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-   -   Newbie - Saddle Setback (https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycling/823680-newbie-saddle-setback.html)

Nassa 06-10-12 08:11 PM


Originally Posted by Clem von Jones (Post 14338750)
Numb hands are a classic symptom of having your seat too far forward. Measuring with a plumb bob hanging from the nose of your saddle down, how far behind the center of your bottom bracket is it? It's important to have the two wheels on a level surface for an accurate measurement. Cement garage floors and driveways are often slanted to shed water. Depending on your height you might need several inches of setback. The idea is to balance on the bike by moving the saddle backwards so that your spine and legs carry your weight instead of your hands. The more aggressively aero your riding position is the further back your saddle will need to be. You can pretty much figure out it out by how it feels. Your ass tells you the best place.

I am not sure I can move the seat any further, it says max with a line, not sure if that line should be parallel to something though.

ultraman6970 06-10-12 08:24 PM

If moving the saddle helped then you are in the right path. I wouldn't have moved the saddle back though, I would have started with leveling the saddle because that was like the 1st thing that was weird but if you noticed a difference then good.

As for the hand that is still bugging you, I have a couple a few questions. How are you grabbing the handlebars?? are you grabbing them from the center?? from the brifters??? are u grabbing them from the brifters like a sisi only with the tip of your fingers??? (sure you guys have seen that one), from the bottom of the handlebars???

As for the glove it might be possible that one hand is larger than the other one and the glove simply gets too tight?? some gloves really need sometime to get used to them. Maybe your hands swell and did not know or noticed??

+1 with the previous poster. What I would do is to ride w/o the gloves just in case are the darn gloves the ones messing you up.

A little detail because you just posted something, if you move the saddle back you have to lower it to keep the legs in the same position or close to what it was before. Makes sense what im saying?

Clem von Jones 06-10-12 08:35 PM

The lines or numbers on the saddle rails are totally arbitrary and only help you to keep track of how far it moves for adjustments. You can slide the saddle back as far as it will physically go on the rails if you want to. I haven't seen a maximum line on a saddle rail before but unless you're really heavy I would be inclined to ignore it.

Nassa 06-10-12 08:43 PM


Originally Posted by ultraman6970 (Post 14338822)
If moving the saddle helped then you are in the right path. I wouldn't have moved the saddle back though, I would have started with leveling the saddle because that was like the 1st thing that was weird but if you noticed a difference then good.

As for the hand that is still bugging you, I have a couple a few questions. How are you grabbing the handlebars?? are you grabbing them from the center?? from the brifters??? are u grabbing them from the brifters like a sisi only with the tip of your fingers??? (sure you guys have seen that one), from the bottom of the handlebars???

As for the glove it might be possible that one hand is larger than the other one and the glove simply gets too tight?? some gloves really need sometime to get used to them. Maybe your hands swell and did not know or noticed??

+1 with the previous poster. What I would do is to ride w/o the gloves just in case are the darn gloves the ones messing you up.

A little detail because you just posted something, if you move the saddle back you have to lower it to keep the legs in the same position or close to what it was before. Makes sense what im saying?

Holding the brifters, thumbs on the inside and the rest of the hand on the outside.
with everything I have done I still feel that a lot of weight is located in the front of my body.
pit feels like it I wasn't holding on I would fall face first. Does that make sense?

Clem von Jones 06-10-12 08:45 PM

The falling forward is a sign that your saddle isn't setback enough. Also notice if your wrists are bent on the brifters. You want them setup so that your wrists are in a neutral untwisted position.

The amount of correct setback varies quite a lot by individual rider. Some riders like a forward saddle even if its uncomfortable. I've collected data from 30 professional cyclist-setups of my own height and their setback varies from 60mm to 115mm. I'm comfortable in the mid-range there. Sprinters and shorter-races favor a forward saddle position, long tours favor increased setback for comfort at the expense of some power efficiency.

Nassa 06-10-12 08:49 PM


Originally Posted by Clem von Jones (Post 14338901)
The falling forward is a sign that your saddle isn't setback enough. Also notice if your wrists are bent on the brifters. You want them setup so that your wrists are in a neutral untwisted position

Any good pictures online?
should I go back to lbs and get this fixed?

ultraman6970 06-10-12 08:52 PM

Ok...

Do this during the week, probably somebody has another solution but it is a thing of opinions and nobody is right all the time with this things ok?

Since you moved the saddle back I would lower the saddle no more than 5 mm and just see how it goes. The worse of a fitting is that you have to adjust the stuff again and again because in the shop everything always works and is in the road and riding over 30 mins to know if all is ok. Lower the saddle a tiny bit will shift some of the weight back and help the hands.

Clem von Jones 06-10-12 09:07 PM


Originally Posted by ultraman6970 (Post 14338924)
Ok...

Do this during the week, probably somebody has another solution but it is a thing of opinions and nobody is right all the time with this things ok?

Since you moved the saddle back I would lower the saddle no more than 5 mm and just see how it goes. The worse of a fitting is that you have to adjust the stuff again and again because in the shop everything always works and is in the road and riding over 30 mins to know if all is ok. Lower the saddle a tiny bit will shift some of the weight back and help the hands.

Good point. It's true that when you change saddle setback you also have to readjust saddle height. You have to devise a system to track and remember all these measurements of setback, saddle height, reach and bar drop. I use a huge 5' or 6' carpenter's level and metric tape measure and a plumb bob on a string. Got all these things at Harbor Freight for maybe 10 bucks.

This website has professional bike setups listed in detail including the rider's height and weight. It's a good source of information and is where I collected data for my own setup. Professional cyclists who spend hours every day riding can't afford to be uncomfortable or inefficient. Here's only one example. Scroll down to see the list. Sometimes they don't list all the measurements you need but you can search the site for riders of your own size and make comparisons. http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/articl...dogma-2-31745/

These professional cyclists weight less and are a lot stronger than I am so my setup has shorter reach and higher bars then their averaged set-ups. Maybe one inch less reach and a couple inches higher. My saddle setback is generous for comfort at the cost of some power. The particular bike linked above is an extremely aggressive position and not a professional average.

Nassa 06-12-12 09:03 AM


Originally Posted by Clem von Jones (Post 14338970)
Good point. It's true that when you change saddle setback you also have to readjust saddle height. You have to devise a system to track and remember all these measurements of setback, saddle height, reach and bar drop. I use a huge 5' or 6' carpenter's level and metric tape measure and a plumb bob on a string. Got all these things at Harbor Freight for maybe 10 bucks.

This website has professional bike setups listed in detail including the rider's height and weight. It's a good source of information and is where I collected data for my own setup. Professional cyclists who spend hours every day riding can't afford to be uncomfortable or inefficient. Here's only one example. Scroll down to see the list. Sometimes they don't list all the measurements you need but you can search the site for riders of your own size and make comparisons. http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/articl...dogma-2-31745/

These professional cyclists weight less and are a lot stronger than I am so my setup has shorter reach and higher bars then their averaged set-ups. Maybe one inch less reach and a couple inches higher. My saddle setback is generous for comfort at the cost of some power. The particular bike linked above is an extremely aggressive position and not a professional average.

How can I stabilize my bike so I can take accurate measurements?
I don't have a repair stand.
Leaning on the wall doesn't provide me with a level surface.
Do you have somebody hold the bike while you are making changes?

Capecodder 06-12-12 10:40 AM

Go get set up by someone who knows what they are doing, none of these people are going to help you over the internet.

NachoLibre 06-13-12 06:10 AM


Originally Posted by Capecodder (Post 14345946)
Go get set up by someone who knows what they are doing

A reasonable piece of advice, but you left out half the information that would make it useful. Anyone on this forum could be a bike fitter if they wanted to. There is no such thing as a licensed fitter, so how do you separate the people that really know what they are doing from the people that don't? People shouldn't assume professional fitters know what they are doing just because they charge money for it. Some of the computer based fittings require the fitter to attend a few day class and pass a test, but that hardly means they are qualified. There is more to fitting than just putting someone in the position the computer tells them to. The computer needs accurate data. That data includes the information the software designers input which is unlikely to include every possible scenario for every individual to ever ride a bike. It is based on averages, and not everyone is average. The fitter will need to know how to apply some theory behind the fit they offer, because the computer fit may not work. This is what separates a good fitter from a bad one.


Originally Posted by Capecodder (Post 14345946)
none of these people are going to help you over the internet.

What makes you think you are helping him and the others were not? It is pretty arrogant of you to assume that only your post was helpful.


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