todd92371

Hello,
Tried out a c17 saddle yesterday. I like the saddle. But, I noticed that it really gave me that falling forward feeling a lot. I know it has the implicit hammock design. I tried raising the nose a bit and that helped. But, is that a trait that is given for this type of saddle? Since it has a hammock design. A lot of extra weight on hands and wrists to compensate.

Thanks.
Todd

RH Clark

You might try adjusting the saddle forward. That said I only like my C17 on 2 out of the 6 bikes I have tried it on.

Rolla

I usually have five to eight degrees of upward tilt on my B17s. Less on my Cambiums.

MarcusT

My Brooks has a more upward tilt than other saddles. I tried moving the saddle forward and it did not help

SalsaShark

I have C17 saddles on 3 of my 4 bikes. All are run pretty much level to the ground.

3alarmer 

.
...I run them with nose tilted up more than other saddles, with a formed plastic core.
What anyone is comfortable with is pretty idiosyncratic, and subject to experiment.

Polaris OBark

You might want to try setting it back (not forward) a little bit.

It sounds counter-intuitive, but too forward shifts your weight onto your bars (and wrists and arms). Ideally, you would like to balance on the saddle without touching your bars. I'm not that coordinated, but if you are, it is a good test.

phughes

When you installed it, did you remove the seat post to install it, or did you leave the seat post on the bike, and simply swap saddles? If you simply swapped saddles, it is very likely you saddle is too high, since the C17 sits higher off the rails than many other saddles. If the saddle is too high, you will not be stable on the saddle and will slide forward. Also check your fore/aft adjustment. If the saddle is too far forward, you can have the same issue.

I often see people having issues with B17 or C17 saddles, and they generally have the saddle too high. If it is too high you will have a host of issues. When it is where it should be, for you, you will feel stable on the saddle, and will not be moving forward on it, and you will not need the saddle tilted up hight to prevent moving forward.

Chickenwings

Thanks Ph. I thought saddle height is more determined by leg extension on the pedals.

dedhed

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...down-flat.html

phughes

The point was that, if the OP installed the seat by simply removing the old one from the seat post, then installing the C17, it may be too high since the C17 sits higher off the rails than many more modern design seats. That is not an absolute though. So if their seat height was right for them before, by simply swapping saddles, without removing the seat post, and without factoring in the difference in the seat's height above their respective rails, then the seat height will have changed, which will cause the issue the OP had, feeling like they are moving forward on the seat.

The B17 and C17 are also more sensitive to a bad fit, more specifically, too high seat height. Many seats that have center channels can be run higher than a B17 or a C17 without having perineum pain.

Many advocate jacking up the seat height, without paying any attention to whether or not the person is stable on the seat, and whether or not they can pedal fluidly throughout the entire revolution of the pedals. So there are other factors involved, and many people get seat height wrong, for them. So many seats today actually act as a bandaid for poor seat positioning , masking a bad fit. A Brooks seat will not mask a bad fit, at all, but once you get a Brooks set up properly, for you, you will not slide forward on the seat, you will be stable on it.

LarrySellerz

be careful about.. male problems... with a saddle tilted upwards.

Chickenwings

Ah, great additional detail. thanks PH. Now, I'm free this week if you'd like to come over and help me fit my bike - you know what you're talking about! Thanks again!!

phughes

I'll be right over.

Chickenwings

A THANK YOU to everyone who's posting their experiences and opinions here. I'm new (only about a year old) on this biking thing and way closer to 60 than I'd like. That means I've got a TON of experience in OTHER things but I haven't got the miles, hours and years on a bike. What I've been learning is to try things and if I don't like a particular set up - turn it back! I do, however, need to try stuff to see if it works. Today I went on a long (for me) ride. I had tilted my seat up a bit since I've been feeling like I have been sliding a bit forward on a levelled seat....hmm...I went about a 3/4 bubble nose up on my level and I like it but it might be a bit too much. I'm gonna cut that back a quarter or so (please take note of my PRECISE measuring methodology, grin) as I can feel a little pressure where I don't want to but I also noticed I'm not pushing back on the seat like I had done before. Again, THANK YOU for the information and the motivation to try to make my experience the best I can.

Now.....I gotta save up for that Brooks saddle!

Rolla

If you've got a smart phone, there's a free app called Angle Meter that I've found to be very handy for consistently setting up things like saddles and handlebars.

The Chemist

The B17 on my Dahon and the C15 on my Giant are both basically set up flat (no upward or downward tilt) and that seems to work fine for me.

phughes

Check out these articles: https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com...ard-can-it-be/

https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com...d-can-it-be-2/

And here is one on getting the fore/aft adjustment where you need it. https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com...or-road-bikes/

Keep in mind that when you move your seat back, you may have to drop your seat height slightly. Once you get the height and the setback correct, for you, you shouldn't need to tilt your seat up. A little can be okay, but when I see someone with the nose pointed noticeably up in the front, I cannot help but think their fit is screwed up.

Chickenwings

Love the articles PH. Thanks