Adjusting the saddle....again...

[elk]

ONE more time again please...:o

I have my new B67 and my Albatross bars and on my ride today I was kind of uncomfortable..squirming all over the seat and trying to take the pressure off my hands. I felt like I was sitting forward of the sitbones...I could tell because if I rolled my pelvis back to get the pressure off my front parts, I'd be on the proper bones...but then I had trouble reaching the bars.
Do I want to push my seat FORWARD a little? Tip the bars up a little? I wish I could sit up straighter instead of leaning forward. I can't raise my stem...

I have my Brooks leveled in the front and it is the longer one.

sorry to ask again...but its kind of a new set up...

e

[KnottedYet]

Try both (one at a time) and see what happens!

1.If you move the saddle forward, but then your knees start feeling like they are waaaaaay out in front of the pedals... then you know that wasn't it. Put it back.

2. If you tip the bars up, but you still can't get onto your sit bones... then you know that wasn't it. Put them back.

3. If you do both at once a smidge (after trying each alone) but you're still not on sit bones and able to reach the bars... then you might want to check into some stem business.

Edit: and if you can, hit up the library for a copy of Andy Pruitt's Complete Medical Guide for Cyclists. Great book!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Are you sure this bike isn't too long for you? Seems hard to believe that your weight would be falling forward with albatross bars (which sweep way back)....unless your frame is way too long. Is it a mixte?
Sometimes we wind up on mixtes that are too big simply because it's easy to stand over them anyway, with their sloped top tubes.
Refresh us about the bike again please.

[sandra]

Here's her bike Lisa. (http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?p=254471#post254471)

[sandra]

Looking at your bike, the saddle is all the way back on the rails. I'd try pushing it up just to see.

[mimitabby]

point the tip of the saddle UP, just 1/2 inch.
just try it.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

The question is whether the bike frame is the right size for you- did you get fitted on this bike when you bought it? Assuming you would have been "able" to stand over several different sized frames of this particular bike (because it was a mixte)- how did you know which size frame to get when you got it?

Sandra- though pushing the saddle forward might help in some ways, it can also create other problems. For some people doing that can feel better. For me, pushing my saddle forward actually moved my center of gravity forward, more over the crank, and though it seems counter-intuitive, it made me feel unbalanced and made my weight fall forward even more forward onto my hands.

I am puzzled by your feeling your weight is falling forward, and puzzled by your feeling you need to sit upright more- right now your bars are substancially higher than your saddle already- should be a comfy posture.
The only two reasons I can think of for your having too much weight on your hands at this point are:
Bike frame too long for you.
or
Your bike fits you but- your core muscles are not strong at all or you are riding very little. If you ride regularly (40-50 miles a week maybe) then you will build up your muscles in such a way that they will hold you up nicely with no feeling of falling forward. Even having good quads (top of thigh) will help you get your weight balanced over your legs more and off your hands.

Try to ride with more of your weight on your feet as you pedal. See if that alleviates your saddle discomfort AND your hand discomfort. Remember- riding a bike is not like zooming around on an office chair. ;) See if you can distribute your weight more evenly between your seat, legs, and hands. Work your legs and abdomen. Think of pedaling as WALKING your bike, not like just sitting on a chair and shuffling your feet. This mental image helped me get myself off my *ss while riding my bike. ;) :D Standing up while pulling up small hills helped me a lot too.
It took me many months of riding before I felt like I wasn't putting all my weight on my butt and my hands.

Maybe I am out in left field but it's just a couple of other thoughts to consider. It helped me. :)

[sandra]

Lisa, you are never in left field. Listen to Lisa. :) Everything she has suggested to me has worked.

[mimitabby]

Lisa do you ride your office chair a lot? :D

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Lisa do you ride your office chair a lot? :D

Yes, I took off the armrests and put my old noodle bars on it.

[elk]

You all may be right.

I do feel like it just needs some tweaking--in other words more comfort feels close---AND I don't ride nearly enough NOR am I very strong yet. AND, I am the original Princess & the Pea....sometimes my socks hurt....:eek:

size:
I bought the bike from a pretty intense LBS called River City and had a cyclist spend quite a bit of time with me. She had me try several different sizes of the same frame. She watched me pretty closely as I rode and was looking for angles of knee and the triangle between butt, hands and ?? My DH was standing with her as she probed so I didn't hear alot. The 52 probably fit me a little better....but I wanted a step through and the 49 was too small so I got the 53. She said it would be fine. The only time stand over was discussed was when she wanted to show me that I could stand over the "mens" 52 and didn't NEED a step through. IOW, I had a choice.

SO. Yesterday as I was riding, I found the most comfortable position was to tip my pelvis back (ye olde basin) and sit up straight on on my ibones...I could reach the bars then with my fingers, but not my whole hand. That seems to have more to do with how far away from the bars I was...either in height or length. And perhaps I was just unable to maintain that position for long.
(being weak and all)

Thus! I think moving my seat forward a bit and the tipping the bars up a bit may help.

Because I have the longer 67 saddle now...I may not need it quite as far back as I put it. And I will say this...I have no lingering pain anywhere from the ride. Maybe the ibones are a wee bit sore.

I'm not sure about moving the nose up, Mimi...I can imagine it would help me maintain the right bone position...but the front pressure??? More info?

thanks for the help...I know I'll get it right with your guidance. And I DO like my new saddle.
The SUN is out and I have a little time to fool around so I'll take my wrench and my bike out.

[mimitabby]

as you said, the reach might just be too far as the bike might be too big.
But for some of us, when the seat is tilted up a little; suddenly the pressure goes away from the hands as you are not trying to keep your butt on the bike!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

SO. Yesterday as I was riding, I found the most comfortable position was to tip my pelvis back (ye olde basin) and sit up straight on on my ibones...I could reach the bars then with my fingers, but not my whole hand. That seems to have more to do with how far away from the bars I was...either in height or length. And perhaps I was just unable to maintain that position for long.
(being weak and all)


From reading this I am suspecting that you are thinking you should be able to sit completely upright on your bike. It's not going to happen. :cool:
Look- my bike is a pretty "upright" posture bike, as bikes go. My handlebars are either level with or ever so slightly higher than my saddle:
http://harmonias.com/Lisa%20with%20Rambouillet.jpg
Now, look at my typical posture when i ride:
http://harmonias.com/Lisa%20on%20drops.jpg
That position on the handlebars is for me my most comfortable and weight-balanced position, by the way. I get no back or neck pain, even on long rides (50-70 mi)
Even though it "looks" like I am not very upright on my bike, I actually feel quite upright and in fact I AM quite upright when compared to many other road bikes one observes these days.
If I was to truly sit completely upright ("sit up straight" as you say) I would not be able to reach my handlebars with my fingertips at all! :eek:

I am glad to hear you were properly fitted to your bike by someone who sounds like she knew what she was doing.
I think you just are expecting to be too upright (like on a chair) and are experiencing the off balance feeling due to not having any muscles or core/abdominal strength built up yet. Your body is simply not used to this new position yet, and doesn't have the muscle strength yet to hold that position comfortably for any length of time.
Try to ride more and get your legs to bear some of your weight as you pedal as opposed to only your butt and your hands. Riding will strengthen not only your stomach muscles, but your leg, back, and arm muscles as well. All those muscles contribute in their own way and work together to hold your body biking position comfortably as you ride. Just my humble opinion. :)


P.S. here's a favorite photo of mine from the Ibex site, showing a guy who I suspect is going to have some MAJOR back problems if he doesn't alter his riding posture!:
http://www.ibexwear.com/shop/images/LandingPage/BikePanarama.jpg
Gives me back pain just looking at it! =8-O

[elk]

Try both (one at a time) and see what happens!

1.If you move the saddle forward, but then your knees start feeling like they are waaaaaay out in front of the pedals... then you know that wasn't it. Put it back.

Edit: and if you can, hit up the library for a copy of Andy Pruitt's Complete Medical Guide for Cyclists. Great book!

Is there a way to tell if you are "dialed in correctly" by where you feel the ride?

I made some little adjustments and mostly felt the muscles just above my knees straining. I raised the seat a fraction and that lessened a bit.

Lisa, I am working on triangulating my weight...seat pedals bars....raising the seat helped there too.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Is there a way to tell if you are "dialed in correctly" by where you feel the ride?

For me, that feeling is sort of like 'floating' over your bike.... like softly treading water. Call me nuts, but I call it my "out of bike experience". On downhills, it almost feels like sliding down a soft snowy bank on a plastic sled. Floating...


I made some little adjustments and mostly felt the muscles just above my knees straining. I raised the seat a fraction and that lessened a bit.

Lisa, I am working on triangulating my weight...seat pedals bars....raising the seat helped there too.

Good to keep experimenting- that's how we learn. :) If you get pain on the tops of your kneecaps at the end of a long ride- raise the saddle up another 1/2" or so. But the feeling of straining muscles can also just be normal when you don't have a lot of muscle strength yet. Expect some sore muscles in places you never knew you had them! ;)

[coyote]

elk,
Check out Andy Pruitt's book. It gives you starting points for adjustments and talks about the cause of some of the most typical cycling pains and injuries. I used it to get my seat height, handle bar adjustment and reach.

You can get it online here for $13

http://www.roadbikerider.com/ap_excerpt.htm

[elk]

yikes! that looks like a great ride (reminds me of western mass) but every muscle on that guy is torqued...i think everything is gonna hurt!!! Nice tights though.:)

Your photos are very helpful and I notice that you too have your saddle nose pointed up...looks more than 1/2" up!!

thanks for the link, coyote (co yot ay sayin it outloud to myself) I found "hard copy" for even less! Ordered it.

appreciate it. all of it.
e

[roadie gal]

I noticed on the picture that you have quite a bit of setback on the seatpost. You might try replacing that one with a straight one if you can't get the seat far enough forward. I did that recently and it helped a lot.

BTW and OT, I love the picture of your collie. :D

[elk]

I noticed on the picture that you have quite a bit of setback on the seatpost. You might try replacing that one with a straight one if you can't get the seat far enough forward. I did that recently and it helped a lot.

BTW and OT, I love the picture of your collie. :D

thanks roadie...i think getting the seat forward won't be a problem....I moved it up a scooch and it seems better.
My collie....sigh....you should see her today...after her bath and brush out...all shiny and big coated ...she's a dreamboat...:D

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

P.S. here's a favorite photo of mine from the Ibex site, showing a guy who I suspect is going to have some MAJOR back problems if he doesn't alter his riding posture!:
http://www.ibexwear.com/shop/images/LandingPage/BikePanarama.jpg
Gives me back pain just looking at it! =8-O

Oh my gosh, they CHANGED the photo!!!! :eek: :eek: :p
Maybe they read this thread or someone else made a comment on how painfully hunched up this guys' back looked- and they CHANGED it! :D :D Now he looks way more normal and comfortable standing up and pedaling! Too funny.

[elk]

Oh my gosh, they CHANGED the photo!!!! :eek: :eek: :p
Maybe they read this thread or someone else made a comment on how painfully hunched up this guys' back looked- and they CHANGED it! :D :D Now he looks way more normal and comfortable standing up and pedaling! Too funny.

same swell road though....:D