eavonius

Hi all,

I've got a question about the correct way to go about training your back to get lower on the bike that I'm sure some folks on this forum can help with. I've only been riding for a couple of years and am just starting to enjoy riding in the drops when going fast.

Recently I tried taking a bunch of spacers out below where my stem was (and putting them up top) and also raisinig my seatpost a tad based on some additional fit help I got from a friend. The result is that now I've got about a 5cm drop from the saddle to bars.

The problem I'm having is that it seems that the angle I sit on the saddle now, I can reach the bars without back pain (I do several stretches very often) but I have to "rotate" my hips/pelvis forward to do so and it places the weight of my body still on the sitbones, but the far "front" of the sitbones (no soft tissue pain or pressure). The bibs I have don't have very good padding here and I ride on the front edge of the stitching from the pad which creates chafing and discomfort.

When I watch guys in the Giro or any other race, many guys have low backs when riding on the hoods but their butt and hips seem to be rotated almost as though they are sitting upright on the bike but bending from above (the waist and lower back) instead of rotating their pelvis to sit like I am.

Am I understanding this correctly, and should I be riding more upright until I can get the flexibility in my waist and lower back to angle my upper body at the waist (above the pelvis)? Or is it normal to ride on the front of your sitbones like this to get a lower position on the bike?

Thanks in advance, I hope I explained it fairly well. Also if anyone has any stretches they can recommend for the lower back or exercises they do to help with flexibility to get this kind of position I'd appreciate it. I mostly do streatches out of the "Stretching" book and some ones I read about that Chris Carmichael uses with Lance.

FreddyBoy

I think you have the right idea in what you are "seeing".
After you are sitting on the bike, imagine trying to most comfortably get your navel to touch the top tube as you bend/lean forward rather than rolling your back or re-adjusting your hip tilt.

DaveSSS 

5cm is not much drop at all. The pros will be using more like 10-15cm.

I've not read many accurate discriptions for pelvis rotation, but the idea of moving the navel toward the TT suggests a CW rotation, as viewed from the right side. I've read others suggest rotating the pelvis "forward". Forward describes linear movement, not rotation.

Saddle angle can be critical. If you don't have a seatpost with a 2-bolt, rocker style clamp, then you may not be able to get a very comfortable saddle angle. Single bolt clamps that rely on serrations may permit one angle that positions the nose too high and the next notch down it too low.

DrPete 

Having been someone with lots of low back pain before I learned to roll my pelvis forward, I'd say keep the pelvis rolled forward unless there's some compelling reason not to. Everyone's different of course, but for most folks a straight back is better/less painful than a bent one. Lance has a bend in his back when TTing that just looks excruciating, but obviously it works for his body. I wouldn't use this as a time to imitate a pro, though.

DaveSSS 

Please explain what "forward" means to you. Forward is a linear movement, not a rotation. I'm taking forward to mean clockwise, as viewed from the right side.

DrPete 

Yes, I mean roll forward, or clockwise as viewed from the right.

If you really want to split hairs, though, 'forward' is an abstraction based on the position of the observer and conventions about what constitutes the front of the bike etc.

Grumpy McTrumpy

yoga.

I'm almost to the point of palms on the floor with straight knees, maybe another few inches to go.

DaveSSS 

DrPete...

I'm not trying to split hairs. It's just that forward is not clear at all. You could roll the lower portion of the pelvis forward and get the exact opposite. CW, as viewed from the right is much clearer.

Campag4life

Good one Doc. Dave can be a bit pedantic.
The question I have and what I have always struggled with, when rotating my pelvis forward in an effort to ride with a flat back, how do I keep the weight off my nuggies and keep the perenal artery from getting compressed?
This is where a lot of setback with substantial drop seems to be a problem with a CW rotated pelvis (right view).

If anybody has an answer to this fit conundrum, I would sure like to hear it.
Thanks.

bdcheung

The right saddle keeps pressure of your privates.

Unless I'm "on the rivet" riding right on the nose of the saddle, I rarely feel pressure on my 'taint, and certainly never any on my nuts.

DaveSSS 

Perhaps I've written too many engineering reports. Of course everyone knows how to move the hands of a clock "forward", but the pelvis isn't so clear.

It would seem that tilting the saddle nose down slightly would be the cure for a pressure problem. That's where the 2-bolt seatpost clamp is critical.

When I made a major change to my handlebar drop last year, it definitely put uncomfortable pressure where there was none before. It only took about a 1/4-1/2 turn looser on the back bolt and tighter on the front to fix that. That small change did not create a sliding forward problem.

Campag4life

Really goes to show how nuanced fit is. Best case maybe running a bit more saddle setback as you do with a slightly tilted down saddle nose. Moving the saddle well behind the BB allows rider weight be a bit more back relative to leg and torso mass which makes tilting the saddle down less of a contributor to sliding forward. I may try a bit more setback. I have very long legs and have been hamstrung with my Thomson 16mm offset post. I am considering the 2009 FSA 2-bolt K force CF post with 35mm of offset. Like you Dave, I will only ride a 2 bolt post and the FSA which I believe you show on your bike...I believe to be about the best big setback post design out. For '09 FSA retooled the post to change it from 32.5mm to 35mm setback.