Originally Posted by
tFUnK
Assuming you've already got a good ball park fit, what are some things you might tweak to the fit (if at all) to bias towards being better at putting out power on seated climbs (eg, as opposed to optimizing for TT on flats)? I'm thinking about things like adjustments to saddle height, saddle tilt angle, saddle fore/aft, stem height, stem angle, stem length, crank length, handlebar tilt, etc.
Adjustments... Depends where you are set to begin with...
My Opinion (and I've rarely known any accomplished riders, especially those who might be considered accomplished climbers who setup for climbing in a varied terrain ride) - 'setting' for climbing is considered in the overall 'road' setup.
What I've found is that slopes below 5 % (for me) rarely need much adjustment. But going into steeper climbs, they increasingly require me/a rider to get 'on top' of a gear earlier in the stroke. Climbing encounters a quicker dissipation of 'momentum', so to keep a gear turning at a cadence you wish to use or just keeping it turning, becomes an objective...
To do that, the downstroke pressure has to be exerted earlier and with greater force. To do that one tends to slide back on the saddle a bit...
If one finds they can't maintain the desired cadence, or they bog down, getting up, out of the saddle is the usual technique... then re-seating once they have the gear/cadence moving.
When that happens is determined by the physio of each rider. Some riders can exert more power and are comfortable out of the saddle for longer, some do better by loading the cardio requirement more and can use a higher cadence. Speed is determined by power to weight... and how much you're willing to suffer.
Ride On
Yuri