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How to sit on a saddle?
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So, today I realized I have absolutely no idea what people mean when they say "rotate your hips forward."

I'm starting easy cycling after a long couple of years with hamstring, glute, SI joint problems and a serious back injury. Understanding the correct position is critically important to me.

Does it just mean bending at the hips instead of the waist?

FWIW, where I feel the most pressure on the saddle is on the public bones that run parallel/underneath my labia, just inside the thigh crease. Does that make sense?

I've looked at bunches of illustrations and I just can't make sense of it.

No coasting in running and no crying in baseball
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Re: How to sit on a saddle? [Tri3] [ In reply to ]
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I tend to think of it as drawing you tailbone back so the front of your hips draw forward/down. Works for me.
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Re: How to sit on a saddle? [Tri3] [ In reply to ]
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none of us would ever do this but -- imagine you're peeing, and you want to aim back behind rather than straight down.

ps i'm wary of 'should dos' when it comes to how you sit a bike. I like a really aggressive anterior tilt (as above) but that's how my glutes work best. Some excellent fitters disagree, and recommend you be square on your sit bones. I'd say comfort over distance comes first, and once that's locked, how powerful you can get follows.
Last edited by: kiki: May 5, 15 3:13
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Re: How to sit on a saddle? [Tri3] [ In reply to ]
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I think hip rotation really depends on what type of bike you are riding and your fitted position on that bike. If you are on a road bike, hip rotation will be different than if you are in an aggressive aero position on a tri specific bike. The most important thing is to work with a good bike fitter, and that person can also help you play around with hip rotation so that it will not aggravate any of your old injuries. I'd be wary of anecdotal advice regarding rotation, instead, work directly with a reputable fitter who can personalize your position.

BrokenSpoke
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Re: How to sit on a saddle? [Tri3] [ In reply to ]
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I think some of it is individual too. The only way I'm comfortable is if I'm squarely on my sit bones.
And yes, a proper bike fit is key.
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Re: How to sit on a saddle? [Tri3] [ In reply to ]
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Yes, what you've written about where you feel pressure makes sense to me.


Just in case you're like me, and need people to be way explicit before I get it, here's my take on this.

1- I would never sit on my "sit bones" (on most saddles) unless I were completely upright, as on a beach cruiser. Personally, I feel frustration every time someone suggests that's where I should be sitting b/c doing so on any other kind of bike requires me to bend heavily at the waist and requires a super short top tube/reach. It also seems to result in my hamstrings hitting the point of the saddle where it flares out and gets wider, which I also don't care for.

2- I feel very much more powerful when I rotate my hips forward, which on most saddles means smashing the clitoral area into the nose of the saddle. This positioning, for me, mandates an open front saddle. I haven't found recesses to be correctly located, ergo I ride split front saddles (Koobi on my TT bike, Selle SMP on my road bike). This position also lifts my "sit bones" off most saddles, except the Selle SMP saddles have a somewhat crazy-looking shape and my sit bones actually do touch on that.

3- Here are a couple of links to the more useful things I've read on saddle fit. The steve hogg one shows the single most useful graphic of a pelvis sitting on a saddle that I've seen. Good luck.
http://www.cervelo.com/...f-road-saddles-.html
http://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bikefit/2011/09/all-about-smps/

Oh, and let me know if you want any more graphic details. It's silly to be uncomfortable biking b/c people are squeamish talking about what bothers them.

To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.
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Re: How to sit on a saddle? [Tri3] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks, all. FWIW, I've had several bike fits in the last five years. First two were done by a DPT who specializes in that sort of thing. Unfortunately, he moved far away. Last fit did not go well and coincided with the start of serious injuries, leaving me a bit skittish about shelling out big bucks for bike fits.

Tsunami, thanks for reminding me about the Hogg post. Now I know the correct words--the main pressure is on my "inferior pubic ramus." Do you know who is selling SMP saddles in the US? We Keep You Cycling used to, but it looks as though they do not anymore.

No coasting in running and no crying in baseball
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Re: How to sit on a saddle? [Tri3] [ In reply to ]
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Re: How to sit on a saddle? [Tsunami] [ In reply to ]
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Tsunami wrote:

Just in case you're like me, and need people to be way explicit before I get it, here's my take on this.

Thanks for going into "explicit" detail, I like reading things that reaffirm what I feel (in detail) as well.

I also roll my hips forward into a very aggressive anterior pelvic tilt: sitting entirely on my inferior pubic rami, ischial tuberosities (sit bones) bearing no weight. I've been fitted this way, and for me and my level of flexibility, this works great. Like Tsunami, this necessitates riding a saddle with an aggressive split / noseless. For me, the wider ISM saddles fit my pelvic bone structure best.
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Re: How to sit on a saddle? [Tri3] [ In reply to ]
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from
http://www.cobbcycling.com/articles/john-cobbs-advanced-positioning-system

FOR WOMEN
Women seem to always have a slightly higher aero drag than men. I’ve studied this for years and consistently get the same results when testing fairly equal sized men and women, the women are always higher. I believe this is directly related to chest shape and breast size. I have also found that the rotation of a woman’s pelvis is very critical to lower drag. So, is going very low in the front end important for female racers? With this question in mind, we went to the wind tunnel for further research. For this test, we used a semi-pro road racer and experienced TT racer from California. She is 5’9” - tall and thin. I felt this would give a good comparison to my male test subject. For this test we used almost identical bikes except for the frame size difference, a 52 for her and a 54 for him.
Most women have a very difficult time getting low in the front end simply because the head tube lengths are too long, even on the shorter sized frames.
Another very critical part of the tests was teaching the rider how to rotate her pelvis forward, rolling over the edge of the pubic bone and resting more on the abdomen, rather than “soft tissue.” For women, learning this pelvis rotation is absolutely critical to achieve a rideable, low front end position.
Imagine that the front edge of the pubic bone is a pivot point, as you go over this point, the sit bones and other soft tissue parts are rotated up away from the saddle. You are then resting on the lower abdominal region and that area is perfectly happy to be ridden on. The results of the test were a little surprising but still show the importance of good positioning.
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Re: How to sit on a saddle? [Tri3] [ In reply to ]
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Sorry for late reply. Looks like the responder below your question provided the link I also saw. Unfortunately it was outdated for me, with the shop listed near me carrying only one of the softer versions of the saddles; I'd love to see a wide selection of the higher end ones so I can really dial in my fit. I think I emailed we Keep You Cycling as well, and got no response.

I had been trying an Exhibition tester saddle and rather liked it, but it was just a bit narrow. I scooted the saddle forward to make it a better fit but it goofed with the mount for my saddle bag. Based on Hogg's neat post I ordered a Drakon but I really didn't like it. The pocket, if you will, was much too tight for my pelvis and my hamstrings would hit while riding.

My shop had a Glider so I exchanged the Drakon, but the Glider, which is otherwise exactly like the Exhibition, has too much padding in the nose, which prevents me from rolling my pelvis as much as I'd like to. It's fine for an hour but not much longer. The increased padding also makes the effective width here wider and it feels to me like biking while squeezing a lacrosse ball between my legs.

I'd like to try the Stratos which should be between the Glider and Exhibition, and I've never tried the Dynamic but got to sit on one on a bike very much too large for me. My shop would probably let me special order and exchange for another saddle, but I want to make the right choice this time. I can't see asking them to order multiple saddle models at once. They're expensive ($260 ish) and kinda have a niche market.

To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.
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Re: How to sit on a saddle? [Tsunami] [ In reply to ]
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I see on your profile that you're in the Philly area. I'd suggest making the drive over to Princeton, NJ and visiting Halter's Cycles. I believe they're the #1 SMP retailer in the country and stock a large selection.
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Re: How to sit on a saddle? [Tsunami] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks, all. My PTs (yes, I have two of them) are helping me with how to tilt and still maintain a neutral spine.

I rode the Adamo TT for a couple of years. Just too narrow in back and too wide in front.

I tried the Glider--too big. Tried the Dash Strike--It was light and a beautiful piece of work. I wish it had worked out. The shape of it (wide flange sharply angling to a a narrow "nose") was exactly what I was looking for. Unfortunately the "nose" was too short and poked into my soft tissue. The "bridge" across the nose also crushed a very sensitive girl bit.

Recently gave the JOF 55, Selle Italia Iron Flow and Specialized Power a try as well.

For now, saddle wise, I'm sticking with a Specialized Sitero, which I've used a little bit over the past couple of years.

No coasting in running and no crying in baseball
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Re: How to sit on a saddle? [mstyer] [ In reply to ]
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great! thanks for the suggestion.
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