Saddle aft/fore - stick with plumb line or what feels right ?

[Simmer]

Hi all,

I've recently done the plumb line test to line up my knee and pedal spindle but find myself constantly sitting on the back of the seat.

sorry if this has been asked before, but is is better to stick with it and my legs will adjust to the "recommended" position or ignore that and go with what feels better now ?

I've got the height set so my heel just falls on the pedal when leg is extended and after a 20k there is no specific muscle aching more than any other..

originally moved the seat as I had a ache in my knee after a 30k and the plumb line was 2cm behind the spindle.... yes it was my first 30k which probably had a lot to do with it but being a noob I thought the position may be contributing..

Thanks
Si

 

[vickster]

Sounds like you should try a longer stem?

 

[Simmer]

Longer stem as in pushing the handlebars a bit further away from me ? (still learning all these terms)

 

[vickster]

Yes. Perhaps you are cramped if you keep pushing to the back of the saddle to get comfortable

 

[Simmer]

Thanks, will ask the wife to take a photo-burst of me riding tonight to see if I do look cramped.

cheers
Si

 

[yello]

As a general rule, unless you have some specific aim, comfort comes before the tape.

It is certainly not uncommon for people to ride in non-KOPS (knee over pedal spindle) position. I know I do.

Think of recommendations as suggestions. It's useful to have a known starting position more as a base point than something to aim for. People start with a recommended fit (of which there are several theories/types) and go from there.

 

[cyberknight]

As a general rule, unless you have some specific aim, comfort comes before the tape.

It is certainly not uncommon for people to ride in non-KOPS (knee over pedal spindle) position. I know I do.

Think of recommendations as suggestions. It's useful to have a known starting position more as a base point than something to aim for. People start with a recommended fit (of which there are several theories/types) and go from there.

There are plenty of KOP busting myth theories if you have a trawl through google, the upshot is that if your comfy and it works your probably about right !
Someone commented my position looked to low and back but i tried to alter it and it fecked the rest of my set up so i ended up back to where i was which happened to be 10 mm above the 109 % and only about 10 mm again behind KOPS and i still regularly get top 10s in strava when commuting on a fully laden bike so it must be doing summat right !

 

[HLaB]

As said above KOPS is a myth, I've set up my saddle so that my sit bones are resting on it (if that makes sense) the dimension came from a bike fit and seems to suit me (in addition to height); I've no idea where that puts my knee but I'm comfortable and feel its efficient pedalling wise.

 

[Sillyoldman]

Thanks, will ask the wife to take a photo-burst of me riding tonight to see if I do look cramped.

cheers
Si

That sounds rude but the pictures could be interesting.

back on topic, I had a similar issue and read somewhere as per HLaB that KOPS is not defacto at all. I ended up sliding my saddle back about 1.5cm further than I had it set up by this method and suddenly the bike was perfect for me. So as per your question, for me I ended up with what felt right. Not tweaked it since (about 1500 miles ago).

 

[yello]

Whilst I don't personally go for a KOPS position there are still advocates of it. So I wouldn't say its reached mythical status yet! I reckon most/many LBSs would trot out KOPS when doing a fitting for instance. I'm no apologist, I just know it's still out there - and probably defended on some basis or other. Personally, I read enough of the 'nay sayers' to convince me that it wasn't worth adhering to. And, as I said, I find it more comfortable to be some distance behind the spindle.

 

[Tanis8472]

Always what feels right.
Nobody is the same

 

[Simmer]

Thanks everyone for your replies. It seemed right to me to slide the seat back but the stem suggestion was interesting (though more expense). I wasn't sure if there was some tech behind having KOPS and everyone went though a bit of ache at the start while their body adjusted.

I've pushed the seat back and will see how I on with tonight's ride.

 

[vickster]

Just make sure you don't slide it back so far that you are outside the limits on the rails

 

[yello]

simmer, you shouldn't see pushing the saddle back as an alternative to a different stem. It's not quite as simple as that. Ime, getting the saddle position right is the start and then you look at stem length as a separate issue. It may be that you'll need a change of stem too. It's really the sort of thing you need a good fitter to advise on. It's too difficult to advise on a forum - someone needs to see you on your bike, or on a rig, and talk to you about how it feels and about what you want, tweak positions etc. It's a dynamic and often incremental process.

And sometimes it is a matter of simply getting used to it.

 

[Simmer]

Ok, bit of a result tonight.. moved the seat back 1.5cm and put on the bar-ends I've been meaning to do for a while. The ride was a lot more comfy, I wasn't moving about on the seat and I managed my best times on 3 segments (3 seconds off a local short climb).

Having the extra extension forwards with the bar-ends did make a big difference, more than i would of thought..



Thanks again everyone
Si