Leungsta

Hi all, new to the forum and recently purchased my first bike, Cannondale Synapse Carbon 5.

Hoping someone can chime in as I can’t seem to lower the saddle post any further. I’ve done some research here and some have said to remove the bolts from the water bottle holder in case it’s in the way. Tried it and still stuck!

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

DaveSSS 

You must have purchased a frame that's too large, or don't know how to set the saddle height properly.

_ForceD_

You might give some consideration to cutting some of the seat post off.

Have you shined a light down the seat tube to see if you can ID what it's hitting on?

Dan

alcjphil

On a carbon fibre frame bike, the seat tube water bottle mounts are installed using rivnuts which project inside the seat tube. Removing the water bottle bolts will not allow the seatpost to go any farther down. Either you bought too large a frame or you want your saddle to be too low for efficient pedalling
Where did you buy your bike? I also live in Montreal and can perhaps suggest local help

Leungsta

It’s a 51cm bike frame and I’m 5’6

Leungsta

Definitely will consider this if no other options. Hard to see inside!

Bought it used from Kijiji, sure any suggestion will help! I went based on standard guidelines, a 51cm bike should be good for my height 5’6.

alcjphil

At your height, you should not have a problem with your seat post, in fact, the bike should be close to a perfect fit. The one thing I would not expect would be that you would need to have the seat post lower than it can go. Are you sure that your saddle has to be lower? Many first time buyers can be intimidated by the height of the saddle of a road bike

Leungsta

Indeed maybe that might be the case. After 20 minutes on the bike my crotch area ends up being really sore. I purchased some cycling shorts so that might help the situation lol.

I feel like an inch lower would be perfect. Maybe it’s just a matter of getting used to it!

Really appreciate the feedback from everyone!

alcjphil

Cycling shorts can help. A lower saddle height can make things worse. It is spring in Montreal riding on frost heaved potholed streets. I have been riding for 50 years. My 2 hour ride today left me sore, even with cycling shorts. The difference for me is that I know that the more I ride the better I will feel with my 50 years of experience

Leungsta

Congrats and wish you another 50 years of riding! Enjoy the upcoming nicer weather during this unusual time!

veganbikes

One of the biggest issues that people face is their bike has not been fit to them. It may very well be the correct size but the saddle could be at the wrong height and wrong position amongst other issues. Obviously right now it is probably tough to see a good bike fitter (one who does a dynamic fit like Retül, static fits are not so good) but that is what I recommend. A dynamic fit does all of the changes to your bike in real time as your are pedaling, in the case of Retül it is a 3d motion capture technology and works really well. A static fit has the fitter looking at you while pedaling and then having you at 6pm and adjusting with you off the bike using plumb bobs and goniometers and such like that. It is not really super accurate but can be a step in the right direction if that is all you can do.

Having gotten a fit on my road bike twice once static and once dynamic, I can say after the dynamic fit I was extremely comfortable on my already quite comfortable road bike. My personal seat height was a bit high (lower than my old static fit) and the seat a touch far forward and my fitter recommended a slightly longer stem (which I haven't done yet) and pedal extenders (which I have and they are great for me). He also adjusted my cleats and they are in a much better position making it easier and more comfortable to pedal.

Part of a new bike is getting used to it a bit and certainly during the crisis you may have plenty of time to adjust things on your own and get a feeling for the bike. However if this thing ends please treat yourself to a visit to your local dynamic fitter.

Leungsta

Definitely will consider this once things open up! Thanks for the informative post!

veganbikes

No worries, always happy to help! I was already pretty well sold on fits before I got my Retül fit but afterwards I am a total evangelist. I feel so much more comfortable and less pain and it is great. Now my pain is just riding hard and trying to get back into some sort of shape after a long period of not riding much.

vane171

You should lower your saddle if your hips rock while pedaling or other such indications, not because of soreness (which might be due to saddle geometry or its slope - should be horizontal or whatever else). What I am saying is that soreness is not determining factor to lower your saddle, rocking hips (for example) while pedaling is.

Probably old fashioned but good starting rule says, if you sit on your bike, you should be just about able to turn cranks with your heels on pedals. That means that when you are in normal foot position, your knee will be a little bent even at the bottom of the pedaling circle, at six o'clock position.

dsaul

There is nothing wrong with cutting some of the seat post off, if you really need it to go lower. Just make sure you have at least 4" of post inserted in the frame. Some posts are very long and need to be cut to achieve the proper saddle height, especially in smaller frames. Perhaps the previous owner was too tall for the frame and installed a longer seat post.

davidad

I wrenched for a lady on the RAAM and had that problem. I shortened the seat post and that solved that problem.

Barry2 

I had to mount my saddle at a 4 degree nose down angle for a while. As “bits” of me have toughened up I’ve been able to bring the saddle more level.
I have now replaced the saddle with a fully carbon (no padding) saddle and been able to set a 1 degree nose down angle.
The carbon saddle does have a hole up the center for further “bits” relief.

experiment to find what works for you.

Barry

79pmooney

Leungsta, before you do anything, do this simple test. Park your bike next to a wall. Take your shoes off. Now sit on the bike, leaning just enough into the wall to not fall over. Put one crank down all the way, in line with the seat tube. Put your heel on the backside of the pedal. Now, did you have to rotate your hip down to reach the pedal? (Seat may be too high.) Can you straighten your knee completely and not rotate your hip up? If you cannot, your seat is almost certainly too low.

Most of us pass this test nicely either barefoot or with heels up to about a 1/4" I do it barefoot. Once you find the shoe heel that works for you, this test is simple and fast. (And completely takes into account different seats.) You should be able to pedal backwards keeping your heels on the pedals and feel no rocking of your hops. Now different shoes,pedals and cleats make a difference but usually not a lot.

Give this a try, It will tell you if you are on the ballpark.

Ben

daoswald

Don't cut anything. Don't force anything.

Road bike seats are intended to be higher than you may be accustomed to. Look at Bike Dynamics Fitting Guidlines for a basic starting point. A professional fit may be a good idea eventually, but for now you can tinker by following those guidelines. I would be surprised if you actually need to lower the seat below the lowest point it currently accommodates.

It's possible that once you get the seat height correct, you just need more time on the bike. At first, it will be your butt and groin that don't like the seat. Later on, as your butt gets more accustomed to the bike, and as you add more time to your rides, your neck and triceps may complain. But after a few weeks of several-times-per-week riding, you'll be pretty comfortable on the bike.

Eventually, you should get a professional fit done. The more miles you ride, the more important this will be. I've found that early in the season I have to lower the saddle about a quarter inch. After a few weeks I raise it again. A quarter inch -- with enough miles you'll feel that difference. In my own experience, when it's too low, my knees start bothering me on longer rides or higher-mileage weeks. ...the fronts of the knees. With the saddle too high, the backs of my knees will start to get some tendon pain. The range between too high and too low is narrower the more miles you ride... at least for me it's this way.