Need advice on a brooks saddle!!

[jessica47201]

Well, I went to one of my LBS's today and asked about some cycling shorts and a bike fit. He said that they don't really charge for it and if i wanted I could put my shoes on and hop on my bike and he would look at me and see what he could do. First he told me to level my seat, that I didn't need it tilted down any and second he said my seat was way too high. Then he rode my bike around the parking lot with no hands trying to explain to me about the top tube length and that I should be able to do this, blah, blah, blah. So I went for a bike ride yesterday morning and holy s**t!! My seat was waaaayy to low. My thighs were hurting so bad and I had to unclip repeatedly just so I could stretch out my thighs!!! My hips didn't rock in the saddle and my leg had a slight bend in it, but it wasn't completly straight!! So does it sound like he lowered my seat to much?

[Melalvai]

My thighs were hurting so bad and I had to unclip repeatedly just so I could stretch out my thighs!!! My hips didn't rock in the saddle and my leg had a slight bend in it, but it wasn't completly straight!! So does it sound like he lowered my seat to much?

You might give it a little time. I've been told your leg should have a slight bend, I've also been told all those "rules" don't necessarily apply to everyone. I also had my saddle too high and when I finally decided to lower it, it felt weird for a while but I got used to it.

Are the springs working for you? I have springs and I ride on roads.

[uforgot]

Not sure where I read this, but when your crank is at the bottom point, place your heel on the pedal. When your leg is straight (with your heel on the pedal), your leg will be slightly bent with your toe on the pedal. This is the height of your saddle. This method works for me. I also have to have my brooks perfectly level, front to back. Others like it tipped slightly up (mimi maybe?) and others down. I think the tilt is really personal preference.

[canonsue]

My hips didn't rock in the saddle and my leg had a slight bend in it, but it wasn't completly straight!! So does it sound like he lowered my seat to much?

Actually, that sounds like the seat is at a very good height. However, it might take some getting used to.

I just put on my new Brooks yesterday and was only able to go for a very short ride. Looks like I will need to go to my LBS tomorrow and have the seat tube cut off just a bit in case I want to play more with the height. I did not realize that I was already nearly at the bottom with my old saddle. However, the height is ok, I now need to play with the tilt, forward/aft adjustment. Seems like I was sliding forward a bit. I know that my LBS will also help me with that as well. I wanted to buy the saddle from them but I just did not want the hassle of having to sell it if it did not work out, so yes, I too, purchased it from Wallbike.

Today is clear but cold but it looks like a good day for a longer ride.

-Sue

[OakLeaf]

Sounds to me like your seat height is roughly what it should be, too.

But IMO those adjustments need to be made GRADUALLY if you weren't having major problems with it before (hips rocking, having to point your toes, pain behind your knees, etc.). Your muscles need time to adapt. If it was me, I'd take the seat height about 3 mm below where it was, ride it for a while, then lower it another 3 mm, and repeat as needed until it was where the LBS thought it should be. But be advised that a free "fitting" is just a rough guesstimate - a "real" fitting involves taking all kinds of measurements and watching you on the bike for quite a while - and even a skilled fitting involves a lot of judgment calls.

So it's definitely possible that where the LBS set your seat height isn't exactly right for you. But if your leg was straight at the bottom of the pedal stroke before, then it was definitely too high. Hips rocking is a big red flag too (you're moving your hips to try to reach the pedals, basically), but there are other things besides seat height that can cause that if you have misalignments in the knees or hip joints.

If you were having knee pain with the lower seat, I'd take that as a warning that maybe it was too low. But if it was muscle pain or cramps as it sounds like, lower it gradually and see how you do.

[jessica47201]

I'm sorry, I meant that my hips didn't rock and my leg had a slight bend in them before he adjusted my seat. Now I have a major bend in them and when I went for a ride, I had to unclip several times just so I could straighten out my legs. Plus I understand that the owner of the store, who fitted me knows way more than I do about bikes, but he kinda insulted his employees right in front of my saying he would do the fitting because well, he is better at it. His employee just stared back at me like, Yeap, I get this all the time. So within the first few minutes I was kinda feeling like I was retarded or something. Plus he said I didn't need to tilt my seat unless I was doing time trials. By the way Melalvai, so far I love the springs on my road bike. I realy don't even notice them at all, but yet I know that they're there!!

[canonsue]

I'm sorry, I meant that my hips didn't rock and my leg had a slight bend in them before he adjusted my seat.

In that case, I would go back to where it was comfortable.

I rode 14 miles today with my new brooks. At first, I was too forward and keep pushing my butt back on the saddle. So I stopped and adjusted the saddle moved it about 1/4 inch back. This was perfect. Then after a couple of miles, I felt like the nose was too high, yes, painfully too high. I stopped and adjusted that. But with my setup, there is no micro-adustment. You just loosen it and sort of bang on it to change the tilt. I started again and it was better, but I think just a tiny bit more (down) will be best.

As far as butt pain, very difficult to tell as I am a new rider and any saddle is going to be a bit uncomfortable until I toughen up a bit.

-Sue