Seat Angle Problem

[noonievut]

My issue is that I want to tilt the nose of my seat up considerably to keep from sliding down the saddle and thus putting pressure on my hands/arms, etc. If I do this it creates leg pains resulting from (I think) the change in the pedalling angle (seat tilted back means I'm now further back, and lower).

More info:

- I like my seat and find it comfortable
- If I lie a flat board on the seat, and adjust it so the board is level, the part of the seat my sit bones contact isn't level...it's pointing down. It's difficult to get that part of the seat that's important to be flat using a board and level.
- when I think I have it flat, it's comfortable to pedal, my legs feel good during and after the ride, I can sit up easily when pedalling with my hands off the bar. When I ride normally (hoods/tops) if I let go a bit I instantly slide forward (drops are more comfortable for whatever reason). Does this mean that given my cycling posture, I need to tilt the nose up more...and somehow adjust the seat height and fore/aft to compensate for the angle?

Thanks

 

[alienator]

Unless your seat is at an extreme angle, it's not what is causing you to load your arms excessively. It sounds more like your saddle might need to slide back.

 

[jhuskey]

It also could be a seat height adjustment issue. Difficult if not impossible to adjust a seat over the internet.

 

[alienator]

Difficult if not impossible to adjust a seat over the internet.

BS. For instance, I can see, just by the way you typed that, you need about 5 mm more reach on your handlebars and 3mm more setback on your saddle. And your chain needs lubing.

 

[jhuskey]

BS. For instance, I can see, just by the way you typed that, you need about 5 mm more reach on your handlebars and 3mm more setback on your saddle. And your chain needs lubing.

Yes, but not all of us have super powers. I myself am limited to x-ray vision and invisibility.

 

[alfeng]

BS. For instance, I can see, just by the way you typed that, you need about 5 mm more reach on your handlebars and 3mm more setback on your saddle. And your chain needs lubing.

Well, ignoring the tongue-in-cheek aspect of your reply, in a serioius vein, I would suggest that the OP's frame IS, indeed, too small ... by at least "one size" (however one may want to measure that) AND/OR that the handlebars are set too low for his flexibility (again, suggesting to me that the OP is riding on a frame that is subjectively too small).

 

[rparedes]

My issue is that I want to tilt the nose of my seat up considerably to keep from sliding down the saddle and thus putting pressure on my hands/arms, etc. If I do this it creates leg pains resulting from (I think) the change in the pedalling angle (seat tilted back means I'm now further back, and lower).

More info:

- I like my seat and find it comfortable
- If I lie a flat board on the seat, and adjust it so the board is level, the part of the seat my sit bones contact isn't level...it's pointing down. It's difficult to get that part of the seat that's important to be flat using a board and level.
- when I think I have it flat, it's comfortable to pedal, my legs feel good during and after the ride, I can sit up easily when pedalling with my hands off the bar. When I ride normally (hoods/tops) if I let go a bit I instantly slide forward (drops are more comfortable for whatever reason). Does this mean that given my cycling posture, I need to tilt the nose up more...and somehow adjust the seat height and fore/aft to compensate for the angle?

Thanks

After many tries at getting my saddle right. This is what I found:
Check saddle height. Everybody has a "range" that varies from the formula. I found that mine actually varies with my fitness, weight and level of exertion. Raising my saddle to my "upper range" worked wonders. The higher the saddle the more I tilt my saddle forward (mind you, tilt is only like one degree from horizontal)
SAddle setback: One of the most important; the farther back the nose is from BB the more weight is on your butt. I don't care about "knee over pedal" stuff. The harder and faster I ride (as the weather gets warmer and I get fitter), I move the nose forward and I raise the saddle juts a bit. These mini adjustments come only every few weeks as my riding/fitness changes. I find that during winter and not quite "in shape" riding, my saddle is more set back and set lower than when i ride often in the summer and fall.
I have also used coke can shims (cut and folded) under my saddle rails just to get the perfect inclination. (my seat clamps sometimes just don't have enough adjustment)
I agree with one of the posters that putting the nose up is probably not the solution, I would try moving it back and raising it a bit (1/8 inch maybe)
FWIW, I also found that a strong core helped my arms. I think people underestimate how much "total fitness" goes into cycling.

 

[longfemur]

Most saddles have a bit of a dip where your bones end up, and that's the part that you have to worry about. Whether the saddle itself is level from front to back isn't really relevant, because your **** isn't built level either. There isn't a saddle manufacturer in the world that knows the exact shape of your undercarriage. What is relevant, is how YOU fit on it. Once you've got that one figured out through a bit of experimention, then if you have major sliding forward problems, your saddle is probably too far forward. It doesn't take much additional setback to correct this, but all you can do is to experiment and see how it feels. There are no formulae for this kind of thing, and as is usually the case, much of what you can read on the internet can be misleading.

 

[noonievut]

Thanks for the tips (and humour ).

Funny that before my daughter came along (and my riding was cut back...a lot) I never had these issues. I think I road over 5,000km one year and never had an issue, probably because I had better overall fitness. Now I ride a lot less, and I seem to be having these 'fit' issues.

Given that my saddles rails were very forward (almost over the stop point inscribed on the saddle), I moved it back a bit. I plump-bobbed my knee to the spindle and it's relatively close. I'll try that for a bit and see how it goes.

All of this has led me to wanting a custom frame and build-up where I can start with a frame that fits me perfectly and then add parts that complete the fit. I spoke with a local frame builder and he was excited to help me