First clipless ride today.

[Melonfish]

And i didn't fall!
well, i almost went over at a set of lights, unclipped my left and leant a bit far to the right and started to go. got my food out in time tho

i think i need to raise my seat however, is this normal? i'm running spd's not SL's
pete

 

[Goobs]

I found I had to raise the seat too.
When I have it too low my knees hurt and if too high it hurts my calfs so you'll know when you've gone too far.
Just make sure you can touch the ground with the balls of tip toes of your feet !

 

[Angelfishsolo]

I found I had to raise the seat too.
When I have it too low my knees hurt and if too high it hurts my calfs so you'll know when you've gone too far.
Just make sure you can touch the ground with the balls of your feet !

What he said ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[lulubel]

Just make sure you can touch the ground with the balls of your feet !

Touch the ground? I can't even touch the ground with the tips of my toes when I'm in the saddle.

 

[Davidc]

Seat height must be right clipless or not, symptoms exactly as Goobs says. I've found that I need the seat about 15mm higher with clipless pedals than with flat ones and have both positions scribed onto the seat post for easy changing over.

 

[Melonfish]

hehe, yeah i think i just need to raise it about half an inch or so.
should be kewl then.
already adjusted my cleats this morning when i got in, just some fine adjustments really but i'm going to mess with them on the way home to make sure.

 

[aberal]

And i didn't fall!
well, i almost went over at a set of lights, unclipped my left and leant a bit far to the right and started to go. got my food out in time tho

i think i need to raise my seat however, is this normal? i'm running spd's not SL's
pete

Regardless of the pedals, to set your saddle height make sure that your knee is slightly bent with your heel flat on the pedal. If you can touch the ground with the balls of your feet your saddle will be way too low.

 

[400bhp]

Just make sure you can touch the ground with the balls of your feet !

rubbish!

 

[dellzeqq]

And i didn't fall!

well done! Great feeling, isn't it!

One small thing - if you're raising your saddle just make sure you've got sufficient seatpost left 'in the frame'.

Don't rule out moving the saddle slightly forward or back if it makes it more comfortable

 

[ChrisRicho]

Im forever playing with mine at the moment its doing my noggin in!

I feel like im reaching to much for the bars. But then when i move the saddle closer i feel a bit trapped. Im trying to ascertain if its just getting use to the new position.

 

[Melonfish]

well its hammering down outside so it appears my lovely new shimano cycling shoes are about to get a serious soaking

ho hum they'll dry. i'm marking my seatpost before i adjust to make sure i get it aligned again, i've got a 23" frame, i think i have a fair bit of seatpost left but i'll see later on i guess, i only need to shift it half an inch.

 

[Goobs]

I found I had to raise the seat too.
When I have it too low my knees hurt and if too high it hurts my calfs so you'll know when you've gone too far.
Just make sure you can touch the ground with the balls of tip toes of your feet !

Further to what I originally said - that is how I prefer my mountain bike setup but must confess that on my road bike I can barely touch the ground with one foot and certainly not with both feet.

I still find I readjust my seat height, position and tilt angle every few weeks depending if either my knees, calfs or quadriceps hurt most that night !

 

[aberal]

Further to what I originally said - that is how I prefer my mountain bike setup but must confess that on my road bike I can barely touch the ground with one foot and certainly not with both feet.

I still find I readjust my seat height, position and tilt angle every few weeks depending if either my knees, calfs or quadriceps hurt most that night !

Sorry mate - rules is rules. You need to have your leg slightly bent with the heel on the peddle, regardless.

 

[Goobs]

Sorry mate - rules is rules. You need to have your leg slightly bent with the heel on the peddle, regardless.

I hear what you are saying and of course its right and makes sense in terms of getting the most power out.

I remember as a teenager growing up quickly that my parents got me a bike too big for me saying 'He'll grow into it'. I did but for the first few months I would have to hop off the seat when breaking but with the momentum in my body one or two times hitting the stem in my nuts leaving me crying in pain !

Gonna try getting used to a higher seat and see if it helps with the knee pain.

 

[aberal]

Gonna try getting used to a higher seat and see if it helps with the knee pain.

I'm certain it will. A too low saddle is the equivalent of walking around squatting - puts extra stress on the joints. It may feel strange at first but you will get used to it.