoe inserts to straighten your leg alignment a little. Is there a decent bike fitter near you who could advise you. Your ankles appear to be rotating inwards from vertical, which can cause your knees to track inwards when pedaling. Check out the Specialized BG shoe and footbed web pages, as it will give you a little info on the subject.

neilo23

Paul Onabike wrote:

From the limited view in your pictures, it looks as though you might benefit by using cleat shims or shoe inserts to straighten your leg alignment a little. Is there a decent bike fitter near you who could advise you. Your ankles appear to be rotating inwards from vertical, which can cause your knees to track inwards when pedaling. Check out the Specialized BG shoe and footbed web pages, as it will give you a little info on the subject.

Thanks for the input, Paul. I do have flat feet and (not sure if it's due to having flat feet) I do sometimes suffer from pain on the ball of the outside of my foot (the joint connecting my little toe to my foot). I think this has caused me to subconsciously try to relieve pressure in that area by moving my knees in. I'm also a heels-in rider:my toes point outwards if I do the kneeling on the couch test or let my legs hang from a table. I need a bit of play in my pedals to avoid knee pain.

I'll have a look on the Specialized site. Thanks for your help

Old_Timer

One suggestion, install the pedal spacers available and see if the extra width helps out. Unless you are really knock-kneed this may help out in getting the thigh away from the seat post clamp. Don't use really long spacers though, your hips and knees could complain about the changes if they are drastic. Just a random thought in a empty space called my cranium. :roll:

neilo23

Old_Timer wrote:

One suggestion, install the pedal spacers available and see if the extra width helps out. Unless you are really knock-kneed this may help out in getting the thigh away from the seat post clamp. Don't use really long spacers though, your hips and knees could complain about the changes if they are drastic. Just a random thought in a empty space called my cranium. :roll:

Do you mean cleat spacers or for the pedal axle? My heels do sometimes knock against a chainstay but very rarely. I'm not that bow-legged :-D

Old_Timer

Neil,
Not a cleat spacer, there are spacers for the pedal itself.I believe they are called extenders, they thread on the spindle and move the pedal out a few mm from the crank arm, if you aren't familiar with them, not trying to be a smart ass or anything here I was actually thinking the opposite of bowlegged, more the knock-kneed thing that would bring your thigh closer in. Just grasping at straws here for a solution for you. The cost of kit now days makes me shudder at the idea I was wearing it out faster than the norm.

I hadn't thought about the shims for cleats until I read the reply that recommended them, they could help a bit, I suppose. I'd be careful about them and the pedal spacers too as both change your position. Solving one problem by creating a worse one isn't what anyone wants.