Newboy

I am absolutely sure that this question has been around since the birth of the wheel, but optimum seat position for comfort? I have tried various styles front down front up and level and really cannot find the best, although I have now settled for level, still find a problem adjusting everything so that I remain comfortable on the longer rides, any suggestions (I will not consider surgery).

bnet1

Have you tried raising/lowering yor seat in small amounts? That could help. Also changing your bar position/height will change your weight distribution on the bike, thereby "unloading" yout butt. Have you tried different style and type seats? Maybe different padded shorts? If all else fails you have but one final choice, and that is to get 'bent (get a recumbent bike). No more pain from anything.

'bent Brian

s2sxiii

except the almost imperceptible feeling of your pride and dignity slipping away...

but to echo brian's sentiment, I found that raising my seat just a shade helped a bunch.

Newboy

Raising the nose of the seat or the seat post?

Newboy

Not ready to lie down yet bri, but will try adjusting my bars perhaps they may be a tad low (hence the missing skin on my knuckles)

s2sxiii

the seatpost. Sorry, i knew i should have clarified when i wrote it.

jeff williams

Hand knumb, tilt the seat up a little. I start level then tilt to get the weight off my hands. When you move the post up, the seat is to slide foreward on the rails to keep inline with the bb.
The seat nose should line vertical with the bb axle. Also really seats are designed for stuff you dont 'see'. Your bones. I have narrow hips and ride road seats on mtbs for comfort.
I have lightweight, painfull, small racing saddles for road. Big cushy Velo road seats for jumping.

My seat position changes also as to the type of biking I'll be doing that day. If I am to do downhill runs the post will be low, seat-nose up. Commuting, the seats high and level.

>jef.

Newboy

I'll give it a go, thanks!

roadfix

Are you sure you've got the right size frame and stem height/extention to begin with?

MichaelW

See the fitting guide at Peter White Cycles (.com )

Newboy

Gotcha!

Newboy

Will do, but I sent measurements when I bought the bike (made in the good old US of A) and it fits well, problem has really come about since I changed my position to a more aerodynamic one, I still am not as low as most, but I am lower than when I first got the bike (no problems then) so it is really about getting the seat right to suit my current set up.

Newboy

I reckon!

dfchatten

I have found that more time off the seat is helpful. I try and stand and peddle in various increments, and that seems to help with the butt pain in the longer rides.

Sheldon has some good reading on the subject. https://www.sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html

Newboy

Hey, I agree with every word of your note, indeed Sheldon is a wise man, for I have noted that as I become more tired the weight on the "tender zone" (wherever that may be) gets worse. I will read more of the thoughts of Sheldon and surely become a wiser person for it.

khuon

I'm curious as to what you did to get yourself lower. Generally most people will simply lower the bars. If you've set up your seat position so that your legs and torso are properly positioned previously then you shouldn't really fuss with that too much. If you lowered your bars then you might have to play with saddle tilt a little bit or it might be that you just need to give yourself some time. Try going back to the original bar height and lowering it incrementally to give your body time to develop comfort with the new lowered position. You can do this by playing with the spacer stacking. Hopefully you haven't already cut down your steerer. Move some spacers from the bottom of the stem to the top to gradually get it lower. Lower it only 5mm at a time. If you can't "tune" with enough granularity using the spacers you already have, you may need to purchase a new spacer kit with more smaller spacers. Keep in mind too that as you lower your bars, you not only increase your reach to them because the perpendicular distance increases but they are also moved slightly forwards due to the angle of the head tube. This combined effect will have you stretched out more as well as bent lower.

As far as saddle level goes, it's really hard for anyone to make a suggestion that will just work for someone else. I have my saddles so that they're pretty much horizontal. That is if you stuck a bubble-level right in the middle of the saddle it would read neutral. I have heard that most saddle companies design their saddles to be ridden this way but of course not everyone's body will subscribe to what some product manager in a cube thinks is the right saddle position. Unfortunately, this is something you'll have to play with. However, do it gradually and try to change only one thing at a time. Also, remember that when you move your seat post up or down, it also slightly changes fore-aft position of the saddle and so you may need to compensate for that.

khuon

This is probably because as you fatigue, you are supporting less of your weight with your legs and arms and so the weight bears down more on the contact regions with the saddle.