Originally Posted by BluesDawg
Stapfam, you are right, that is kind of an unusual position, especially on the road bike. I do a lot of offroad climbig too and I have to move forward to keep the front wheel on the ground on the really steep climbs. But on the road, I have always slid back on the saddle for climbing power and I slide forward, "on the rivet", for fast flat runs.
Going to get technical now. Those fast downhills offroad,and I am talking about in excess of 30degrees, do require that you keep the weight behind the saddle or start somersaulting over the bars. But then when you find that you require steering-the handlebars don't work. You have to lean to get round curves or around trees. Anything less that say 25 degrees and the weight still has to get behind the saddle but providing you are not bouncing around too much- then you can get steering back by getting the body weight forward again-as long as you do not touch the front brake.
Now on those climbs where you are trying to keep the front wheel on the ground- Try them on wet clay or chalk. That is where you have to keep weight back to get traction, but the front lifts so forward on the saddle to get the weight forward and you finish up juggling weight distribution back and forth on the saddle.
Easier way to do it is get the weight for traction and when the front wheel lifts- twist the wrists down. This transfers body weight forward and keeps the front end down. Then as it gets so you lose traction- Twist the wrists back up and the weight gets transferred back again. Doesn't help on the really steep hills though And we have a little pimple called Killer Hill. It kills you walking up it so you don't do it. It is only 200 yards long and you start from a slow speed due to ruts and it gradually gets steeper to about 20%. then just as you think you have had enough- it steepens to 25% but you are tired- got fed up with juggling weight- but there is only 25 yards to go. So you finish the climb and lie down quick before you fall down.
One of the reasons possibly for my forward seating position is that I have short thighs. Only about 1 " shorter than the norm and should not affect my riding position by much but it does. Funnily enough- I have met a few other riders with a similar riding position and some have mentioned the short thigh length. Perhaps it is a local genetic problem but I am not from this part of the south originally so it is not inbreeding either.