New shorts or new saddle?

[thekarens]

You can at least check your fore/aft position yourself. Well, with the help of another person. Sit on your bike with your feet on the pedals at, hmmm - drawing a blank - somebody help me! 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock (unless I've got vacation brain right now, and it's 12 and 6). Drop a plumb bob (or any string with a small weight on one end so it hangs straight down) from the front of your forward knee. The weighted end should fall at the pedal spindle. This isn't a hard and fast rule, but it should be near it. If you are too far back, try a longer stem, instead. If too far forward, you may need a shorter one.

A professional fitting is the best way to go, but sometimes you just can't do that. Then it's time for some do-it-yourselfedness, with a bit of education.

Thank you, I appreciate this. I'll get my partner to help me out to see where I'm at. I got some shorts at Performance Bike and didn't have any problem on a 2 hour ride Saturday or a 3 hour ride on Sunday, but I think adding this to the equation will be helpful.

[Celeste1013]

First, I agree with Muirenn about making sure that your saddle is centered correctly.

Second, I think you need a better fitting. The saddle fore/aft position should be based on having your knee in the right position in relation to your foot/pedal. If you move the saddle to correct a problem with your reach to the handlebars, it affects your ability to transfer power to the pedals, and could cause pain. I recently had problems with pain in the top of my foot and front of my ankle because my new saddle was too far back when I first put it on the bike.

Third, if the handlebars are too close, a longer stem can probably help.

Hi ny biker, the information on your knee position in relation to your foot/pedal caught my eye. What should your knee position be in relation to your foot/pedal?

[Owlie]

Hi ny biker, the information on your knee position in relation to your foot/pedal caught my eye. What should your knee position be in relation to your foot/pedal?

The "proper" knee position is to have your knee directly over the pedal spindle (its axle) when the pedals are at 3- and 9 o'clock (parallel to the ground). Someone should be able to drop a plumb bob from your knee and have it intersect an imaginary line drawn through the center of the pedal spindle. Of course, this doesn't work for everyone, but it's a place to start.