Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Bad Geometry, worse saddle, and the worst PITA

OK, so I have now put almost 100 miles on in not quite 3 weeks. That is Herculean given the last 17 years of sedentary gluttony.

Yesterday I moved my saddle up about three inches. Yes, three inches. We went a bit over 15 and I was great except for my rear. Tonight I did 7.5 (which would have been beyond comprehension just two weeks ago) just trying to loosen up. Did not work all that good.

I am riding a 12 year old Specialized Crossroad. The seat is pretty basic, I am sure technology has moved way beyond its primitive build.

And another thing.

I will be honest, when I bought the bike, the mechanic was an incredibly hot 20 something chick. Very hot, but I digress. I did not pay much attention to the bike or how the set up fit me. I was preoccupied. Ok, I admitted it.

Anyway, by moving the seat up, I eliminated all leg and knee pain, and am getting great extension without dipping hips, but I think I have moved myself forward on the seat and the rather thin neck (I guess you would call it) is now pretty much between my sit bones. When I had the seat in it's initial position, I was pushed back on the seat, just to get my knees up.

Hope this make since. Getting a new saddle is now priority one. I think I could go 30+ miles, easy, without the kinda big time pain. I am in fact chaffed tonite, and hurtin for certain.

So, is my hypothesis correct, (extending my legs at the bottom moved me forward, and will the correct saddle make it right? And more important, even with a new seat, what do I do?

We are not exactly in the boonies, and the nearby bike shops (three within 30 miles) all seem ok, but I am not sure they are gonna have an assometer. My wife has already vetoed measuring by hand.

H e l p!!!

You may want to try changing the angle and/or the fore/aft position of the saddle before getting a new one which may or may not help.
A slight change in angle, nose up or nose down can make a really big difference in comfort and a little forward or backward movement can place your sitbones in a more ideal position.

OK, so I have now put almost 100 miles on in not quite 3 weeks. That is Herculean given the last 17 years of sedentary gluttony.

Yesterday I moved my saddle up about three inches. Yes, three inches. We went a bit over 15 and I was great except for my rear. Tonight I did 7.5 (which would have been beyond comprehension just two weeks ago) just trying to loosen up. Did not work all that good.

I am riding a 12 year old Specialized Crossroad. The seat is pretty basic, I am sure technology has moved way beyond its primitive build.

And another thing.

I will be honest, when I bought the bike, the mechanic was an incredibly hot 20 something chick. Very hot, but I digress. I did not pay much attention to the bike or how the set up fit me. I was preoccupied. Ok, I admitted it.

Anyway, by moving the seat up, I eliminated all leg and knee pain, and am getting great extension without dipping hips, but I think I have moved myself forward on the seat and the rather thin neck (I guess you would call it) is now pretty much between my sit bones. When I had the seat in it's initial position, I was pushed back on the seat, just to get my knees up.

Hope this make since. Getting a new saddle is now priority one. I think I could go 30+ miles, easy, without the kinda big time pain. I am in fact chaffed tonite, and hurtin for certain.

So, is my hypothesis correct, (extending my legs at the bottom moved me forward, and will the correct saddle make it right? And more important, even with a new seat, what do I do?

We are not exactly in the boonies, and the nearby bike shops (three within 30 miles) all seem ok, but I am not sure they are gonna have an assometer. My wife has already vetoed measuring by hand.

H e l p!!!

There are 3 saddle adjustments up and down, okay you have that one, forward and back, and tilt. Sit comfortably on the bike, in a riding position, now you should have your sit bones on the wide part of the saddle, if your sitting on the nose, then it's too far back, you need to move the saddle forward, so have a look underneath the bars are called rails, loosen the clamp and slide the saddle so that it is as close to the front of the bike as possible, tighten the clamp again and see how that feels. Tilt, you want the saddle so that it is level, to start with, put a board on top of the saddle about 1/2m or 18 inches long, you want the saddle in the middle of the board measure from the front of the board to the floor, do the same measurement at the back, tilt the saddle so that the measurements are the same. Try that, some saddles are better nose up, some nose down, you need to experiment. If you can't get it adjusted properly, then you need a new saddle.

Thank you, did not know most of that. I appreciate the advice.

The old rule of thumb for saddle fore-aft position is that when seated normally on the saddle (not riding on its nose, not hanging off the back), with the crank arms horizontal, a plumb bob dropped from the front of the knee (or the bony little protuberance just below the kneecap) should fall right about at the pedal spindle. Too far forward or too far back can cause mechanical and/or power transfer problems. That's the general rule, though everybody's a little different, so take it with a grain of salt.

Because of the angle of the seat tube, any time you raise the saddle (especially as much as 3 inches), you're also effectively moving the saddle a little bit to the rear, which may be one of the reasons you've found yourself sitting on its nose. So do like Wogsterca says and fine tune all three adustments - height, fore-aft position, and angle.