Brett A

I would not consider changing a stem to address a seat position issue. They are two different matters. If you find yourself moving back on the saddle, it's probably actually becasue your saddle isn't behind the bottom bracket in correct proportion to the length of your femurs.

Not sure if it's been mentioned here yet, but the B17 has no actual aft adjustability. Due to the shape of the rails, the center line of the seat clamp cannot intersect the saddle anywhere ahead of center. The saddle can only be neutral or forward and cannot be slid back behind center..

I also have my B17 on a VO setback post and it still won't adjust back as far as a normal saddle. I end up sitting on the rear rivets a bit. It works for me, but it's sub-optimal for sure.

woodcraft

Get the saddle under your butt- that's what it's there for. Where the butt goes is dependent on overall position, but that is already established.

Fuss with the front end after.

aniki

Disagree. Balance isn't necessarily 'saddle aft' biased. Although it's fair to say that someone with a weak core and who puts low power through the pedals would probably need a much greater setback to achieve correct balance as they won't have enough opposing forces to keep themselves upright.
I've been a Vet for longer than I can now remember but I wouldn't consider myself a low power user and I doubt many of Steve Hogg's clientele are low power users. I believe its principles lie not only in achieving body weight balance over the bottom bracket but also an equal balance of muscle recruitment.
For road racing I am balanced in what I would say is a neutral position (although my saddle is set quite far forward compared to most it's only 5mm back from the UCI limit) and as such I can scoot a little further back and use the reserves in my glutes for riding in the pack or if I need to hammer it I can scoot forward and rely on quad power. If the 'balance' was too far one way or the other I would be artificially fatiguing one the muscle groups.
To be fair, the position in my track bikes is about 15mm further forward and the front end is slightly lower but I'm only really using one position and only using quadriceps. Obviously there's no way I could balance on that bike.
The same applies for a TT position; but here we're getting into the realms of specific positions for specific disciplines. For most road riders which is who I assume we're dealing with here I fully advocate for the balance method.

mdarnton

I would bet that the majority of riders in the world prefer a comfortable, upright position. Those of you who are pimping for One Right Position as defined by racing rules might try telling that to all the pleasure riders and commuters in countries like the Netherlands and China.

Anyone who suggests that there's only one answer to a question like this immediately shows himself as a serious non-authority.

Road Fan

I always think if my body is trying to push back, I need to move the saddle back to give my rear a perch which is in the right place, knowing I will probably have to do some fine-tuning. You have a seatpost with a decent setback, though a Nitto S-84 (not S-83) might give you a little bit more. Your B17 does not in reality give a lot of setback. Saddles which offer a lot of setback include most Specialized models, and the Selle AnAtomica X-models (steel frame, not aluminum). My opinion is that the most comfortable saddles are from Selle Anatomica. There’s nothing wrong with using both a setback post and a long-rail saddle together. When you slide the saddle back you may need to adjust the height and the tilt.

After you have found a good saddle position, lower the stem a little to get the same saddle to bar drop. Then you can experiment with stem extension. My guess is that your hands will still seek more comfort at a location which is closer to you. In this case look for a stem with a cm or two less extension, with the same saddle to bar drop. Or go longer if that’s what you think your hands need.

Usually by the time I have a stem length dialed in I no longer care about bar height, I just want to go ride.

phughes

Yeah... no. Unweighting the torso allows you to expend energy on actually putting your energy into powering the bike, rather than expending energy to keep yourself in position on the bike. It also frees up the muscles in the upper body, the postural muscles, allowing you to breathe more easily.

You would check your balance under load, just below your normal pace. That will take into account the support you get from pedaling.

Go here and read this: https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com...or-road-bikes/