Looking for better seated climbing power..
04-19-10, 07:37 PM
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Looking for better seated climbing power..
Just wondering if anybody has experimented with their saddle position and experienced any improvements?
I typically ride just a bit ahead of KOPS so I tend to overwork my quads...
I wonder if there is any benefit to going back and down a bit on the saddle???
I typically ride just a bit ahead of KOPS so I tend to overwork my quads...
I wonder if there is any benefit to going back and down a bit on the saddle???
04-19-10, 07:44 PM
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That's the old Euro position favoured by Cyrille Guimard. You'll definitely use more hams doing that, and some advocate it still. He has a famous bike sizing formula I believe. Anyway, if you feel your quads are weak and that hammering down isn't the best for you, then I would drop back and down with the saddle slightly. Really what I think you need is just more seated climbing, and working on smoothing out the pedal stroke.
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04-19-10, 07:44 PM
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You may hear a variety of opinions 
Racing season may not be the best time to experiment. But, all else being equal, try out something different and see what happens -- and record/mark your original position!!!! But, when you make adjustments -- and this has been written many times before and it does sound crazy -- keep it to mms at a time. I'm always amazed how even changes on the order of a mm or two or three can matter in some cases!
Racing season may not be the best time to experiment. But, all else being equal, try out something different and see what happens -- and record/mark your original position!!!! But, when you make adjustments -- and this has been written many times before and it does sound crazy -- keep it to mms at a time. I'm always amazed how even changes on the order of a mm or two or three can matter in some cases!
04-19-10, 08:08 PM
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Thanks for the tips..
I did some googling and I came across THIS bike fit link with some formulas based on Wilfried Huggi and Cyrille Guimard formulas...
I did some of the calculations and my typical fit is much different.. saddle way higher, and it says my frame size should be roughly 52.5 cm... (I have a 32 inch inseam), I ride a 56 road bike, and 54 for TT & Track bike.
Based on the inseam x .883 formula for saddle height, I am currently over by almost 9 cm. lol
... edit & correction, I quickly measured my inseam and it is actually 34.25 (87cm) which puts me right square into the correct range of frame size and saddle height. ....
I did some googling and I came across THIS bike fit link with some formulas based on Wilfried Huggi and Cyrille Guimard formulas...
I did some of the calculations and my typical fit is much different.. saddle way higher, and it says my frame size should be roughly 52.5 cm... (I have a 32 inch inseam), I ride a 56 road bike, and 54 for TT & Track bike.
Based on the inseam x .883 formula for saddle height, I am currently over by almost 9 cm. lol
... edit & correction, I quickly measured my inseam and it is actually 34.25 (87cm) which puts me right square into the correct range of frame size and saddle height. ....
Last edited by fordfasterr; 04-19-10 at 08:21 PM.
04-19-10, 08:59 PM
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i'm not a master climber or anything but i did get a fit that pushed my saddle back about 5cm and a week later (after the soreness subsided) i took a two minute bite (of 42 minutes) out of my previously pretty consistent climb-intensive weekly TT time and kept the gain over subsequent weeks. anecdotal but it feels good.
04-19-10, 09:51 PM
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Making a kilometer blurry
I just slide back in the saddle, grab the bar tops, get my forearms horizontal and start hammering. I always picture Tyler when I think about this climbing position:
04-19-10, 09:51 PM
#8
Making a kilometer blurry
I just slide back in the saddle, grab the bar tops, get my forearms horizontal and start hammering. I always picture Tyler when I think about this climbing position:
04-19-10, 10:07 PM
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i'm not a master climber or anything but i did get a fit that pushed my saddle back about 5cm and a week later (after the soreness subsided) i took a two minute bite (of 42 minutes) out of my previously pretty consistent climb-intensive weekly TT time and kept the gain over subsequent weeks. anecdotal but it feels good.
04-19-10, 10:48 PM
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I've been Retul'd (ended up with standard 30 degree leg extension and KOPS irritatingly enough) and was able to squeeze out some more efficiency by going nose down on the saddle, allowing more heel drop and hamstring recruitment (carpenter level bubble ~3-4mm off-center).
04-20-10, 07:52 AM
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04-20-10, 07:53 AM
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04-20-10, 08:00 AM
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Making a kilometer blurry
04-20-10, 08:37 AM
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slow up hills
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Is it more than 20 pedal strokes to the top of an overpass? Hardly enough to get a rhythm.
04-20-10, 05:55 PM
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its a bit longer than 20 pedal strokes... more like almost 1+ minute very seep climb followed by a brief descent and another shorter 20 second hill ... the trouble is, you do it every lap in about 1 mile each... it hurts like hell.
04-20-10, 06:01 PM
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1 minute climb? Saddle position isn't going to do anything. You could take your saddle off and be just fine. You'll either be standing or wiggling all over the place trying to put out enough power seated to stay with the group.
04-20-10, 06:08 PM
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Good point, but when you add it up over many laps things change a bit...
04-20-10, 07:19 PM
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we do a crit like that twice a month. 100' of climbing per lap. Usually 15-18 laps for 25-30 miles. if you try to climb it like a mountain guy, you will go OTB very quickly. Just push on the damn pedals and take the pain.
04-20-10, 07:23 PM
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Quit looking for solutions to questions that don't exist.
Do you want to get to the next level, or mosey on?
That's the real question, and you should train as such.
Do you want to get to the next level, or mosey on?
That's the real question, and you should train as such.
04-20-10, 08:16 PM
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04-20-10, 08:27 PM
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