Originally Posted by
Carbonfiberboy
The standard road position is also about comfort: the less upright the torso, the better it absorbs shocks. Our backs don't like compression loads, but tolerate bending loads just fine. That said, riding around in town, the higher your head, the better the visibility, comfort be damned. Accident prevention takes precedence.
Alright, so I just did a 1h15 min, 20 mile ride. This is the longest I've ever ridden so there may be some fatigue factors at play, especially since the workout I did today was a lot more low cadence, high power.
- I am starting to see that my pelvis was definitely in the wrong position before which is why I needed such a steep positive saddle angle.
- I still am unsure if I need more setback than my seatpost allows. I can take my hands off the bars, but I am definitely unable to maintain pedaling for more than 3 seconds without having to start putting more pressure on the pedals to prevent myself from falling over. My shoulders/neck do feel a little tense, but this may just be fatigue. I basically went from biking max 6-7 miles in a session to 15+. I am also spending a lot more time on the bars than just sitting upright with no hands on the bars.
- I really struggled to get get higher cadence (105+). Once my cadence got this high, I would start to bounce off the saddle. I am sure there is a technique issue at play here as well. I feel like this is more related to saddle height?
- I've also adjusted so the cleats are at the front of the shoes pushing my feet as far back as possible.
- Overall, I felt like I struggled with power on this new setup compared to previous rides, but I can definitely see how changing saddle positioning may cause different muscle activation.
I think I need to low the saddle height back down a bit since the heel-pedal measurement is leading to a bit of hip rocking. However, I am worried that if I lower the saddle, then I'm going to lose power. I can grab another video if it makes it easier.