Originally Posted by
exile
Sounds to me like someone was trying to take your saddle and was interrupted. Get a saddle leash or use an old bike chain to lock your saddle rails to the seatstays.
I say have the saddle at the correct height because as you noticed, your knees began hurting. After that, you may want to tilt the saddle slightly nose up to relieve pressure in the perineal area. While it sounds counter intuitive it actually allows your sitbones to take the pressure.
I had the saddle at a pretty good height before it got lowered, i think i had that part nailed but im still in the process of experimenting with saddle height and tilt. Havent rode since i raised my saddle back up but i got on and noticed some compression in the perineal area. Ill report back and see how it feels. Ive tried tilting the saddle up and down, and i did feel it to be more comfortable in my experience having it tilted up so that my sitbones take the pressure but no matter which way i tilt it pain just kept starting up after a while. I noticed no perineal pain when my saddle was down but like i mentioned knee pain was getting more prominent. Im thinking i might just need a wider saddle.
Originally Posted by
dahut
Im with bragi- I can tell the difference when I move my seat one millimeter.
But you probably came close to having your seat stolen. Lemme guess: you haven't had the bike for long and you live and ride in a city. You should get a cable leash for it and strap it down..
Im in LA, had the bike since november of 2010, but just recently started riding daily again. I have been thinking of securing it with some solder inside the allen heads (shouldnt be too hard to remove with some soldering wick and soldering gun) I just havent got around to that because i wanted to nail the position where i dont get anymore pain but i still cant get it right.
Originally Posted by
Leisesturm
The reason it sounds counter intuitive is because is isn't true. If perineal pressure is an issue pointing the saddle up, even a little will not help. I have seen this advice offered as an aid to relieving weight on the hands and finger numbness. I see so much advice offered here that is clearly just a forwarding of information that has not been parsed through the offerers own experience. Here is what I can offer on the subject based on my own experience:
Knee's will indeed hurt if a saddle is too low. If perineal pressure is an issue get a saddle that does not have a perineal area i.e. an anatomic or cutout saddle. Place it level or tilt it slightly up but if you tilt it down, even a little you will be very annoyed at having to constantly push yourself back onto the saddle. Bring your saddle forward enough so you can easily rise from the saddle as you go over stuff in the road. When you can lift yourself off the saddle without even thinking about it you will also be able to spin without thinking about it. Don't take my word for this, experiment, yourself. Find the correct height for your handlebars and seat and the proper amount of forward or backward set of your saddle and the proper degree of nose (up) tilt by experimenting. When you know what feels bad you will know what feels good.
H
Thanks for the advice, the saddle i own currently is a Terry Fly Ti (has cutout), and the bike i own is a Giant Rapid 3 (hybrid/road? it has been referred as a road bike without the drops, and a bit more upright than a road bike) I have found that what you say about tilting it down to be true, it is really annoying to constantly push myself up on the saddle. Can you elaborate a bit on your next sentence? Im not sure what exactly you mean by bringing it forward enough to rise up easily. Does it get harder to rise up in certain positions?
Originally Posted by
Leisesturm
This. Anyone who imagines a saddle theif armed with a 6mm allen key and enough time to alter the forward/backward.... hell in the time it took me to type that he would have been gone with the wind (and the saddle).
I probably didnt secure it tight enough or who knows!
It does seem like i would have gotten my seat stolen rather than lowered and tilted. Whatever ended up happening, it felt more comfortable on my perinium but less on my knees lol.