Road Cycling - fore/aft saddle positioning.

hi all,

I have put about 900 miles on my new bianchi and I still cannot seem to get the fore/aft position on the saddle correct.
Ive been fitted so I know the top tube length is correct.... but it (saddle position) still didnt feel right after the fitting, Ive read countless articles from dropping plumb lines from your knee to who knows what else....
what is a good way to determine this?

It seems like when I have my saddle back farther I have to reach a bit too far to get to the bars and when my saddle is up farther my knees and upper shin muscles hurt after pedaling?

I cannot seem to strike a good balance....any suggestions? Oh and I have a post with layback if that makes much difference.

The KOP position with plumb bob and all the other theory is a place to start.You then fine tune it to your preference.Moving the saddle for and aft large amounts is not the way to get proper fit.You may need a different stem for correct length and bar height.You may also meed moe saddle time and conditioninfg and flexibility.

Originally posted by pokey
The KOP position with plumb bob and all the other theory is a place to start.You then fine tune it to your preference.Moving the saddle for and aft large amounts is not the way to get proper fir.You may need a different stem for correct length and bar height.You may also meed moe saddle time and conditioninfg and flexibility.

Stem is ok, it was swapped in the fitting....it may be a conditioning issue... however, have you experienced sore upper shin muscles close to the knee while riding? Does this mean the saddle is too far forward? Seat too low perhaps?

If I'm hearing you right, I supect a shorter stem would help.

You are saying that when you move the seat forward it cause pain, if so it is in the wrong place.

If you move the seat back the pain goes away so this has to be the better seat position. But with the seat in this position you are to far back to be comfortable, which means the stem is too long.

Just because some yahoo has a Trek Tshirt on does make him absolutely right......It has got to be right for you.

could pain on the front knee also be a cause of saddle-too-high??

Originally posted by 1oldRoadie
If I'm hearing you right, I supect a shorter stem would help.

You are saying that when you move the seat forward it cause pain, if so it is in the wrong place.

If you move the seat back the pain goes away so this has to be the better seat position. But with the seat in this position you are to far back to be comfortable, which means the stem is too long.

Just because some yahoo has a Trek Tshirt on does make him absolutely right......It has got to be right for you.

Good point, let me put it this way:

when the seat is back a bit more my hands reach the hoods fairly comfortably but they arent fully 'in' the hoods, more like halfway....i have to move forward a bit to actually get my hand fully in the hood and this feels a little stretched....it could just be that I still need to ride more. Currently I only get a chance to ride about 12 miles after work and about 50-60 on the weekends... I dont get any pain when I ride except if my seat is more forward; then I get the stressed upper shin muscles.

Originally posted by Guillermo
could pain on the front knee also be a cause of saddle-too-high??

Guillermo,

I have thought of this.....to size my saddle height I sat on the saddle shoe less with leg fully extended and the crank at the lowest point (6 o'clock)....the flat of my foot touches the pedal ok, so when I wear my shoes I get a slight bend at the knee...I think its ok, but I still end up fidgeting with the saddle height it seems like what feels good one day, doesnt work the next sometimes. are yo aware of any other methods of saddle height sizing?

I've heard slews of bike sizing methods recently, but the most common for saddle height seems to be placing your heel at the 6 O'clock crank position, then adjusting the saddle so that your leg is just about locked. This would vary a little depending on your pedalling style though, (ie) whether your toe was pointed up or down or level at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Also, I assume you would do this for the shorter of your legs.

I feel the same way about height though, I seem to change it every couple rides, as one position doesn't always feel exactly right. But, I have had it in the same position for the last week or so.

Have you ever had a comfortable bike before your Bianchi ? If yes, then you should use that bike as a model for setting up a new bike.
What sized frame and what sized cranks are fitted? Mis-sized cranks can screw up any sizing effort.
How low are your bars compared to your saddle (ie the vertical drop between them).

Is this another case of a bike shop setting up a newbie for an experienced racing cyclists position ?

I dont believe you can set up a bike for a new rider without having them ride some. A shop-assisted "fit" will get you in the right ballpark, but they dont know what angle you like your back to be. They often assume you want to be as aerodynamic as possible. Did the guy who fitted you discuss your riding style ?

Originally posted by MichaelW
Have you ever had a comfortable bike before your Bianchi ? If yes, then you should use that bike as a model for setting up a new bike.
What sized frame and what sized cranks are fitted? Mis-sized cranks can screw up any sizing effort.
How low are your bars compared to your saddle (ie the vertical drop between them).

Is this another case of a bike shop setting up a newbie for an experienced racing cyclists position ?

I dont believe you can set up a bike for a new rider without having them ride some. A shop-assisted "fit" will get you in the right ballpark, but they dont know what angle you like your back to be. They often assume you want to be as aerodynamic as possible. Did the guy who fitted you discuss your riding style ?

My Bianchi is my first real road bike...I had Giant OCR2 for a while that I rode for training ( I used to mountain bike) it fit well but I decided compact geometry was wrong for me.

I have a 57 cm frame and the cranks are 172.5
stem is 90mm

THe drop on my bars is about two inches from top of saddle to top of bar. I did discuss my riding style with the guy but I didnt do a whole lot of test riding during the fitting process.

My problem has mostly been with finding a good saddle position where I can pedal efficiently and also have good reach to my hoods and drops. (as mentioned)

How tall are you? what is your pants inseam?

From the sound of it, your bike has a fairly conservative setup, nothing very extreme, and the cranks suit the size of the frame.

Is there a place you would like your saddle to be. I moved mine back and forward until it supported me where my butt wanted to be.

When you move your saddle back, you may want to try dropping the seatpost a little (1mm), to compensate for the extra reach to the pedals. If you assume that your leg is fixed, then imagine a radius drwan from the pedal 6:00 position. That is roughly, the range of good saddle positions.

Originally posted by 1oldRoadie
How tall are you? what is your pants inseam?

1OR,

Im 5'11

My 'pants inseam' is 33

Originally posted by MichaelW
From the sound of it, your bike has a fairly conservative setup, nothing very extreme, and the cranks suit the size of the frame.

Is there a place you would like your saddle to be. I moved mine back and forward until it supported me where my butt wanted to be.

When you move your saddle back, you may want to try dropping the seatpost a little (1mm), to compensate for the extra reach to the pedals. If you assume that your leg is fixed, then imagine a radius drwan from the pedal 6:00 position. That is roughly, the range of good saddle positions.

Place Id like my saddle to be? Well as I said, mostly so that I am pedaling efficiently and comfortably and also so that I dont have to be stretching too far to get to the hoods.
Thanks for the advice. Ill test a few things tonight on my ride.:beer: