I got back into mountain biking last fall after 20 years.
I just turned 60 so I’m not riding anything too extreme. Mostly flowy single track that is very rocky and rooty in parts.
I bought a decent hard tail, Orbea Alma. I didn’t want to spend a lot and like I said the trails I ride are not extreme.
As a 60 year old I did find my under carriage got a little beat up. So my questions…
-where should saddle height be compared to my road/tri bike
-when I hit the rocks and roots should I be over the saddle with my my feet at 3 and 9 or on the saddle.
I just watched Eric Lagerstram riding and he seemed to hover over the saddle a lot.
I think I may be possibly spending too much time on the saddle?
Thanks for any advice
.
regardless of age:
- saddle height should be about the same, maybe a bit lower especially if you don’t have a dropper post or want to prioritise descending over pedalling. note that it will look and feel a bit different due to the seat tube angles
- if its bumpy you should not be on the saddle. depending on slope you might be over, in front of, or behind the saddle in order to keep your weight in the appropriate balance for the situation. i highly recommend a dropper post in order to make that easier.
The easy button here is buying a full suspension mountain bike. It significantly smooths out the ride and makes descending so much easier if the trail is even slightly bumpy. There’s a slight weight and climbing penalty, but I find the riding so much more enjoyable.
Either way, it sounds like you’re on the saddle too much. MTB is a very active way of riding, especially with the rooty and rocky trails you’re riding.
Also, do you have a dropper post? If not, get one asap. OneUpUSA makes a fantastic one that is reasonably priced. It’s a game changer for getting the seat out of your way, which makes standing and maneuvering the bike much easier, especially on descents.
Have to agree the full suspension helps a lot, but one tip a friend gave me especially for down hill was raise your butt off the seat, but clinch your legs around the seat. It helps a bit with the control
Have to agree the full suspension helps a lot, but one tip a friend gave me especially for down hill was raise your butt off the seat, but clinch your legs around the seat. It helps a bit with the control
This is one of those tips that helps a lot. Until it doesn’t, and then you realize that it’s going to become a really hard habit to break, and that you absolutely need to break it to progress further in your bike handling skills.
Sounds like you definitely need to learn to “hover” more. Get your ass off the saddle, let the bike float underneath you. This won’t just help with comfort, it will also help immensely with driving the bike, especially on a hardtail.
3&9 is a great starting place. Over time, you can learn to anticipate pedal timing and start leading with one foot or the other, or use different “clocking” for different situations, but it all starts with 3&9.
Bigger tires. Less pressure. Dropper post if you don’t have one. Saddle position should be as close to road bike standard as you can get it. This is where many people should probably begin to notice that their road bike saddle is too high, but (shrugs).
Full Suspension
.
Get a dropper post. Game changer for me. I ride a hardtail and don’t feel need to get full suspension (but would get if finance and space not and issue).
Full Suspension. Hardtails are less than 5 percent of mountain bike sales for a reason.
Full Suspension
given the problem statement of a sore bum, FS is not the solution. you should be standing up on bumpy stuff so there is no impact on your backside. standing up absorbing bumps can place some strain on the legs and back which FS can partially alleviate, along with better control, but for the OP who has just bought an HT there is no sense throwing the baby out with the bathwater - get a dropper and learn to stand. be sure to run wide (~2.4") tyres at low pressure (as low as you can go without rim impacts, probably 20-25psi). that will set you up with good skills rather than relying on the crutch of suspension even if that does become the solution to wider issues later on.
I appreciate this response. Many serious mountain bikers that I know actually recommended HT for the trails I’m riding.
I did test a Full suspension and didn’t f’ind it that much better.
Technique improvement sounds like the answer.
Thanks for this. I tried a full suspension and found it heavy and sluggish and not any better on my rear end.
The Alma is light and nimble and a blast to ride.
I just have to get better
The only great answer is indeed a full suspension bike. Seriously.
Sounds like you definitely need to learn to “hover” more. Get your ass off the saddle, let the bike float underneath you. This won’t just help with comfort, it will also help immensely with driving the bike, especially on a hardtail.
3&9 is a great starting place. Over time, you can learn to anticipate pedal timing and start leading with one foot or the other, or use different “clocking” for different situations, but it all starts with 3&9.
Bigger tires. Less pressure. Dropper post if you don’t have one. Saddle position should be as close to road bike standard as you can get it. This is where many people should probably begin to notice that their road bike saddle is too high, but (shrugs).
I’d like to emphasize this.
Put the biggest tire you can get on the bike. My bike came with 2.25" tires I put a 2.4 on the back and a 2.6 on the front and there is a big difference, both in comfort and handling.
I rode a friends hardtail plus bike with 3" tires (Salsa Timberjack) and it just sailed over everything; sand, roots, rocks…no problem.
Make sure you go tubeless as well. The difference between 30 psi and 20 psi is huge.
As another 60 year old who used to ride MTB pretty aggressively but now take it much easier on the trails, I’d recommend the following (1) lightweight full suspension bike (2) dropper post and (3) tubeless tires with low tire pressure.
I got my first FS in my late 50’s and never looked back. I had some great HTs back in the day including a Klein Adroit but after getting a Specialized Fatty 6, I was hooked. Much easier on the whole body. I always stand on descents floating and the steeper the descent, the closer my chest is to the bar. On technical trails, I’m rarely in the seat for most of the ride. It is true that FS bikes dumb down the ride a bit, but that’s not such a bad thing at 60. Currently ride a Yeti YB 150, pricey but it was my retirement present to myself and unless I total it, it’s the last FS bike I’ll ever have to buy. And no, no buyer’s remorse here.
The answer is absolutely an dropper post.
Drop it and stand up if it’s downhill.
Drop it a little f it’s pedally and rocky.
And 5.5" travel susser !
A few comments (mostly what others have said).
But if you don’t have dropper post get one (no really, get it today!).
If your tires aren’t set up tubeless do that as well and run low pressure.
But yeah also like others have said, when you hit the tech stiff you should get your butt up off the saddle slightly.
Down the road get a full suspension, I know you said you rode one and didn’t like it, but you might have just not ridden a good one or perhaps the suspension wasn’t set up right.
I was in the hard tail only camp for a long time, then I bought a FS and man I never looked back, today’s FS bikes are so awesome that unless you are aiming to win XC races (and even then) a full squish will just make riding so much more fun.
I am in your camp. rocky, rooty trails, and I am 62. I have learned that hovering over the saddle is key. learning to keep the pedals turning while hovering is what I am currently working on. Love it!!! GREAT leg and core workout, and lots of fun. My LBS said no need for FS; they are riding higher-end hardtails, one with trek’s isospeed under the seat, but they say my midfat tires, run at 13-17 psi, is about perfect for my 62 yo 195 lb self. hover and fly.