Guys,
when you're cycling out of the saddle, is it normal for your ass to bash against the tip of the saddle (only a little bit mind) - or does this suggest something wrong with my technique/fit?

(Reason I ask is cause I saw a picture of Lance Armstrong today, in which his ass looked almost a mile in front of the saddle when he was climbing...)

Lean farther forward.

I never get any ass clatter, I figure it's not a normal thing.

Never noticed it and I keep my saddle rather far forward.

Keep leaning forward 'til it stops or your back wheel starts spinning out.

I call it the "ass tap". When climbing out of the saddle, I will routinely tap my ass against the tip of the saddle as a pacing tool.

Stop putting the saddle bag in your shorts.

Fixed

good thing you can say ass.

I love the title of this thread, now I need to figure out a good way to work "ass clatter" into a regular conversation.

I very seldom get out of my saddle anymore but I can't remember "ass clatter" being an issue.

I'm pretty sure I'd remember it if it had been an issue.

OP is addressed to guys but I asked my wife about this and she reports no "ass clatter" either.

I expected some fart jokes.

I can provide some.

Fire away!

try climbing over the front of the bike.

I used to get that but I started using chamois creme.

I just got back to the store and had to endure some ass clatter from the change jangling in my back pocket.

Keep riding. Your ass will tighten and eventually no more clatter.

Two men sitting on a park bench.
The first say " Man, I gotta stand up. My ass is asleep".
The second says " I know. I heard it snoring".

^^^

Keep them coming.

This is a function of:
- Seat tube angle
- Saddle length
- Saddle position in the rails

This is entirely normal.

Same here. I was in a Spinning class once and the instructor was telling me to "climb" with my ass on the saddle like that. Talk about an unnatural feeling.

What would you call the definition of surprise?

Answer: A fart with a lump in it.

Also, it depends on your personal style of sprinting. Some lean way over the front axle, some further back. I sprint further back.

I've noticed that my saddle is right at the point where if I move it forward 1cm, I'll feel it and if I move it back 1cm I won't.

When I had my custom track frame made, the builder commented that some track sprinters like the saddle right under their bottom so that they can sit down without having to sit back to do so.

For those unfamiliar, sprints on the track begin out of the saddle, but the really high speeds are only available in the saddle as evidenced here. Also notice how close the nose of the saddle is to their thighs:

Sprints from the 2010 UCI World Championships

a.k.a. shart

i have not been on a track, but my guess is there is a large difference between sprinting on a track and riding out of the saddle up a large hill.