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Bike Fit Q - Seat setback
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I'll caveat this with I've done a fair bit of searching both on here and other resources but can't find exactly what I am looking for. And to make matters worse, the more I search the more conflicting information I find.

Problem; road Bike fit is 9/10, only issues I currently have is glutes get tired on long rides (i am working to strengthen off the bike) and i could use a little less pressure on junk on longer rides.

My solution was to swap my Fizik Antares for a specialized power saddle with the hopes to address issue #2 and allow me to spend more time in the drops without my junk bothering me.
I've ridden a power saddle on my MTB and love the feel on my sit bones so I thought this would be a no brainer. Only problem is even with my cannondale seatpost for my hi-mod with the 25mm setback, the seat rails don't allow me to move the seat far enough back. This puts the effective sitting area 30mm forward of where my old effective sitting area was with the Antares.

I've done a KOPS measurement and my knee is about 1/2"-1" forward of the pedal spindle.

Is this going to drastically alter my fit and cause issues? Or will having the effective sitting point slightly forward help to alleviate some of the glute issues? What are the downsides to this I need to look out for?

Thanks.
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Re: Bike Fit Q - Seat setback [RONDAL] [ In reply to ]
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KOPS isn't relevant to a good fit.
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Re: Bike Fit Q - Seat setback [jimatbeyond] [ In reply to ]
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jimatbeyond wrote:
KOPS isn't relevant to a good fit.

i realized that more and more as i did searching and reading, hence the conflicting info report.

What is the consequence of moving effective seat position forward 30mm all else equal?
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Re: Bike Fit Q - Seat setback [RONDAL] [ In reply to ]
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It could throw off your fit in the cockpit.
It could make your knees hurt.
It is possible that it could be better.
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Re: Bike Fit Q - Seat setback [bootsie_cat] [ In reply to ]
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Most road riders end up a little behind the pedal.
Comfort will probably be your biggest issue, you simply have too much weight forward and being a road bike you cannot just simply rest on the lovely cushy pads.
You are also putting a lot of stress on the knee.

If you are having the amount of comfort issues you describe, I wouldn't call your position 9/10.
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Re: Bike Fit Q - Seat setback [lyrrad] [ In reply to ]
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lyrrad wrote:
Most road riders end up a little behind the pedal.
Comfort will probably be your biggest issue, you simply have too much weight forward and being a road bike you cannot just simply rest on the lovely cushy pads.
You are also putting a lot of stress on the knee.

If you are having the amount of comfort issues you describe, I wouldn't call your position 9/10.

Fair point.
The reason i had self selected it as a 9/10 was because i can still manage 5-6 hour rides, it is just by the end of it i'm really starting to notice im moving around a lot on the seat trying to adjust pressure.

I did 30min on the trainer last night to see how things felt;
whereas before i might only manage 2-5min in the drops before i start to notice my junk, i did 28min in the drops without a worry. no knee pain, but it was low wattage. i did notice a little more pressure in the hands but not a ton.

appreciate the advice.

i already have a 25mm setback seatpost, what are my options if i want to continue with this seat? i can't seem to find a seatpost with a 45-55mm setback suitable for road.
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Re: Bike Fit Q - Seat setback [RONDAL] [ In reply to ]
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30 mm is a huge change to make in saddle position. If I'm making tweaks I try not to move more than 5 mm at a time. Moving it that far forward is going to shorten the saddle to pedal distance and your reach to the bars so all else equal you'll have to raise your seatpost and get a much longer stem.

I'm not familiar with the power saddle but something seems off to me if you are still 3 cm too far forward with it adjusted as far back as possible on the rails and already on a setback seatpost.
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Re: Bike Fit Q - Seat setback [RONDAL] [ In reply to ]
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RONDAL wrote:
I'll caveat this with I've done a fair bit of searching both on here and other resources but can't find exactly what I am looking for. And to make matters worse, the more I search the more conflicting information I find.

Problem; road Bike fit is 9/10, only issues I currently have is glutes get tired on long rides (i am working to strengthen off the bike) and i could use a little less pressure on junk on longer rides.

My solution was to swap my Fizik Antares for a specialized power saddle with the hopes to address issue #2 and allow me to spend more time in the drops without my junk bothering me.
I've ridden a power saddle on my MTB and love the feel on my sit bones so I thought this would be a no brainer. Only problem is even with my cannondale seatpost for my hi-mod with the 25mm setback, the seat rails don't allow me to move the seat far enough back. This puts the effective sitting area 30mm forward of where my old effective sitting area was with the Antares.

I've done a KOPS measurement and my knee is about 1/2"-1" forward of the pedal spindle.

Is this going to drastically alter my fit and cause issues? Or will having the effective sitting point slightly forward help to alleviate some of the glute issues? What are the downsides to this I need to look out for?

Thanks.

What is your seat height and preferred setback in cm?
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Re: Bike Fit Q - Seat setback [FindinFreestyle] [ In reply to ]
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FindinFreestyle wrote:
RONDAL wrote:
I'll caveat this with I've done a fair bit of searching both on here and other resources but can't find exactly what I am looking for. And to make matters worse, the more I search the more conflicting information I find.

Problem; road Bike fit is 9/10, only issues I currently have is glutes get tired on long rides (i am working to strengthen off the bike) and i could use a little less pressure on junk on longer rides.

My solution was to swap my Fizik Antares for a specialized power saddle with the hopes to address issue #2 and allow me to spend more time in the drops without my junk bothering me.
I've ridden a power saddle on my MTB and love the feel on my sit bones so I thought this would be a no brainer. Only problem is even with my cannondale seatpost for my hi-mod with the 25mm setback, the seat rails don't allow me to move the seat far enough back. This puts the effective sitting area 30mm forward of where my old effective sitting area was with the Antares.

I've done a KOPS measurement and my knee is about 1/2"-1" forward of the pedal spindle.

Is this going to drastically alter my fit and cause issues? Or will having the effective sitting point slightly forward help to alleviate some of the glute issues? What are the downsides to this I need to look out for?

Thanks.


What is your seat height and preferred setback in cm?

i agree its a massive change, hence the research and posts.

setback on old setup from fit: 215mm
BB to top of saddle height: 721mm
saddle tip to bar: 545mm

With the same BB to top of saddle height, with the power saddle the saddle tip to bar is 550mm
Problem with that is that the power saddle is effectively 30mm SHORTER than the Antares that I was fit with, so it moves the effective sitting area a full 30mm forward.

The reason I can't seem to get this to work is the antares was already almost all of the way back itself.
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