Adjusting the saddle....again...

[elk]

ONE more time again please...

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.

[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. 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.

[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