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10-15-06, 01:38 PM
i just got a new saddle, the Fizik Aliante, and i'm a bit confussed on how i should angle it because it's totally different than the saddle it's replacing...
i was using a Specialized Avatar Gel Saddle, because it came with my bike and this is my first year riding, but i was getting numbness after rides and got severe numbness after riding my first century a few weeks ago. it didn't really bother me until i finished the centrury, then i did some research on the subject of nubness and ED from cycling, and decided that i would try other saddles. everyone i asked recommended Fizik, including the LBS that does all of my mechanics, so i just picked up the Fizik Aliante in black. it's a very nice looking saddle, and when i did my research it got rave reviews everywhere i looked...
one thing i noticed, when i was riding the century, was that i have a tendancy to slide to the front of the saddle when i ride. i'm sure this is one of the reasons for the numbness, since the Avatar Gel Saddle is an ergonomic saddle, but there is no cutout window at the front of the saddle. i told my mechanic this, and he said that i may want to consider a shorter stem to prevent this, because body position is where the fit starts. i noticed that the person that originally fit me on the bike (which is not the same, i no longer go back to him) moved the seat pretty far back on the rails, so i decided to move the seat 10mm forward and see if that helped. it did help a bit, but i still noticed that i slid forward, most likely because i didn't honestly find the back of the saddle as very comfortable...
i'm a bit confussed on how i should mount it though, at least as far as a starting point goes, and this is why...
now that i changed saddles, i do notice that the Fizik is much more comfortable and have no problem staying on the back of the saddle, but it's 5mm shorter and the rails don't allow for much rear movement, at least not when you compare to it where the previous saddle was mounted. right now, the front is mounted at the same point where the previous saddle was mounted, but that was after i moved it 10mm forward, so after everything is said and done it's 15mm forward (when you combine the 10mm move and the fact that it's 5mm shorter) of where my original saddle was mounted after my original fitting...
one thing i like about it is that it's shorter, so i have less distance to slide forward, and honestly my rear fills it pretty nicely and i don't think moving forward will be an issue...
my question is what saddles do you guys use and what saddle angles do you guys use, and why? i was told to slighly lower the front because that would help prevent numbness, but not too far lower so it wont puts too much pressure on the upper body. the first person that fit me used a level, and mounted the saddle so it was completely level, but after thinking about this doesn't that put the front too high considering the saddle has a curve and that would cause the front to dig into your genetals?
now granted, i know that different saddles have different curves, and everyone is different and what works for one person will not work for another person. i'm just wondering if riders like the front to be higher, even with, or lower than the middle of the saddle, where most saddles seem to flatten out?
and i'm sorry for the long post, but i thought it would be best to fully explain my reasoning. if i can, i'll post a picture of how i have it angled, so you can see exactly what i mean. another concern is that the rear of the saddle 15mm closer to the stem than the original one, and i don't know how that postion will affect me, as far as other problems may develope from the closer body positon...
after i got this saddle, i noticed some people were raving about the Selle SMP Strike Evolution. i like the fact that the cutaway window is across the complete saddle, and i can imagine that would help prevent numbness, but honestly i don't see how something that looks like that can actually be very comfortable. i guess it's a hit or miss, either your rear likes it or not, as is the case with all saddles...
and thanks for your time and any feedback...
i was using a Specialized Avatar Gel Saddle, because it came with my bike and this is my first year riding, but i was getting numbness after rides and got severe numbness after riding my first century a few weeks ago. it didn't really bother me until i finished the centrury, then i did some research on the subject of nubness and ED from cycling, and decided that i would try other saddles. everyone i asked recommended Fizik, including the LBS that does all of my mechanics, so i just picked up the Fizik Aliante in black. it's a very nice looking saddle, and when i did my research it got rave reviews everywhere i looked...
one thing i noticed, when i was riding the century, was that i have a tendancy to slide to the front of the saddle when i ride. i'm sure this is one of the reasons for the numbness, since the Avatar Gel Saddle is an ergonomic saddle, but there is no cutout window at the front of the saddle. i told my mechanic this, and he said that i may want to consider a shorter stem to prevent this, because body position is where the fit starts. i noticed that the person that originally fit me on the bike (which is not the same, i no longer go back to him) moved the seat pretty far back on the rails, so i decided to move the seat 10mm forward and see if that helped. it did help a bit, but i still noticed that i slid forward, most likely because i didn't honestly find the back of the saddle as very comfortable...
i'm a bit confussed on how i should mount it though, at least as far as a starting point goes, and this is why...
now that i changed saddles, i do notice that the Fizik is much more comfortable and have no problem staying on the back of the saddle, but it's 5mm shorter and the rails don't allow for much rear movement, at least not when you compare to it where the previous saddle was mounted. right now, the front is mounted at the same point where the previous saddle was mounted, but that was after i moved it 10mm forward, so after everything is said and done it's 15mm forward (when you combine the 10mm move and the fact that it's 5mm shorter) of where my original saddle was mounted after my original fitting...
one thing i like about it is that it's shorter, so i have less distance to slide forward, and honestly my rear fills it pretty nicely and i don't think moving forward will be an issue...
my question is what saddles do you guys use and what saddle angles do you guys use, and why? i was told to slighly lower the front because that would help prevent numbness, but not too far lower so it wont puts too much pressure on the upper body. the first person that fit me used a level, and mounted the saddle so it was completely level, but after thinking about this doesn't that put the front too high considering the saddle has a curve and that would cause the front to dig into your genetals?
now granted, i know that different saddles have different curves, and everyone is different and what works for one person will not work for another person. i'm just wondering if riders like the front to be higher, even with, or lower than the middle of the saddle, where most saddles seem to flatten out?
and i'm sorry for the long post, but i thought it would be best to fully explain my reasoning. if i can, i'll post a picture of how i have it angled, so you can see exactly what i mean. another concern is that the rear of the saddle 15mm closer to the stem than the original one, and i don't know how that postion will affect me, as far as other problems may develope from the closer body positon...
after i got this saddle, i noticed some people were raving about the Selle SMP Strike Evolution. i like the fact that the cutaway window is across the complete saddle, and i can imagine that would help prevent numbness, but honestly i don't see how something that looks like that can actually be very comfortable. i guess it's a hit or miss, either your rear likes it or not, as is the case with all saddles...
and thanks for your time and any feedback...