Old 10-25-18 | 01:13 PM
  #91  
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79pmooney
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Joined: Oct 2014
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From: Portland, OR

Bikes: (2) ti TiCycles, 2007 w/ triple and 2011 fixed, 1979 Peter Mooney, ~1983 Trek 420 now fixed and ~1973 Raleigh Carlton Competition gravel grinder

Originally Posted by iab
I have heard a lot of people say that, and if you mind, why is that? Sure, out of the saddle riding, the foot/hands relationship is paramount, but there is no way out of the saddle riding for me is 10% of the time and probably closer to 5%. Pretty insignificant and I can adapt, not an inconvenience.

So I'm in the seated position 90-95% of the time. The butt/hands relationship is now paramount, they are carrying the weight. And for me at least, my feet are just dangling there. If the BB is "forward", lower the seat a snudge, no big deal. Why your focus on the BB?
The BB is the one contact point I cannot change. Seats are east to move in all directions except side to side. Likewise handlebars. I spend 100% of my rides with my feet rotating around the BB in perfect circles. On a big climbing day, I might spend 20% of my ride not even touching the seat. I've been known to ride miles at a time no-hands. I don't track seat to handlebar, partly because I put the handlebars on a line that is a near constant distance from my shoulder. (Actually an arc, but a line is very close for small changes and fart easier to document.)

I think of the "triangle". BB to seat, BB to line for the handlebars and seat to that line. I rotate that triangle to match what kind of riding I plan to do on that bike. For comfort, leisurely riding, it rotated back. For fix gears that will be ridden upwind, forward. I see the BB/seat relationship like a car's crankshaft, pistons and cylinders. That relationship is exact and never changes (outside a major engine re-build) but you can tip the entire engine anyway you want and it doesn't care. (Airplanes fly just fine upside down.) Everything revolves around the crankshaft. It makes little sense to pick any other place as a reference.

Ben
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