Originally Posted by
pakossa
To me, is seems you may be pedaling a bit too "toes down." If that's the way you "naturally" want to pedal, it may be OK. But, that could explain why you found the .883 and 1.09 (pedal to saddle) formulas to be too low. For me, those put me 1-2cm too high, because I prefer to pedal more "heels down" (due to all the walking I do delivering mail). Did you try the "heel on pedal" method?
I'm glad someone else has mentioned that because that is exactly what I thought. I have tried correcting my pedalling but I just can't 'not' pedal toes down. I know it's not ideal, but it doesnt cause me any problems and its what my body finds most comfortable so I have just stuck with it. But
yes, I have often thought that because my heel is therefore 'higher up', the saddle height methods come out too low.
Originally Posted by
Paul_P
Something I've noticed is that saddle height, or more accurately saddle to pedal spindle (or bottom bracket) distance, varies depending on your usual cadence, and what you do with your feet. The faster you spin, the closer you have to be to the pedals. On the other hand, if you pedal slower with long powerful strokes, you need more leg extension.
So it's not just a matter of how you fit into the geometry at rest, you have to be moving in a usual way and make adjustments with respect to that.
I agree with this also. I tend to spin quite fast. I have another experienced friend who was/(is) a very good time trialist. He is roughly the same height as me but has much more leg extension when he pedals. He does indeed tend to 'crank' a big gear with a much lower cadence.
It's an interesting point which I hadn't thought of before so thank you!
Originally Posted by
Polaris OBark
This wasn't directed at me, but is related to what I was saying.
In general, what you want to do is get the saddle height and fore/aft position correct, and then worry about the handlebars. Ideally, you want to be balanced on the saddle in such a way that you put almost no weight on your wrists and hands. Then pick a stem that gives you enough extension so that you feel comfortable and can maintain the balance, and if you are interested in being aero (I am not), you want the bars as low as you can go (within reason). It seems a bit counter-intuitive, but the higher the bars, the more weight you are going to be putting on them. You want your arms to be about 90° from a line whose endpoints are defined by your spine, and the elbows at least slightly bent. Yours are quite bent, so you can probably move the saddle back if you need to without having to replace your stem.
The main point is you want to avoid correcting for a stem (or top tube) that is too long by shoving your saddle too far forward (unless you really do prefer to ride like that).
I've never had any real problem with the saddle fore/aft but was aware I sat quite far forward. I'll try moving it back. I too am not interested in 'aero' so don't mind playing around with handlebars/stems etc. I agree that saddle fore/aft should be determined before stem length. Interestingly, on my winter bike I have a long nose saddle which is set further back in a more 'neutral' position and I often feel like the bottom bracket is too far in front of me, so maybe it's just a personal thing.
I'll have a play and see what I think!
Originally Posted by
Polaris OBark
Nope. I think your height looks good, at least from the photos. .
The only reason I asked was because I SOMETIMES feel like I can't quite get enough power out when climbing etc. and sometimes feel like I could extend a TINY bit more. I'm talking about raising the saddle by about 2mm here. But then I wonder whether I'll even notice that?
Originally Posted by
Polaris OBark
Balance is often best achieved if you can draw a straight line from the center of your bottom bracket, through the seat tube and post, and intersecting with your femur's greater trochanter.
Useful - I will have a look at that.
Originally Posted by
Polaris OBark
As mentioned by others, this is well into the realm of personal preference. I see nothing obviously wrong about your fit. .
That's reassuring to hear because I've never had any real discomfort so didn't want to muck around with it too much.
I will have a play around (having first marked where everything is currently) to see if I can get anything better. Thanks.