Ride position

[Longshot]

I ride a Spesh Sirrus Elite hybrid.

At the weekend, I played with my ride position a little and made the following adjustments:

1. I flipped the stem to the lower position
2. I found I could raise the saddle about 15mm more and still have my toes touching the floor
3. I tilted the saddle slightly up at the front (it still looks level though)

I did my 25 mile commute this morning and knocked 10 minutes off my time. Everything seemed so much easier. I'll probably find I had a tailwind but I felt I was engaging my upper leg muscles more.
The flatter position didn't cause me any problems with my hands - far from it.

The only question I have is over the saddle position. Previously, I was getting a lot of pain through my sit bones and a little discomfort, not much, through the soft tissue areas.

Today, my sit bones feel just peachy, even at the end of the ride which is fantastic. Also, I felt no need at any time to shuffle back on the saddle which I had been doing before. I did notice however that my errrm [man garden? vegetable patch? dangly bits?] seemed to go numb quite quickly. Not painful, just a lack of feeling (my wife would probably say this is a good thing). Have a tilted the saddle too far? Should I adjust back a little and see what happens?

 

[VamP]

Saddle should be horizontal and you shouldn't be able to touch the floor with both toes at same time!

 

[Longshot]

Saddle should be horizontal and you shouldn't be able to touch the floor with both toes at same time!

is that the top of the nose to the highest bit at the back that should be horizontal?

 

[VamP]

is that the top of the nose to the highest bit at the back that should be horizontal?

spirit level across the saddle with bike on flat ground

 

[amaferanga]

Saddle should be horizontal and you shouldn't be able to touch the floor with both toes at same time!

What? Saddle height shouldn't be set so you can touch the ground with both toes!

 

[amaferanga]

I also did my commute quicker than ever this week. I didn't change anything on my bike. It's amazing how much difference a nice tailwind makes. Unfortunately I was much slower on the way home.

 

[VamP]

What? Saddle height shouldn't be set so you can touch the ground with both toes!

That's what I said too.

 

[Venod]

Saddle should be horizontal and you shouldn't be able to touch the floor with both toes at same time!

Touching the floor with the toes is a good starting point but it all depends on bottom bracket height and crank length, another good rule of thumb is with your heel on the pedal the leg should be straight, again its only a starting point. it depends on what pedal/cleat combination you have, I have my saddle set level with a spirit level as per VamP advice.

 

[kimberly]

Hi there, Im pretty new to riding, Ive had my bike for about a month now... and I am riding pretty consistantly about four times a week for about two to three hours a ride. I know that your bum has to get use to the seat and I read that numbness is common. But I am having numbness on the good ol' Lady parts, (also read that that was normal) but mine is not going away at all. It started on my first ride, and hasnt gone away in almost four weeks now??? is this something I should be worried about as in permanent nerve damage?? I dont really know who to ask.... but I cant feel anything around that area at all.

 

[Globalti]

Firstly Kimberly:

You shouldn't be suffering from numbness. Are you wearing decent quality cycling shorts with a padded insert next to the skin? Are you using a men's or a women's saddle? What is the posture of the saddle? Nose up, nose down or flat? The answer is that yes, you can do damage to the nerves so you really need to get this set up right. Post a pic on here of yourself on the bike, taken from the side, in normal riding posture and we will probably be able to give you some pointers on your position. Where did you buy the bike? If it's a decent shop they should be able to help you set it up right as part of the service. If not, consider splashing out £50 for a proper bike fit session; forum members can advise you where to go for this. Read this as well:

Longshot:

As you've discovered, bike setup makes a big difference to your efficiency. It sounds as if you've been riding around with your seat too low thanks to the fallacy that you should be able to touch the ground with your toes. You wouldn't walk around with your legs bent so why ride around like that? The correct saddle height is found by sitting straight on the saddle while leaning against a wall and allowing your leg to dangle loosely (NOT stretched out straight) above the pedal at the bottom of its stroke. Your heel should be just contacting the pedal.

 

[e-rider]

Saddle should be horizontal and you shouldn't be able to touch the floor with both toes at same time!

that depends on your BB height, but agreed that on most bikes that is the case

 

[e-rider]

Hi there, Im pretty new to riding, Ive had my bike for about a month now... and I am riding pretty consistantly about four times a week for about two to three hours a ride. I know that your bum has to get use to the seat and I read that numbness is common. But I am having numbness on the good ol' Lady parts, (also read that that was normal) but mine is not going away at all. It started on my first ride, and hasnt gone away in almost four weeks now??? is this something I should be worried about as in permanent nerve damage?? I dont really know who to ask.... but I cant feel anything around that area at all.

you need to urgently get your bike setup seen by a professional, as what you are experiencing seems excessive, and not normal. A small amount of numbness might be common in the early stages but that should pass quite quickly. STOP before you do some damage! Try a different saddle too.

 

[Longshot]

Firstly Kimberly:
Longshot:

As you've discovered, bike setup makes a big difference to your efficiency. It sounds as if you've been riding around with your seat too low thanks to the fallacy that you should be able to touch the ground with your toes. You wouldn't walk around with your legs bent so why ride around like that? The correct saddle height is found by sitting straight on the saddle while leaning against a wall and allowing your leg to dangle loosely (NOT stretched out straight) above the pedal at the bottom of its stroke. Your heel should be just contacting the pedal.

Thank you. I've actually done that before but the detail about "just contacting the pedal" perhaps explains a lot!

 

[amaferanga]

That's what I said too.

Woops. Missed the 'nt' and read it as should.

 

[HLaB]

With the saddle what I was told by a cycling coach and seems to have worked for me, you should concentrate on getting the sit area level and ignore the nose which can be misleading.