Road Bike Racing - How does this seat height look?

Here's a couple pics
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/7332/knee1hl8.th.jpg (http://img137.imageshack.us/my.php?image=knee1hl8.jpg)

http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/7793/knee2ss9.th.jpg (http://img372.imageshack.us/my.php?image=knee2ss9.jpg)

Not really experienceing any unusual pain, just the regular creaks, and soreness that comes with age. Actually feels very good on rides once warmed up.

spinning shoes?

Looks a little over extended to me...

Working on a video

you can't embed movies on the forum.

spinning shoes?

Shimano MT 20. Love them. Cheap comfortable easy to walk in, and somewhat normal looking.

Video as taken by my 5 year old http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th0c9kpKu40

Seat looks a bit high based on how your toes are pointed and your calves are strained.

Edit: I can't see the video from here. The above opinion is strictly based on the original photographs.

are those dress shoes?

Video as taken by my 5 year old http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th0c9kpKu40

Your son did great!

I agree with the earlier post, that in the pictures, you look a bit over extended.

It was hard to tell whether your hips were rocking or not in the video. You still looked like you were on your toes the entire time, which could lead to premature muscle fatigue over the course of a race.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Seat looks a bit high based on how your toes are pointed and your calves are strained.

Edit: I can't see the video from here. The above opinion is strictly based on the original photographs.


I saw the video and agree. Toe pointed. Need to get your heel down a bit.

Hard to tell but your seat looks a tad high and too far back. if you lower it a few MM this might take care of the seat being too far back

+1. drop the seat, drop your heels.

Agreed, too high.

Well that's a first. A seat too high. I didn't even realize that my feet were pointing down until I saw the pictures. That's when we did the video. I will lower it a little and see how it looks.

Well I lowered the seat a little
http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/9392/knee3om4.th.jpg (http://img507.imageshack.us/my.php?image=knee3om4.jpg)

Video of lowered seat to be added soon.

Well that's a first. A seat too high. I didn't even realize that my feet were pointing down until I saw the pictures. That's when we did the video. I will lower it a little and see how it looks.

It's a common issue that a lot of us have. Staring at your feet from above, it's hard to see just how unlevel your foot is at the bottom of the crank stroke. Like you, I just took a side view shot of myself on the bike and noticed that a) my legs are really pale and b) I was pointing my toes.

The best part is all the sore muscles you'll have in the quads now that your calves won't be doing all the work. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kt-RSlcNzg
Vid of lowered seat height, see what you think.

still too high. and too hairy. cute kid

Way too high, not even close to being right.

My guess is about an inch or two too high. Of course the problem becomes, how long have you been riding it at this height? If you calves have adapted to that extreme toes down position over a long period of time, you might only want to lower it a little at a time.

But yeah. Too high.

Your son did great!

+1 I love how the camera stays at knee height on its trip back to get turned off :roflmao2:


I agree with the earlier post, that in the pictures, you look a bit over extended.

It was hard to tell whether your hips were rocking or not in the video. You still looked like you were on your toes the entire time, which could lead to premature muscle fatigue over the course of a race.

Just my 2 cents worth.

+1 Your knee bend looks fine, but it still looks like your hips and your toes are reaching to get to the bottom of the stroke. I think that over the seasons you'll be correcting your form a bit and the saddle will come back up to where it is now, but I think you need to lower it maybe 1.5cm today.

I've usually found that 109% of the inseam to the floor (with 170mm cranks) gets one within a cm of spot on.

You still look a bit high.

Seat looks a bit high based on how your toes are pointed and your calves are strained.

Edit: I can't see the video from here. The above opinion is strictly based on the original photographs.

Yup ... Bring it down an inch

Lowered it a little more, but my camera man is taking a nap. Will post pics later.

Here's a vid of the new lower set height. I pedal a little, then put my heels on the pedals, then stop with the leg extended in the down position.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=367Ft9sGElc


See what you think of this.

What? No narration? :) Stroke looks better. Nowhere near the almost fully extended looking stroke you were at...go for a put around the block and try not to focus/over analyze the adjustment. Are ya comfy?

You're off enough where you should really just suck it up and pay for a fit. It'll get you a lot closer and more comfortable than a lot of people on BF who have questionable experience.

Plus, they could preach to you the joys of dropping your heels!

^^^^^Considered it. But I am definately a DIY'r.

+I have 7 bikes that I regularly ride. I'll need to adjust them myself.

DIY is fine... I've built all of my bikes on my own. A lot of the physiological stuff is hard to do on your own, and very hard to do anywhere near correctly over the internet. You can get a legit fit fairly inexpensively, and once you have it, you just measure distances (saddle height, setback, reach, and drop), and adjust all of the other bikes to match.

If you go read a lot of people's responses to these 'fit threads', most of them aren't at all qualified to tell you where your saddle should be and are just guessing from their great experience of 'oh, that looks about how my buddy's does!'. Trust me, I get the DIY mentality, but you'll benefit far more by spending a bit of money on a fit.

Awesome kid.

Not sure if you purposely point your toes down, or maybe you got trained to do that? My wife does that but she had foot surgery as a kid and she can't lower her heels. But you have a pretty aggressive toe down style from the videos you posted. It worked for (Davis) Phinney until he became a Euro pro, and it could work for you. But most pundits will have you lower your seat until your foot is almost level (another inch) and your knee is still bent.

I have a relatively toes down position so I'm not one to say not to do it.

cdr

Not an expert by any means but I just finished making some adjustments to get rid of some knee pain I was having. I had read in a number of places that with your pedals at 3 o'clock you should be able to drop a line from your kneecap through the middle of your pedal. It looks to me like you are sitting too far back.

Greg

Here's a vid of the new lower set height. I pedal a little, then put my heels on the pedals, then stop with the leg extended in the down position.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=367Ft9sGElc


See what you think of this.

Here's the new vid

DIY is fine... I've built all of my bikes on my own. A lot of the physiological stuff is hard to do on your own, and very hard to do anywhere near correctly over the internet. You can get a legit fit fairly inexpensively, and once you have it, you just measure distances (saddle height, setback, reach, and drop), and adjust all of the other bikes to match.

If you go read a lot of people's responses to these 'fit threads', most of them aren't at all qualified to tell you where your saddle should be and are just guessing from their great experience of 'oh, that looks about how my buddy's does!'. Trust me, I get the DIY mentality, but you'll benefit far more by spending a bit of money on a fit.

do yourself a favor and follow this advice

1) stick a book under your front tire so its level.

2) check your cleat position - you may want to move your cleats further up on the shoe.

3) are those womens shorts?

How does it feel?

It feels low. I took it out for 30 minutes last night, and nothing hurts, speed is the same, but it feels low.

DIY is fine... I've built all of my bikes on my own. A lot of the physiological stuff is hard to do on your own, and very hard to do anywhere near correctly over the internet. You can get a legit fit fairly inexpensively, and once you have it, you just measure distances (saddle height, setback, reach, and drop), and adjust all of the other bikes to match.

If you go read a lot of people's responses to these 'fit threads', most of them aren't at all qualified to tell you where your saddle should be and are just guessing from their great experience of 'oh, that looks about how my buddy's does!'. Trust me, I get the DIY mentality, but you'll benefit far more by spending a bit of money on a fit.

I have another concern with this^^^^^ I bought the bike new. And was carefully fitted for it. The seat height was 1/2" or so higher than it was at the start of this thread.
SO, I feel like like could go to 3 different fitters and get three different fittings.

I have another concern with this^^^^^ I bought the bike new. And was carefully fitted for it. The seat height was 1/2" or so higher than it was at the start of this thread.
SO, I feel like like could go to 3 different fitters and get three different fittings.

and this is worse than posting on the internet and getting an infinite # of opinions from unqualified bike fitters based on you tube videos taken by a 6 year old?

your orig. fitter either didnt carefully fit you or is incompetent because you look a mess. seriously, find a good fitter and get a correct fit to your bike. it's probably the best $ you can spend to increase performance and make you comfortable, regardless of your talent and goals.

Just gathering opinions. After we took the intial pictures I thought it looked very high. And I didn't realize how my toes were pointing down. I moved the seat a little, rode some last night. Put 15 miles on it today and it felt good. Might still be some tweaking to do. I was fitted by what is considered one of the better shops in the area. Lots of racers go there, about 1/2 the bikes in my local TT came from there. SO at this point I have no faith in anybody fitting me.
Where the seat is now at 26 1/4", which works out well with my 29.5" inseam based upon the inseamx.883 formula. Is there more to do? Probably, I feel a little stretched out, my try a shorter stem.

If it feels low, you just may be a toe pointer. Not the best form, but if it has been trained to be that way over years? Well, the change will not occur overnight nor is it recommended to be. If you have not been riding long however, cut that bad habit out, pronto!

I've been riding this bike with the previous set up since December. This is the first nice bike I've ever had, before that lots of used bikes for the last 20 years. I've never noticed toe poining before and on today's ride I did notice that I did not toe point. I think the seat was just way, way too high as it was set up from the bike shop. Today is felt good and the seat did not feel so low. We'll see how it goes.

I agree with getting "professionally fitted" to a point. Bottom line (in my mind) is whether or not you are comfortable. We can fuss and tweak and adjust to our hearts content but if you are not comfortable in the end you will NOT RIDE and that is not we are after. We all have our opinions based on something or other. What constitutes "professional" is questionable to me. Everyone has a bias based on their own experience and that includes so called "professionals". How that translates to someone other than to ourselves is quite moot. We can all give tips and pointers but they are based on personal experience and generality.

If maddyfish wants to elicit opinions from his fellow bikers on bikeforums and do it himself then let him do so without feeling foolish for having asked. That is one of the things that this community exists for.

If maddyfish wants to elicit opinions from his fellow bikers on bikeforums and do it himself then let him do so without feeling foolish for having asked. That is one of the things that this community exists for.

I'm right with ya', chief. Once you're in the ballpark, it's all up the rider to make it perfect. Best thing about that is if something happens (i.e., upgrade or crash replacement), you'll have no problem getting it back to where it should be.