"RandomChris" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<
[email protected]>...
> > I generally make a small change and ride it for a couple weeks. Is your saddle all the way aft
> > already? If not, make a 1-2cm move and give yourself at least a few hundred miles to think about
> > it. If you don't think it helps you then there is no point in dogmatic aherence to a measuring
> > system.
>
> Sounds very reasonable - unfortunately I've got to decide by the end of THIS week so I can swap my
> frame if necessary. I'm also unable to get out on the bike until the weekend!!
>
If you're having a problem with your position (and it sounds like you are) you might as well make
the full correction (not just 1-2 cm at a time) and adapt to it, especially if this is the
off-season for you. What's the point of being uncomfortable, if the proper position will make you
comfortable ?
> I guess the real reason I started riding so far forwards was that the seatpost has so little
> set-back that just clamping the saddle in the middle of the rails gives quite a steep seat angle.
> So, before I knw anything else, it looked right therefore it must be ok!
>
> I normally have a tendency to move forwards on the saddle when riding hard, even at this angle,
> but perhaps that could be to do with the reach.
>
Being too far forward makes it more likely that you will tend to move forward when riding hard.
> In any case, the last thing I want to do is swap to the next frame size up and find that I have to
> run a 80mm stem because the saddle is better in the "correct" (KOPS) position. OTOH, if I keep my
> existing saddle position on the new bike, a stem of 110/120mm gives me the perfect reach. If I
> keep the existing (smaller) frame then I can easily achieve the KOPS position and have appropriate
> reach with a 120mm stem. But then what if I don't like it and end up with my saddle back in my
> current position.....? Use a 160mm stem?! And then there's the bar height - I'd need around 6cm of
> spacers on the smaller frame but that's another story!
If you're fitting yourself to a road bike, if your knee is 4 cm ahead of the spindle (the way KOPS
is defined) I don't think you'll be comfortable. Although I'll admit I'm conservative when it comes
to position.
When in doubt go back to the rules of thumb established in the Lemond/Hinault books. Set your saddle
height as prescribed and move your saddle back until it feels "right", rather than moving your
saddle up or forward. On a typically sized bike the nose of the saddle will end up 5-8 cm behind the
BB (personally I think seat tube angles tend to be too steep). Your upper leg should be close to
horizontal when your foot is at the top of the stroke.
Riders typically move their saddle forward to compensate for having it too high, I think you might
have this problem. If your seat is lower, your bars will be lower too, so you might not have this
spacer problem.
Reading your post, it seems to me you should keep the smaller frame, your best position will be
closer to KOPS (which you can achieve on the smaller frame with the 120 mm stem) than what you
had before.
-Amit