Which Way to Move Saddle?

[goride]

I bought a new saddle for my road bike a few weeks ago at my LBS and they installed it. It seemed right at first, but on today's ride, I found myself constantly boosting myself back on the saddle. Occasionally, I would find the sweet spot and it made me feel like I could ride that way all day. Then I would lose that spot. I am not sure if I should be moving the saddle forwards or backwards. If I am moving back to get my sit bones on the right part of the saddle, does that mean I want to move the saddle forward? I find that when I am pedaling with a little more resistance, I stay where I want on the saddle better, but when the resistance eases up even a little, it seems I am sliding forward into the dip in the saddle (the side to side one, not the front to back low area). The saddle is level, maybe even up just slightly at the front, so I don't think that is the issue. I would appreciate any help/thoughts on this.

[lph]

Saddle position really is trial and error, IMO. But it might be handy to keep track of the adjustments you're doing. If I were you I'd check that I had the proper height first (roughly), then the "proper" knee position (which is just a guideline anyway), then mark where the saddle already is before doing any adjustments. Sounds like it should go a little backwards.

No, that's not true, if I were you I'd just chunk the saddle backwards :p But I'd wish I'd done the above procedure.

One of my most happy saddle positions came by chance. I couldn't get my new saddle comfortable, but happened to bang on the nose so it tilted way too much downwards. Didn't have time to fix it, test-rode it - perfect. You never know.

[OakLeaf]

To me it almost sounds like it's the tilt rather than the fore/aft placement.

+1 on there being a lot of trial and error...

[Bike Chick]

Make a minor adjustment, throw the tool in your pocket and go for a ride. When you need to make another adjustment, get off the bike, make the adjustment and ride some more until it feels comfortable. That's usually my plan of action;)

[ny biker]

To me it almost sounds like it's the tilt rather than the fore/aft placement.

+1 on there being a lot of trial and error...

Agreed. It sounds like the nose it tilted down.

[goride]

Thank you all for the tips and the nice link on bike fitting. I like the idea of noting where I started, so I can at least return to where it was if things go really badly. I did get a fit when I purchased the bike last summer, not a RETUL or BG, but it included saddle height and fore-aft, knee to spindle position, the stem was replaced with a shorter stem, etc. Had it back in last summer for a few tweaks, and they positioned the new saddle this year when I decided I couldn't live with the stock saddle any longer. I will keep playing with it and will make sure to keep the mini-tool at hand until I get it right.

ETA: This is embarrassing. I should say that I do not ride clipped in, which probably makes it more difficult to keep a consistent position on the bike, and probably makes fitting more difficult, too. I have enough knee, foot and back issues that I move my foot around on the pedal a fair amount while riding. Also, I find the thought of it really scary having had two fairly significant bike crashes my first season cycling (I am going into season four now), but still lacking confidence. Thankfully, neither incident involved other riders nor vehicles.