tetonrider

i have an s-works roubaix which i really enjoy riding and fits me just perfectly. however, my seat is as far back as it can go on the post, which i presume increases the stress on the post & frame. also, i have a fear that the seat will tilt back at the wrong moment (hairy descent or riding w/ no hands).

while i prefer to not spend money, i was thinking in this case a setback post might be a wise choice (less stress on the joint + less chance of unexpected tilting). is this true?

any recommendations?

how much further back will the seat be with a setback post? (i'm guessing 2-3cm)

here's a pic of the current situation so you can see the issue


thank you!

bo00on

have you been properly fitted on the bike? that saddle aft position looks extreme. maybe you should post a pic of yourself on the bike with the cranks parallel to the floor.

otherwise get a post with more setback or a saddle with longer rails (e.g. Fizik Arione).

bassplayinbiker

1. If your reach is really that short, you may actually be better off looking into a longer stem. (this is only true if your dilemma isn't one that involves KOPS)

2. If you don't know about KOPS, it stands for "knee over pedal spindle". SOme think that the underside of your knee should be directly over the pedail spindle when the cranks are horizontal. Another way to imagine this is having your knee bent at about a right angle.

Moving your saddle around may (or may not) cause discomfort in your hip flexors and/or knee. It's just something to be mindful of.

bac

That seatpost is already set back a bit - although, you may be able to get a post with even more setback. However, I will echo what others have stated about fit. Use KOPS (explained in another post) to get a good fore/aft adjustment on your saddle. Then, if you still need more setback, consider a new (even more setback) post or seriously consider a new frame.

... Brad

waterrockets 

Yeah, unless you have incredibly and disproportionately long femurs, move that saddle closer to the center of the rails, and get a longer stem or a longer top tube, or both.

If you have the long femurs, then that's a pretty good cycling trait. Get a coach

azwhelan

What are you trying to acheive by moving the seat that far back? Are you trying to change your position relative to the crank or the bars? Because if it is the bars then follow the above advice and make adjustments to the stem not the seat. Someone already mentioned it but I was able to get more adjustment out of the Fizik Arione because of the longer rails. I'm not sure how they compare with the Toupe though.

Bob Dopolina 

+1000

papercutninja

How can your bike fit you "perfectly" when you have to move the saddle so far back? Seriously look into a different stem.

tetonrider

thanks for the responses.

to answer your questions, the bike does fit me perfectly as setup -- i am looking for a setback post NOT to get the seat further back but just to have the support for the seat closer to the center (to minimize risk of tilting).

the seat position is currently adjusted properly for my overall leg length (post height), as well as to get the proper lateral distance between the seat & the bb (femur length).

my reach is just fine -- i'm not trying to extend the TT. i have a 10cm stem on there, and the distance between the saddle & bars is ideal. if i were to go with a longer stem and move the seat a corresponding distance forward, i would retain the reach, but then my knee would be in a less desirable spot.

so.....back to the original question: does anyone have a recommendation for which setback post i should buy?

thank you!


sorry if i was not clear in my original post.

geist

https://www.excelsports.com/new.asp?p...jor=1&minor=19

or

https://www.excelsports.com/new.asp?p...jor=1&minor=19

bsyptak

That Look is a P-I-G Pig. 220g. Buy a Thomson Masterpiece Setback and forget about it. Save $50 too.

briscoelab

Except the Thomson (at 16mm) has the same or less setback as his current post......

You need a post with at least 25mm setback... even then you're gonna be very far forward on the rails. I honesly think the bike doesn't fit you currectly if you TRULY need your seat that far back.

littledjahn

The aggressive geometry of new road bikes make achieving KOPS difficult -- if not impossible -- for those of us with long femurs. Even on an old steel bike with a 73.5* ST, I had to push my saddle all the way back to get that alignment. Since then I've compromised on the KOPS slightly in favor of a little more balanced weight distribution, which is something the OP may want to read up on.

OCRider2000

"as well as to get the proper lateral distance between the seat & the bb (femur length)."

Just currious what you mean here. Are you set up at KOPS? Rear of KOPS? I know this is not why posted but you might want to experiment by raising your seat and moving it forward which you can do while retaining the same effective seat height you have now. Your reach should stay approximate to what it is now as well. Your weight will move a little forward and you'll end up with a little more saddle to bar drop. As has been mentioned your post is a set back post. Did you go with the 54 or the 56?

tetonrider

Thanks OCRider. I am set up at KOPS or just slightly to the rear (I do alot of climbing on my rides). I could move the seat forward and get a longer stem, too, but that would put me at KOPS or slightly ahead. Maybe that's not so bad.

I could raise the seat, although it is in a comfortable range for me right now - I seem to generate good power.

That said, the bike is uber-comfortable, I can accelerate quickly, climb well, descend great (more stable than ever before at >40mph), pedal hard from the drops, etc.

(It's a 54cm frame. And thank you for the help you offered a few weeks back.)

tetonrider

Thanks for the reply - this is exactly the kind of info I need.

As said above, I could ignore KOPS and more the seat forward + get a longer stem, or as OCRider suggested I could raise the seat a touch more.

Specialized makes a 54 & a 56. In truth, I am probably a 55 as my ideal, but the 54 fits very, very well. (ALthough we all know that the Roubaix makes a couple trade-offs of comfort vs absolute aerodynamics.)

I've only ridden it about 160 miles since getting it last week with 12,000' of climbing, so my impressions could change. Wanted to ride it stock before making any adjustments. Might try the longer stem as I have an 11cm stem at my disposable (stock is 10cm).

Again, the only concern is not fit/pedal stroke, but whether a setback post would offer the seat more support closer to the center of the saddle. The saddle is marked to be in the position that I have it in based on the little scale imprinted on the rail, so I am not sure it is fair to say that simply because one has the seat that far forward that the bike doesn't fit. I accept that it could be the case, but I don't think it's an absolute rule. Why would the scale extend that far?

I don't think it's good to be at an extreme end (again, just for fear of the saddle tilting over time), and I thought a post with more setback could solve this. Seems like 25-30mm of setback could do the trick. I'm having a hard time finding specs with my internet searches, so i really appreciate the experience of the group.

OCRider2000

I was thinking you could get your seat within the fore\aft limit marks by raising and moving your saddle a little forward. When you move your saddle forward you are also reducing the effective saddle height so to get your effective saddle height back you need to raise your seat. By raising your seat you are effectively lengthening your reach. So when you are done moving your seat forward and upward your reach and effective saddle height should be pretty close to what they are now. Your position relative to KOPS is a function of seat tube angle, set back\seat fore\aft position on the rails, correctly positioned cleats and femur to tibia length ratio. I'm surprised that with a 73.5 STA ( the 56 has a 73.25) and a set back post that you need to move your seat that far rearward just to get close to KOPS. Measuring for KOPS accurately requires two people and a careful placement of your plumb line, level crank and shoe, ie its easy to get it wrong. Are you confident that your know exactly where you are relative to KOPS with your present set up? It looks like your seat is angled down a considerable amount. If this is the case I'm wondering if you are sitting on the forward portion of your saddle which would require you to shove your seat that much farther rearward in order to get where you want to be relative to KOPS. You might want to try leveling your seat and carefully re-measuring for KOPS.

tetonrider

points taken. i did the measurements/estimates myself with a mirror & a digicam on a tripod, so there definitely could be error.

also, i want to make clear that i am still learning and really appreciate all the information and ideas.

i understand what you mean about raising the saddle & moving it forward. as i understand that KOPS is not a golden rule, i have not problem experimenting with my position. i'll probably move it up and forward a bit (in steps) for the next few rides and see how it goes.

i do want to be mindful of my knees, and i've got no pain now.

also, my cadence with this bike has increased significantly. i know other, better riders can have amazing/high cadence on heavier bikes, but either the drop in weight or the setup (or both) really helped improve my spin.

for instance, i used to average ~65rpm on an hour long climb. when i switched to proper road pedals (instead of MTB pedals/shoes), i started averaging low 70s. i switched to the roubaix and am now pushing 80. on the flats, i'm now spinning at 95 (in the same gears as before), whereas earlier i was in the low 80s. good stuff for my knee.

tetonrider

Just wanted to report back on this issue.

1) I realized I have been riding slightly behind KOPS. I do think this may have served me well during my rides, which involve much seated climbing.
2) That said, I realized I could move the seat slightly forward (and up, per OCRider's suggestion) to retain a similar position.
3) A few test rides still felt comfortable, though just a bit different. A change of just 1-2cm
4) I am still deciding as to whether I need a longer stem. I wanted to wait on that until dialing in my seat position. I think the only thing for me to do will be to try an 11cm (and maybe 12) and ride them for a while.

I'm not into making many, short-lived changes. I'd rather make one change at a time and ride for a while to truly understand benefits/drawback vs things that just feel different.

Thanks for all the thoughts. (And, again, I do understand that KOPS is not an absolute -- I was trying to use it as a starting point.)