road bike handling
formerlyknownasbonj
Posts: 483
I recently lowered my seat because I think it was aggrevating my knee slightly, and I'm sure now that my bike doesn't handle as well as it used to. Trouble is I'm not 100% convinced lowering the seat is the cause, and i'm not really sure what is. Other things have changed since then. It is windier, and I have also put different tyres on.
I lowered the seat by 10mm and the bars by 5mm.
I'm pretty sure it is better for my knee, so I'm reluctant to just put it back how it was - although there is a nagging thought that my knee problem was nothing to do with seat height and it was just a random injury that now just happens to have healed. Very difficult to be scientifically fair!
It's hard to explain how it's worse but it feels more 'wallowy'. Like I need to be concentrating more, as if it's not as sharp.
I've thought of several things that could be to blame:
1) lower seat height
2) lower bar height
3) lower seat to bar ratio (I only lowered the bars by 5mm and the seat 10mm
4) either one or both wheels out of true
5) different tyres (come winter I changed PR3 for GP4S)
6) cracked frame
7) windy
8 ) imagining it, or i've just not had long enough to get used to the changes yet
I'm pretty sure it's definitely not (6) as I've looked round the bottom bracket area in great detail, and in other places, and can't see anything untoward, only immaculate welds (it's Ti). What's more i'm sure i would probably know about it if it was?
I doubt it's (4), as a rudimentary 'beteen-brake-blocks' truing test shows them to be definitely no more than 1mm laterally, probably no more than 0.5mm. I'm not really sure about radial, although I would guess they're probably no worse (they're open pros on hope pro3, 36/28, probably done about 10,000 miles).
My money's on either 1, 3, 5 or 7 - although I would prefer it to be a combination of 7 and 8.
Also of note might be that I *have* been professionally fitted, by hewitts, and my setup is still pretty much exactly the same as that with the exception that my seat height is slightly lower as I mainly do long distance as opposed to racing-type cycling.
Would be grateful for opinions on which of my theories on the handling issue is most likely, or for people to pitch in with others - and tips on how i might solve it without re-introducing my knee problem.
I lowered the seat by 10mm and the bars by 5mm.
I'm pretty sure it is better for my knee, so I'm reluctant to just put it back how it was - although there is a nagging thought that my knee problem was nothing to do with seat height and it was just a random injury that now just happens to have healed. Very difficult to be scientifically fair!
It's hard to explain how it's worse but it feels more 'wallowy'. Like I need to be concentrating more, as if it's not as sharp.
I've thought of several things that could be to blame:
1) lower seat height
2) lower bar height
3) lower seat to bar ratio (I only lowered the bars by 5mm and the seat 10mm
4) either one or both wheels out of true
5) different tyres (come winter I changed PR3 for GP4S)
6) cracked frame
7) windy
8 ) imagining it, or i've just not had long enough to get used to the changes yet
I'm pretty sure it's definitely not (6) as I've looked round the bottom bracket area in great detail, and in other places, and can't see anything untoward, only immaculate welds (it's Ti). What's more i'm sure i would probably know about it if it was?
I doubt it's (4), as a rudimentary 'beteen-brake-blocks' truing test shows them to be definitely no more than 1mm laterally, probably no more than 0.5mm. I'm not really sure about radial, although I would guess they're probably no worse (they're open pros on hope pro3, 36/28, probably done about 10,000 miles).
My money's on either 1, 3, 5 or 7 - although I would prefer it to be a combination of 7 and 8.
Also of note might be that I *have* been professionally fitted, by hewitts, and my setup is still pretty much exactly the same as that with the exception that my seat height is slightly lower as I mainly do long distance as opposed to racing-type cycling.
Would be grateful for opinions on which of my theories on the handling issue is most likely, or for people to pitch in with others - and tips on how i might solve it without re-introducing my knee problem.
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Comments
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It could well be reasons 7 and 8.
moving the saddle by 10mm in one go is quite a jump, maybe put it back up 5mm.2019 Ribble CGR SL
2015 Specialized Roubaix Sport sl4
2014 Specialized Allez Sport0 -
What was the knee problem you solved with lower saddle - I have always found this locatio of pain and cause table very accurate
http://www.cptips.com/knee.htm0 -
it was anterior, but more at the top than the bottom.wishitwasallflat wrote:What was the knee problem you solved with lower saddle - I have always found this locatio of pain and cause table very accurate
http://www.cptips.com/knee.htm
I see lots of claims on the internet that anterior pain is due to having the seat too high, and posterior of having it too low (mostly), but quite a few that say the opposite, so i'm not really sure what to believe.
One thing I read is that the quad muscles fire in sequence on the downstroke, and the 'least parallel' fires last, only when the leg is nearly straight (e.g. more than 150deg angle) , but it's this one that pulls the patella to one side, so having the seat too high makes this muscle's effect too prevalent and causes 'patellar maltracking' (apparently the patella moving outside of its normal grooves.)
One thing that I think might well be the cause of it is that the seat height itself doesn't make a difference (within the range I've adjusted it), but having it lower forces me to spin at a faster cadence, which *does* have an effect. It might be a case of just having it 5mm higher as andy says but trying to consciously spin faster than I feel I need to - which is what I think i'm going to try.0 -
9) When you lowered the bars you affected the headet edjustment, now the steering is stiffer ?0
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andy_wrx wrote:9) When you lowered the bars you affected the headet edjustment, now the steering is stiffer ?
good idea - definitely worth checking. I doubt it, as I know how tight to do the top cap - i.e. not very, but still i'll have a look. What's possibly slightly more likely (but still not that likely) is that some cable is now too tight, so i'll chekc that as well.
thanks.0
