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Seat Angle

Old 05-14-19, 08:58 PM
  #26  
sputniky
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Originally Posted by Lemond1985
Nose down equals numb hands. And ass skin abrasions from pushing yourself back on the seat 10,000 times per hundred miles.
The correct answer is:

It depends. Saddle angle varies depending on the rider.




Folks making blanket proclamations should be ignored.
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Old 05-15-19, 11:35 AM
  #27  
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Nose down. Angle depends on the geometry of the particular bike. I tend closer to level when there is less of a drop between saddle and handlebars, more of an angle when there is more of a drop.

Most of my body is held up by my core, so I do not get numb hands. Works for me.
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Old 05-15-19, 12:15 PM
  #28  
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I've ridden with the nose slightly up for about 25 years. Something about it takes some weight off my arms.
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Old 05-15-19, 01:37 PM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by sputniky
Folks making blanket proclamations should be ignored.
Did you type this unironically? I'm tempted to add it to my signature.
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Old 05-15-19, 01:47 PM
  #30  
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All of my saddles are angled very slightly up by as much as 3 degrees. Most are up in the 1 - 2 degree range. None are level or nose down.

-Kedosto
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Old 05-15-19, 02:21 PM
  #31  
sputniky
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Originally Posted by ThermionicScott
Did you type this unironically? I'm tempted to add it to my signature.
No, but it made the point more eloquently, and deeply, than noting that the post was simply dumb.
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Old 05-19-19, 09:33 AM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by Eric S.
I've ridden with the nose slightly up for about 25 years. Something about it takes some weight off my arms.
I have settled on this position too, after many years of trial and error.

Rode yesterday with the saddle pointed slightly downward, and discovered something. When I do that it eliminates the saddle as an anchor point, instead, it leans all of that weight onto the feet and the hands. So instead of three anchor points (saddle, feet, and hands) I only have two.

Also, I use long stems to elongate my back and help me breathe deeply, and I have a habit of pulling on the bars when seated, to get extra power. I found that I can't do that if my saddle is leaning forward, so I lose power with that setting. This where I'm at with this bike, after a few days of tweaking. Seat tilted slightly back, bars way out front.

Nearly perfect.


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Old 05-19-19, 10:08 AM
  #33  
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Imagine an image

Interested to see what other people's preferred angle is for seats, ....
being Minus 9 time zones west of GMT RGO Greenwich ..

It's rather hard to see from there ...


others offered pictures that should do ..







...

Last edited by fietsbob; 05-19-19 at 10:11 AM.
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Old 05-19-19, 10:42 AM
  #34  
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IMO, a level saddle and KOPS is a good starting point, but doesn't have to be the ultimate goal. Individual rider anatomy, specific saddle type and frame geometry, etc. may require some deviation from that starting point. But it is seldom an extreme deviation.
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Old 05-19-19, 11:24 AM
  #35  
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A lot depends on your personal anatomy and flexibility, along with the bike you are using. I have a Look 595 which features their Epost micro suspension. The system works very well, but the rider's weight tends to depress the rear of the saddle a degree or two which changes the unweighted saddle angle, mine needs to be tilted down a few degrees. My test is a no hands ride, if I slide forward riding no hands, the nose of the saddle is too low. But, that is me, unlike many people my comfort zone for my Brooks Professional saddle on my touring bike is not nose up, but level
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Old 05-19-19, 02:17 PM
  #36  
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So many variables here. I find it interesting that in 90% of these posts none of these variables are mentioned. Just saying I ride nose up/down gives us no useful information.

Rider Weight
Rider Height
Type of Bike - Road, Mountain, Commuter, Touring, Beach Cruiser
Type of Saddle
Saddle placement fore/aft in relation to KOPS
Riding style - Touring, Commuter, Racing, Mountains, Flats

I ride mostly road and some gravel. I am about 5'11" and on the heavier side of most cyclist (185-190...fight every summer to get down to 175) My regular 20 mile rides typically have between 1200 - 1800 feet of climbing. I am not racing at all but I do try to get out and ride with a 21mph group about twice a month if schedule allows and I will try to get 3-4 rides in a week by myself or with my wife. Because of my weight I find that getting the saddle position just right is important. For those of you guys that weigh in the 155-170 range - Go grab (2-4) one gallon bottles of water and throw them in a backpack and see how it affects your butt on a long ride. There are so many more options for cyclists that weigh less than 165lbs as far as saddles go and the extra weight I carry is certainly felt in the saddle itself.

The 2 saddles I am currently using are a Nashbar CF1 saddle and a Selle Italia SLR Superflow. The CF1 is more comfy in the back and the Superflow is more comfy in the front. With both saddles I find it more comfortable with a 1-2 degree tilt forward.

To figure out saddle placement and get it dialed in, I'll typically start with KOPS to "zero" out a starting point on fore/aft placement of a new saddle or on a new bike. From there I will start with a flat saddle using a straight edge to determine what that is (Not all saddles are straight across).

After adjustments are made I almost always end up with the saddle 1-1.5 cm forward of starting position and a downward angle of about 1-2 degrees. The first couple of rides I can tell within a few miles of what is comfortable for me. Once I get it close, I'll take a 20-30 mile ride before making smaller adjustments.

-Sean
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Old 05-19-19, 04:57 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by 79pmooney
I've got ~200,000 miles with the nose down. When should I expect to start seeing these issues?

Edit: Any new setup gets its early rides with the wrenches for the seatpost and clamp in my pocket.

Ben
Exactly! Every rider and every saddle is different. I don’t have 200,000, only several thousand miles. Current favorite saddle is an EC 90 at 4 degrees nose down.
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