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Seat Adjustment

Old 01-04-09, 11:46 PM
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Seat Adjustment

I recently changed saddles (to a Terry Tri Fly Gel). I find that I tend to move forward off the sweet spot of the saddle. One possibility of course is that the saddle is not suited for my riding position. I ride on the hoods, but my handlebars are 3+ inches below the saddle. I've got long arms to this is not as extreme as it sounds. Another possibility may relate to my not being able to get the saddle level. I've got a carbon fiber seat post with a single bolt clamping system and I gather from another thread that folks have experienced similar problems with certain saddles on these types of seat posts. I'm thinking I should change the seat post so I can get the saddle level before giving up on it. Any thoughts?
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Old 01-04-09, 11:53 PM
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If it's not level, thats the problem.
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Old 01-05-09, 12:24 AM
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deviation from the sweet spot can be caused by a multitude of factors.
is the saddle level?
is the saddle at the optimum height?
is your stem too long?
is your bike fit stretching you out or curling you up from neutral?
etc.
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Old 01-05-09, 09:22 AM
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One more consideration; is the saddle far enough back or forward on it's rails? If you can't move it to the desired place, you may need a seatpost with more or less setback.
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Old 01-05-09, 09:57 AM
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Can you change the angle or does your saddle go back to where it was as you tighten the bolt?

A common problem is the bottom plate of the saddle clamp sticks on it's mateing surface on the seat post. If that's the case, loosen the bolt and use something to knock it loose. That'll let you adjust the saddle tilt and hopefully solve your problem..
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Old 01-06-09, 06:29 PM
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If it was me I'd try a few things before punting and buying something new. Change the angle of the saddle. Raise the nose or lower it. Slide the seat back and forth on the post. Change the height of the post. Make changes in very small increments and see how it feels - better? worse? I've found that very small adjustments to these things can make a big difference. I recently tried a new saddle, then went back to my old Brooks when the new one didn't feel right. After I had the Brooks back on, it didn't feel right. I slid it back about 2mm. When I got back on, it felt (in the words of Little Red Riding Hood) "just right." 2mm was all it took.

Hopefully it will just be a matter of tweaking things and you too will arrive at the setup that is "just right."

If not, you can start replacing things. Goodness knows, I've done that too. I've got a whole collection of saddles that didn't feel right, and a few other reject parts as well. I guess it's part of the disease.

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Old 01-06-09, 06:36 PM
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If small changes don't seem to make the difference you need, hire someone to pretend to fiddle with the angle while you do other things. An imagined change of a fraction of a degree can make all the difference. The mind is a powerful tool.
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Old 01-06-09, 09:41 PM
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Originally Posted by Retro Grouch
Can you change the angle or does your saddle go back to where it was as you tighten the bolt?

A common problem is the bottom plate of the saddle clamp sticks on it's mateing surface on the seat post. If that's the case, loosen the bolt and use something to knock it loose. That'll let you adjust the saddle tilt and hopefully solve your problem..
That sounds right, unless he is saying it has some kind of fixed position. Can we get a brand/style or a picture of the post?
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