Position of Saddle - rails or nose?

[Hoffer]

Discovered by putting my MTB on a trainer that I needed the saddle in a bit
of a 'nose-up' position, I think.

When I first rode the trainer I felt like I was going to fall off it to the
front. So I put a 3/4" stack of magazines under the gray plastic V-guide
for the front wheel and it immediately felt great to pedal. For the first
time on that bike I felt like the legs were freed up to pedal and the grip
on the front handlebars were perfect.

In fact, just putting it on the trainer seemed to expose the problems that
are confusingly hard to spot when actually riding.

Trying to translate this into position riding the street, do I need -both-
a stem riser -and- a more nose-up saddle position to duplicate this fix?

Raising the front wheel almost an inch would mean a degree or two rise in
the saddle relative to the floor, I'd guess.

I'm not so clear on how that change would be duplicated with the
handlebars.

Thanks,
Hoff.

 

[Art Harris]

Hoffer wrote:

> I put a 3/4" stack of magazines under the gray plastic V-guide for the front wheel and it immediately felt great to pedal. For the first time on that bike I felt like the legs were freed up to pedal and the grip on the front handlebars were perfect.

> Trying to translate this into position riding the street, do I need -both- a stem riser -and- a more nose-up saddle position to duplicate this fix?


I agree that a trainer will often pinpoint fit problems that may not be
obvious on the road.

I would suggest you do whatever it takes to get the bike level in the
trainer. That used to be as easy as putting a bubble level on the top
tube, but alas, most top tubes aren't level these days. So pick
something like the wheel hubs or top of tires to check levelness of the
bike. Then experiment with saddle height/tilt/fore-aft and bar height
to get that comfortable combination you like.

Generally, you don't want the saddle tilted up or down more than a
couple of degrees. If you feel like you're sliding forward all the
time, you may need to raise the bars, move the saddle _back_ slightly,
and/or tilt the saddle up a bit.

See:
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm

Art Harris

 

[Peter Cole]

Hoffer wrote:
> Discovered by putting my MTB on a trainer that I needed the saddle in a bit
> of a 'nose-up' position, I think.
>
> When I first rode the trainer I felt like I was going to fall off it to the
> front. So I put a 3/4" stack of magazines under the gray plastic V-guide
> for the front wheel and it immediately felt great to pedal. For the first
> time on that bike I felt like the legs were freed up to pedal and the grip
> on the front handlebars were perfect.
>
> In fact, just putting it on the trainer seemed to expose the problems that
> are confusingly hard to spot when actually riding.
>
> Trying to translate this into position riding the street, do I need -both-
> a stem riser -and- a more nose-up saddle position to duplicate this fix?
>
> Raising the front wheel almost an inch would mean a degree or two rise in
> the saddle relative to the floor, I'd guess.
>
> I'm not so clear on how that change would be duplicated with the
> handlebars.

As you've discovered, a trainer is probably the best way to dial in
perfect bike fit. It sounds like you need both less saddle tilt and
higher bars. I like to keep an eye out for really cheap stems so I can
try different reaches and heights. Other things to tweak: cleat
position, handlebar width/angle, brake lever angle, etc. It's amazing
how this stuff can add up and dramatically affect the feel of a bike.
Swapping and adjusting takes time, so it's an ideal task for the winter.
I find I need to spend a bit of time in a new position (with some degree
of pedaling effort) to really check it out.