RSWingman

So I've had this 15-speed forever and it's treating me well. I like the versatility and security in gravel & potholes on back-country roads. I've always been blissfully ignorant about fitting and have adjusted everything to what I found comfortable. This would result in and upright position with the handlebars as high as they would go.

I'd already had a spring-loaded seat (such a hard time saying "saddle") with gel-cover; but after some trauma/bruising to my bits, I bought one with a cutout and raving reviews. I did some research on fitting and have decided to try it the "scientific" way. Handlebars as low as the seat was previously unthinkable to me. But here's where I am.

The only adjustment options I really have, are handlebar height, seat height, tilt, and fore/aft. Handlebars are all the way down.
I think I've got the seat tilt good. One more notch forward, and I'm sliding forward. One notch the other, and I'm smashing my package. As the yardstick shows (diagonal across the "meatiest" parts of the seat), it points at about the bottom of the handlebar. I'm getting the feeling though, that the cutout is more for saving the sit-bone than the package... unless I'm sitting wrong. I'm trying to sit on the broadest part, but I find it difficult to straddle and pedal.

I'm struggling with this balance concept. My understanding of the goal, is to not have weight on my hands in a neutral position. My understanding is that this is achieved by moving the saddle back. When all the way back didn't seem enough, I even flipped the shackle around the other way (behind the post) and reached the point that I couldn't reach the handlebars. Slid it forward and I think I have the rearmost practical position. I think I'm finding this "balance" of which they speak. I'm also looking to retain the power I had before. I'm still feeling this out. The weather is getting cold & windy and I'm trying to extend my season as far as I can tolerate. Another one tomorrow with 21MPH winds. I may get back on the road for a full ride soon.

MikeyBoyAz

Did you ask a question in that book you wrote?

That saddle looks like it violates the "RULES" (specifically 61 and 48)

The tyres look like they take a lot of work to roll.

RSWingman

I do try to keep the tires at or near their max rating of 65 PSI. I usually catch them by the time they get down to 45.
The saddle is a lot more level than it looks. I have a companion picture with the yardstick angled to the right, in which it appears perfectly level. Average the two and it's not so bad.

BaseGuy

Maybe I can help. I've got an old, rigid mountain bike set up for road use, a homemade-hybrid, if you will. For reference, I'm 45 years old, I'm 6'2" and weigh 220, and I ride about 75 miles a week.

My bike is very comfortable. Here's what I've found:

1) Get a road seat. Forget wide, spring-loaded, and gel-covered. Those seats are just too wide for "real" riding. Your legs have to go round-and-round, so anything wider than, well, a road seat, will lead to pain and chafing and bad stuff. Look at ANYbody on ANY kind of bike that does long rides and you'll see a small saddle.

2) A small saddle hurts your tail for the first week or so. Then something magic happens inside your body and it doesn't hurt anymore. Really. You just have to commit.

3) A low saddle and a high bar puts all your weight on your tail. A low bar and a proper saddle height spreads some weight to your hands. This is a good thing. The bike handles better, and so does your tail.

So you're doing the right thing following the traditional rules of set up. I say commit to it for two weeks and then get back to us. Expect it to feel way different. Give it a long try.

P.S. - Nashbar sells 26" x 1.25" slicks that will fit your MTB rims and will accept up to 100 PSI. They cost about $12 each. They're sticky and way faster than what you have and are the biggest, single factor in making your old MTB feel like a road bike. I'm on my third set in several years.

RSWingman

"Token has expired"... reloading doesn't work... WTH?!?

Thanks. That's a great help. I'm about 220 as well, but minus a few years and have ridden about 300 miles over the last couple months, so I've found that commitment. Yes, I've found that things toughen up after a while. But after I bruised my sack recently, I felt that action was necessary. Upon research, I found people recommending "get a cutout". So I grabbed the one with the highest ratings. But yes, it's rather wide. I think it's supposed to be spring-loaded, but so far, haven't been able to notice.

That makes complete sense about the legs needing to go 'round; sounds like the problem I run into. I still have the receipt; it's (the seat) still in pristine condition. I spent a couple days fitting & testing. Maybe I'll take it for a ride before I make that call.

I'll look into those tires. But my point in using a mountain bike, is for the sure-footedness. If I had it to choose again, I'd get another mountain bike; I'll accept a certain amount of compromise. In sharing the country roads with cars, I'm flirting with gravel on the sides and I just like that security. Even with what I've got, I managed to get thrown one day entering the driveway. Coming in hot & on the brakes... Looking down at my time... a little bit of gravel... entering at an angle... Somehow I was ok and rode again that evening. Figured "I'd better get that ride in before I feel it tomorrow". Thought (going down) that was gonna be real bad.

Ugh, high of 54F today, but wind only 8MPH (yeah, I'm a puss). Maybe I'll see if I can get that ride in.
Thanks again

bigbadwullf

Road tires would make it roll a lot better. A different seat is a must! I think of good balance is about equal weighting between butt and hands or feet and hands when standing. Try a new mtn bike, you won't believe the difference.

RSWingman

New bike: My plan has been to ride this one into the ground, but I've been looking into my next. What's the consensus on shocks? Frame size? My intuitive tendency is toward staying with 26" for the universality. And what quality is special about a "new mountain bike", that's "superior" to this one?
I found the box to one of my newest tires. It understandably doesn't specify the width, but rather a range of widths that may be contained within (down to 1.75", I think). Was thinking of maybe the narrowest A/T tires I can find? Or a "Hybrid" type?

Yo Spiff

Are you just trying to adjust it better for road riding, or actually convert it into a road machine? Here's my own MTB turned LHT (Long Haul Trekker)


Old Red on the job by Yo Spiff, on Flickr

Drop bars
bar end shifters
Tektro levers
Linear pull brakes (the original cantis didn't work well with the road levers)
Panaracer Pasela tires 26 x 1.5"
Brooks B17 saddle

clarkbre

Shocks are for show. Until you get into a MTB that is $1000+, shocks really don't provide much absorbtion. Reatlistically, for a shock to work correctly, it would need to be tuned to the riding style and weight of the rider. You wont find that adjustability without a high price.

First, figure out the style of bike, then measure yourself for proper fitment.

Or, 700c. Both are very popular. For more of an all-round bike, maybe look into a hybrid with cross tires that is good on the road but can be used on gravel and hardpack trails.

We don't know anything about your bike (ie: year, make, model, components, weight, frame material...) Guessing from the picture, you could get a bike that is made of better material, lighter weight, better components, fitted to your size, and more in tune with your riding style. All of these differences (not qualities) will lead to a higher quality riding experience.

There should be a listing on the sidewall of "26 x ?.??" That is your tire size. As mentioned by other members, a narrower, smoother tire will improve the ride and efficiency on the road. There is the option of maybe a 26x1.95 tire that has a realtively smooth center but knobs on the outer edges for road and dirt.

RSWingman

Took it out:
Oh my achin' thighs. Not one of my best times, not one of my worst. It's been a week since I rode, but I've never got it in the thighs like that. One source says "saddle too low" will do that. But I've been feeling that it may need to actually go down a hair, due to my heels not quite reaching the pedals comfortably. I've got that "just a little bit of bend" in the knees under normal conditions. Mind, the seat is relatively the same as the one that I rode 300 miles on, except with a cutout and a little less padding. I'll look into the narrower seat; but I'm trying to find the right fit and get used to a new position that's awkward for me ATM.

RSWingman

Yeah, I totally suspected that.


That's sounding about what I'm trying to do.

I don't know a whole lot about it neither. It's a cheap mid 90s Huffy. I understand them to be reputed for sturdiness (something I like). I therefore figure it to be one of the heavier frames.

It's back in the shed, but I'll look at that. And that sounds exactly what I might be looking for.
Is THIS kind of tire what you're talking about? It's considered a "children's" tire though :/

RSWingman

Just to make it *more* roadworthy. I'm riding to improve myself and to lose weight. I'm not "hardcore" and at the end of the day, I'm only competing with myself. I'm not looking to all-out convert it. I'm mainly working getting the fit right and getting accustomed to this new position. Before the new seat, I was riding completely upright.

Jseis 

I roll on Bontrager 2.25 slicks on my GF Wahoo. On the road I lock the shocks and pump the tires 65-90 psi depending on pavement roughness. Off road I drop the tires to 35 psi & unlock the shocks. In a cruising upright mode on the road flats the Wahoo is on average more than 1 mph slower than either of my road bikes.

It does fine with the slicks on say a dry firm sandy trail (Benham/Dillon Falls in Bend) but the slicks slip on smooth sand covered rocks, don't like deep sand (other than moon lander tires...what does?) and won't handle mud. I like the tires because I can ride 8 miles to a logging road (gravel), let air out, peddle 20 miles to a highway, air up and away I go. I hate knobbies on the road.

Yo Spiff

If you are pedaling on your heels you are pedaling in a very incorrect and inefficient manner. The balls of your feet should be positioned over the pedal spindles. A couple of rules of thumb that provide a good starting point for height adjustment:
-At the furthest extension, there should be a slight bend in your knee
-with the cranks horizontal, the knee that is on the forward pedal should be over the pedal spindle.

These are just starting points, IMO, and from there you can tweak a little bit one way or the other. Fore/aft adjustment and tilt of the saddle are very much personal preference things. Everyone is different.

You mentioned in one of your responses that your bike is a mid 90's Huffy. I would suggest you don't invest a lot of money in it. I have thrown a couple hundred into my Trek 900, which came to me as a freebie, but I wouldn't put that work into a Huffy.

On the subject of Huffy's, here is the last Huffy I owned. This thing took me all over Germany in the early 80's.

Huffy by Yo Spiff, on Flickr

RSWingman

I don't normally pedal with heels (unless I'm trying to give some other muscles a quick break); but a guideline that I read said that your heel should at least be able to touch the down pedal without rocking your hips. This is what I'm referencing. My feeling is that the seat height should at least give me the option to heel-pedal if need be.
Yes, I do have just that slight bend in the knee.
I'll check the part about knee position tomorrow.

Meh, most of what I've put into it, was in the mid-90's when I got it. Other than tires & tubes, I'm really not interested in dumping money on things that won't transfer to a new bike when the time comes. Until then, this is what I've got to work with and I'm content with that. You really didn't specify what the issue with Huffys is :/

clarkbre

It's the Yugo of bicycles.

bring

Specialized Fatboy tires did the trick on my MB

RSWingman

Lulz. I'm not trying to "pimp" it. I'm just trying to learn proper fitting & a better riding position.