dfrench52 

Greetings...Does anyone know who makes padded cycling shorts that won't slide on the bike seat? I find that as I ride, I have to keep pushing myself back on the seat. (The seat is level.) We had some cooler weather settle in yesterday and I wore some light wool sweat pants over my knee length cycling pants. Not once did I have to push myself backwards on the seat. Perhaps the nature of the material used in the old sweat pants made the difference.

I have thought the stem might be a bit long, but at 10cm, steering is plenty quick enough. The saddle nose to handle bar distance seems about right since my finger tips touch the bars with my elbow at the saddle nose.

The front axle is visible right at or or a bit behind the handle bars, depends on how I sit. So by those two old methods, my stem is probably about right.

So, looks like material choice in shorts would be the culprit. Any suggestions?

Thanks

Bikedud

The material used in cycling shorts could very well be part of the problem. Unfortunately, most shorts are made from some combination of lycra/spandex/nylon so not much differentiation except weave and thickness.
Conventional thought is that consistently sliding back on the saddle indicates a need to move the saddle forward a bit. Might be worth looking at.

dfrench52 

Thanks, Bikedud. I should have mentioned that I moved the seat forward a bit after checking the distance with a forearm.

Iride01 

It might be that your butt is telling you what position over the BB/crankset it wants to be in. Possibly your saddle isn't high enough or your reach to the bars is wrong or you have something else screwy going on with the size of your bike and how it's set up for you.

It's unusual to me that you are being pushed back. Usually I and the other's I've talked to about this slide forward when things aren't right.

pdlamb

Look at the saddle position first. Up/down, fore/aft, and tilt are all variable. You should be able to find a setup that will feel stable.

dfrench52 

Thanks...maybe I should have more clear: I am sliding forward and I have to push myself back.

I have the problem of short torso/long legs. Even through I'm (just) 6' tall, my cycling inseam is 36"/91.44cm. My bike is conventional geometry, ST: 61cm c-c, TT: 56cm c-c. The cranks are 172.5.

So, rules of thumb being what they are, there is the "fistful of seatpost" exposed, my legs get proper extension, with a slight bend in my knees. No trouble with sore shoulders, neck, like my first bike caused (too small). Unlike the first bike decades ago, my handlebars are slightly below the saddle level.

philbob57

Have you tried a slight upward tilt of the saddle's nose? What saddle?

john m flores 

While you are using all the standard bike fit principles, it sounds like your reach is a touch too long. Try a 5cm stem and see if the problem persists.

Leisesturm

The rule of thumb like "a fistfull of seat post" went out with the advent of sloping top tubes. It's been more than 20 years. I'd forgotten it was ever a thing. When people say things like "I'm so and so tall but ..." I say show me a picture. The picture (if supplied) rarely ever shows the genetic freak you would expect. You cannot measure bicycle inseam by yourself!! But, of course, we all do. It's a delicate operation and not all of us have understanding s.o.'s (or bro's) to assist in the process.

As suggested in post #7 my sus is also that the o.p. saddle is not tilted upward. That WILL fix it. IF it is tilted, tilt it more. I live in Portland, OR. I swear I have seen saddles tilted up (and down) 45 degrees! A bit much, but there you are. On a 21st Century bike if you can pedal (backwards) smooth circles with your heels on the pedals (another old rule of thumb) you will have much more than a fistful of seatpost showing. The saddle should be centered on the rails. If your fingers don't reach the bars you need a shorter stem.

TL;DR: cute thread title notwithstanding, o.p. takeaway fails IRL. Shorts material not implicated in this scenario.

genejockey 

What brand of shorts? I found that The Black Bibs $60 shorts, which were great in every other way (fit, chamois, etc) were entirely too slick and like you, I'd have to keep pushing myself back. ONLY with those shorts, and on EVERY bike in my stable. So, the other brands of short I wear that DON'T cause that - Louis Garneau FitSensor 2 and 3, Castelli, and Le Col. I had some Performance Ultras, but while they didn't slip the legs kept crawling up and bunched up in the crotch so I'd have to stop every 10 mile and pull the hems back down.

I can't comment on your position without seeing you on the bike.

HeyItsSara

I've experienced that when I'd put a gel seat cover over my stationery bike at spin class. I hate that!

phughes

If that is the case, there is a chance you have your seat slightly too high. When it is too high, you tend to slip forward. On my last ride, on a trail in Pittsburgh, I counted at least five people whose seats were too high. I am amazed at how many have a too high seat height. Once your seat height is correct, for you, not some arbitrary number, you. will be stable on your seat. Forget the rules of thumb and focus on what is actually happening as you ride.

rsbob 

I put a level on the high points of the seat and set it dead level. No sliding forward or backward. The shorts are not the problem, it’s your seat angle.

dfrench52 

Thanks to all who responded.

A few points: I always use a level to determine whether the seat is level. It's always been level. It's not comfortable otherwise.

The "fistful of seatpost" is the result of an initial setting per the LeMond method of determining saddle height ( cycling inseam x 0.883) and tweaking a bit from there. My current saddle height is a bit lower than the calculated height. I might try lowering a bit more.

Some have suggested a shorter stem. If the saddle height tweak doesn't work, I'll look for a shorter stem, maybe 8cm. The steering is quick enough as I noted earlier. (Since my bike was made in 1983, it'll need s quill stem. And no, I'm not about to convert it. &#128513

Thanks again.

RB1-luvr

I've experienced this similarly to the OP. Some shorts are just too slippy. Luckily for me, my Giordana club kit, which I wear most often, does not do it.

genejockey 

I imagine it must be a little frustrating, when you state that the saddle is level in your first post, to have people tell you the problem isn't that your saddle is not level. Just because THEY'VE never experienced sliding around on a level saddle because the fabric of your shorts is too slick, they presume that it can't happen. Well it really does, and telling someone it doesn't is kind of insulting.

For example - I am fairly inflexible, so I rotate my pelvis rather than bending at the waist, so I need a "wave" saddle rather than flat. In NO OTHER SHORTS is this a problem, but with The Black Bibs $60 bibs, I kept sliding forward. Every single bike. I even tried roughening the leather to increase the friction between the saddle and the fabric. It didn't work. I tried them on every bike I own - 8 at that point - with 3 different models of saddle, and it was always the same thing - every minute or so, I had to skooch back a cm or more. I ended up tossing them.

So, maybe if it never happened to you, it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Maybe it means you don't have anything useful to contribute.

/rant.

DaveSSS 

I'd say that different shorts are not the answer. It's either a saddle problem or other fit issue. It's hard to imagine that a fitter can't figure it out.

I like SMP saddles like the Stratos that's not flat across the top.

I have long legs and short torso too.

phughes

I wouldn't be too quick to say that. I have a Brooks B17 leather saddle, slick, and can ride it with any pair of shorts, or even jeans, slick on leather, without slipping... because... my seat is where it needs to be , for me, and is not jacked up high in the nose in an effort to keep me on the seat. My saddle is basically level at the nose, maybe down a tiny bit, and yet I can stay on the saddle no matter what pants or shorts I wear. If you have to rely on a sticky pair of shorts to stay in the saddle, your fit is not correct, for you. If your seat is farther back, as you pedal you will naturally push yourself back, if it is too far forward, you will do the opposite. If your seat is too high, you will generally slip forward, or drop to one side to compensate.

The slicker shorts simply reveals the poor fit.

genejockey 

Yeah, I think I've got a pretty good bead on my bike fit after 25 years of riding. But hey, thanks for playing.

JohnDThompson 

Try tilting the nose of the saddle up a little bit. Some saddles, e.g. Brooks for one example, seem to benefit from this.

phughes

We aren't critiquing your fit at the moment. Yours is where you are comfortable. The OP is sliding forward and we are trying to help them. On the other hand, I have known people who have ridden for 30 years who still have a poor fit, though they seem to like it despite the fact they still get saddle sores from slightly rocking on their seat, and have to wear special pants to prevent themselves from sliding forward.

genejockey 

OP said that he didn't have the sliding problem when he wore light wool sweat pants over the cycling shorts, which don't strike me as "special". I never had a problem until I got that one pair of bibs, so that's pretty much the diametric opposite of "hav[ing] to wear special pants to prevent themselves from sliding forward". If it hasn't happened to you, perhaps you don't have anything useful to contribute to the discussion. Before it happened to me, I wouldn't have, either.

phughes

Okay. Chances are the OP needs to assess the position on the bicycle to prevent sliding forward. If you cannot wear a pair of pants designed for use on a bicycle without sliding forward, there may be a fit issue.