Adjustments....

Schoie81

For a while now I've felt that my saddle wasn't quite right - out on the bike I kept having to shuffle back on the saddle, so I finally remembered today to shift it forward a little. I only moved it 2mm, but it feels better. However, my feet now don't feel quite right on the pedals and when I was riding, every now and again I got a little bit of pain in my feet and once or twice in my knee. All fine after the ride though. So...do I need to adjust my cleats to compensate for the new saddle position, and if so, do I move the cleats back so my foot is further forward on the pedal? Alternatively, is it just a case of a slightly new position and I need to give it time for me to get used to it - should I leave it as it is now for a few rides and see if it settles down?

simonj

If seat goes back you need to lower seat, if forward then up. To get my seat height right, I unclip, put my heels on the pedals and pedal, if my bum rocks my seat is too high. In doing this I found I quite often have my seat a little too high. I then get my fore aft position right by trying to get my balance right, so whist riding along, I put my clipped in feet at 3-9 O'clock and then whilst on he hoods and without moving my body take my hands off the bars a little, if I can hold my weight without too much effort I'm balanced, if I fall forward I need to push my seat back (and down a bit) to balance my weight better. Kind of goes against the KOPS rule, but I prefer the balance way and figure I'll put less strain on my wrists and lower back.

fatsmoker

I raised my seat about 1cm a few weeks back, crikey, it made a massive difference to speed and comfort

Schoie81

Thanks guys, will try adjusting the height too and see how I get on. To be honest, now you've said that, raising the saddle a little does feel like it might help.

ai_1

If you're sliding forward it's more likely to be an issue with the bar position than the saddle. If the reach to your bar is too long you will find yourself sliding forward and if this is the cause then moving the saddle forward is the wrong fix. It could be either but don't assume it's the saddle position.

simonj

Or tilt. To work out if seat or bars need moving I do the 9-3 O'Clock balance thing first as not everyone has same proportions.

Schoie81

Well now what I thought was a five minute, simple adjustment to solve my problem has become much more complicated!! I'll check my saddle height is right now and then try your balance thing Simon. See how that goes.... I'm pretty sure the tilt angle of the saddle is ok.

Safe to say thought that my cleats should stay where they are though? I did think that'd be the case as the cleat position is more about my foot's position in relation to the pedal, isn't it...

drlodge

Ai_1 wrote:

If you're sliding forward it's more likely to be an issue with the bar position than the saddle. If the reach to your bar is too long you will find yourself sliding forward and if this is the cause then moving the saddle forward is the wrong fix. It could be either but don't assume it's the saddle position.

I'd say if you're sliding forward, it could well be that you saddle needs to be moved back. With your legs bent (as when you pedal) your bum is acting as a counterbalance to your torso, so your bum should be sufficiently rearwards to almost totally counterbalance your torso. If you're bum is not back enough, you will rotate forwards onto the bars and slide forwards.

simonj

That's exactly what I found, I have short legs and long torso for my height, so end up having the seat much further back than I ever thought I'd need. Had I just put on a longer stem to accommodate my long torso I'd not be balanced and putting too much weight on my wrists to support my torso. After having back ache after longer rides, many said shorter stem as I must be stretching too far, when in fact it was the opposite it was in fact my seat needed to go back, effectively making my reach longer but my overall balance better. I think the whole thing is a series of compromises and people need to work out what works for them, but at the same time understand the mechanics of what they are doing so they can adjust themselves and also do a bit of trial and error.

Schoie81

Well having looked a bit closer, I think there may have been an issue with the saddle tilt, it was tilted slightly downwards at the front so I've put the saddle back where it was, and lifted the front a little. I've also checked the height using your heel on pedal suggestion and checked how I'm balanced on the saddle. All seems ok, so I'll see how that goes on my ride tomorrow. I've just had a read through Peter Jon White's 'How to Fit a Bicycle' so your comments about moving back for more balance make sense now. I'll see how I go and maybe try moving it back a bit more if I'm still having trouble.

Mikey23

Or you could spend a few quid and have a professional bike fit.

simonj

Great, as I say quite a bit of trial an error so take relevant tools on your ride so you can adjust as you go along if needed. I normally have a little preset mini Ritchey Torque tool, very useful.

If your mechanically minded like me you may prefer to know how a bike and body works together and how it fits, but if that doesn't suite you a bike fit is an option. Some people swear by them, but others have had mixed results. I personally find that knowing what feels right and wrong and why and knowing what I can do to fix it is quite satisfying. I am the sort of person that likes to know how most things work though.

Schoie81

If it was just a few quid I might think about it...

Yes Simon, I agree, I much prefer being able to know what's happening and to adjust things myself. I've read varying reports on bike fits with some saying they're the best money they've ever spent, others saying they had to undo every adjustment that was made. If I was thinking of cycling competitively I might have one done - but my 'competition' is only ever with myself. I'm generally happy with my set up though and I don't have any big issues really. I'm just looking to fine tune it and a bit of trial and error is fine as far as I'm concerned. I have been making more effort to improve how I cycle, and as such my climbing, descending and especially my cornering has improved over recent months, but paying more attention whilst out on the bike has led me to notice I keep having to shuffle backwards every now and again, so just looking to stop that! Always have my tools with me so I can adjust most parts of the bike whilst out on the road if necessary.

Schoie81

simonj wrote:

Or tilt.

Thanks for this Simon - the best two words any one has said to me since I started riding a road bike! After a closer look my saddle was tipping down a bit at the front, tilted back up again before my ride last night and its made an instant difference - no more shuffling back on the seat needed and I can tell I'm better balanced by a noticeable decrease in the amount my arms are supporting me. I've also moved the saddle back a little to see if that improves things further. :-) Great advice!