I currently have my seat all the way back to create more reach and a less upright riding position. I find myself a little forward on the seat. My hypothesis is that my peddling drives me to the right position relative to the peddles which is forward on the seat since I have the seat all the way back. For my next ride, I am going to move the seat back to the middle.

I am wondering that for a normally dimensioned person on the correct size bike and with the correct seat height the seat should be in the middle since it would be designed that way. And if you find your self needing the seat forward or back it is an indication that you either have some unusual body dimensions, the bike is the wrong size or the seat is the wrong height.

Does that make sense?

Why do you want to talk about a normally sized person? Is that you?

With your seat all the way back and if pedaling at a fair effort your balance over the cranks is probably wrong. Correct your reach with stem length and/or bar drop.

I used to have the problem you describe and was moving my seat back too because everyone else was doing that. Apparently I'm unique and different. My issues went away by moving the seat forward quite a bit. Maybe you are unique too!

Don't pigeon hole yourself to formulas and adages. They are only a place to start and you adjust from there. Too many have forgotten the adjust from there part.

saddle position is not a good way to adjust the cockpit space on any bike. the saddle position should center balance your weight on the bike and create an efficient pedaling position. saddle position is 100% about how your pelvis is located in relation to the pedals. if you can't achieve a balanced, efficient pedaling position from the saddle with the existing seatpost, you can move it forward and back a bit, or use a seatpost with a different offset. if you need to push the saddle all the way back on the rails, you're likely to bent those rails. the saddle will be most stable and strong close to the center of the rails.

positioning your upper body has nothing to do with saddle position on the bike. once you have the saddle in a balanced, stable, efficient position, place the grips where they need to go by means of stem length/ height/ and angle, handlebar dimensions (width, angles, rise), and spacer stack under the stem. if you have to use a stem length, spacer stack, of handlebar with dimensions that you find compromises handling or aesthetics, you need a different frame.

This guy's videos are a great place to start: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr4...yq_QM00L1xJb4A

Thanks for the comments.

It makes sense that moving the seat is not a good way to get the cockpit fit I want since the seat needs to be properly aligned with the peddles.

I am going to move it back to the middle and see how it feels.

I am going to get a new bike and a professional fitting. But I think I will have a better chance at getting a good fitting with some experimentation on my own so I gain a better understanding of the dynamics.

I have purchased clipless pedals and I have shoes on the way. I plan to get my bike fit as well as I can on my own. Then have it professionally fit. Then buy a new bike that has the right frame geometry for me and have that fit.

you can do most of the fitting yourself if you take the time. you'll do it much more efficiently if you can stand the bike up in a stationary trainer. use the videos in the link I posted above. set the cleats, then the saddle height, then the saddle for/aft, then set up the handlebar, shifters, etc.—in that order. it's not hard to find a stationary trainer locally on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace for cheap.

if your professional fitter tries to establish your saddle fore/aft by hanging a weight on a string from your knee, RUN. get out of there. that's some old wive's tale fitting technique called KOPS (knee over pedal spindle) and it's nonsense. it can be useful as a point of reference and can be used as a quick baseline fit, but it's not scientific. I've worked with a fitter who used that method and the fit was absolute trash. again, those videos in the link I posted above are helpful in dispelling the Myth of KOPS. Steve Hogg and a few others have gone into detail about this as well.

What matters is the seat location with respect to the bottom bracket AND your body. I have learned through the years what that is for me. On any bike I get, the seat goes "there". Now, to get my seat there, I might need to slide it back or maybe forward depending on how steep the seat tube angle is and how much setback the seat has.

Now where the seat rails ore concerned, if the seat is "slammed", especially if the clamp is sitting on the beginning of the rail curve, there is a greater chance of breaking the seat rails. I seek out seatposts that best center the rails, for that and ease of adjustment later but as long as the seat is where it should be for your body, that isn't critical. (Do your fitting first. Then you will know if a different seatpost is in order,

Mostly here to second everything mack_turtle said. Anyway, one way to gauge if your saddle is set correctly if pedaling with light/moderate effort (slight incline, slow acceleration, pushing against wind...) you can take your hands off the bars and you don't slide forward or back (you don't need to tense up your core to stay in place). If you slide forward your seat needs to go back.

Yes, the clamp should always be near the center of the saddle rails. Not for any reason of bike fit, but to prevent the saddle from breaking in the middle of a ride. Once one figures out where the saddle should be w/r to fit, then buy a seatpost with the requisite setback to put the clamp near the middle of the rails.

Rode bike today with seat in the middle. Huge difference in comfort. I think my pedaling pushed my body to the correct orientation relative to the pedals which was the wrong position on the seat. Now I am in the right position on the seat and it is much more comfortable.