Originally Posted by
SlvrDragon50
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.
1) good.
2) Setback is probably fine. I'd leave it alone.
3) Yes, bouncing is all about pedal stroke, nothing to do with saddle height. Newton's 3rd law is responsible for bouncing. At high cadence, your neuromuscular ability is failing you because you don't have that perfect pedal stroke built in yet. What's happening is that when your foot reaches the bottom of the pedal stroke, your leg is still pushing down. When your foot hits the bottom, your leg muscles are pushing your butt up off the saddle. For one thing, if your saddle was too high, your leg wouldn't be hitting the bottom of the stroke that way. That said, if you are rocking your hips, it could still be a little high. Try using the heel on pedal, being careful not to rock your hips, then dropping the saddle about 5mm, no more.
To fix the bouncing problem, remember that your pedals move in a circle. Thus to move them around without wasting energy, you have to always be applying force to the pedals tangent to the pedal circle. Thus at the top of the pedal stroke you are pushing forward and at the bottom you are pulling back. Only in the middle of the stroke are you pushing straight down. On the backstroke you don't pull up on the pedal, you only try to lift your leg as much as you can without overtiring those muscles. Think of your feet at being attached to turbine blades. You want them to go around. That's what clipless pedals (and toe clips) are for: pushing forward and pulling back. It takes most folks many months to get this pedal stroke down so that they never bounce, not even at 200 rpm. All that said, it's easier to learn a good pedal stroke at lower rpm, say 75-85. Once you get the feeling for it, you can try pedaling fast, but only for a few minutes at a time. Most folks in your situation do well to pedal at 85-90 on the flat and 70-80 climbing.
4) I've already discussed this.
5) Keep messing with saddle height in very small increments. The saddle height which makes you the most powerful is the correct one. That said, you'll find that trying to pedal in circles will have an effect on your most powerful saddle height.