Bike fit / correct riding position

I get front of knee pain now and again and my saddle height is spot on - the issue is always always muscle tightness induced by riding without ample stretching and warming down. If I stretch enough - whether on the bike or off of it - the pain goes away.

The reason I mention this? I was constantly messing with saddle height to get things just right, then realised that the issue was something else entirely.

Steve Hogg has a good guide to setting saddle height/set back etc on his site. Apols if it's a repost!

http://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bikefit/2011/02/seat-height-how-hard-can-it-be/

http://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bikefit/2011/05/seat-set-back-for-road-bikes/

I was constantly messing with saddle height to get things just right, then realised that the issue was something else entirely.

That's probably pretty accurate for a significant proportion of posts about bike fit.

but most people want a quick fix, done by someone else. they do not want to spend time working on core, flexibility and range of movement.

I get front of knee pain when saddle is too far forward.

Also, with regards to the cleat/normal shoe conundrum, why not just move the cleat on that shoe inward, thus moving shoe outward to mirror the way your foot sits on pedal with normal shoes?

i had a few rides recent in my lilliputian sidis, and felt ok, may have been down to dehydration as was only once they hurt and was on a long ride on a hot day

Is it normal to change saddle position when you change bars? I find that when I ride the lopro or a bike where I'm in the drops a lot that I want to sit a fair bit further forwards.

Probably because you extend your reach when you drop the front end.

Ideally you have a fit triangle which gives position for bum, hands and bb. So if your dominant hand position changes (from drops to bullhorns) then there may need to be a modification to your saddle position, though the saddle should remain the same distance (height) from the BB.

So the triangle effectively stays the same but rotates CCW around the Bottom (BB) point when I move to a lower position?

The triangles on your bikes rarely stay in one piece the same for very long, Indra.

So the triangle effectively stays the same but rotates CCW around the Bottom (BB) point when I move to a lower position?

Depends which side you are looking from!

Yeah fair enough, I guess the description is an NDS fail on my part.

Why ow why do many cyclists have their saddles 5 cm too low...was close to shouting a woman to try to help her. But didn't feel like it...some people react to friendly suggestions with shit.

Frame geometry dictates also how far forward/back saddle must be. Steep angles mean saddle must be more rearwards so you don't feel you're pitching forwards, (unless you're on a TT bike with TT bars obv...) slack angles it can be more forwards.

So if you can't reach the bars with ideal saddle fore/aft position, change the stem lest you put a lot of weight on your hands (sore wrists) or Indra your knees (annoyed feeling round tendons/joints).

That's my experience at least. On that note 42 cm from nose of saddle to middle of stem cap seems my optimal reach no matter what of my 4 bikes I'm on. I'll see if I can translate that to the modern stack/reach systems...

If one of your bike have stack and reach in the geometry chart, then add stem and bar length to the reach, and you got your exact fit.

E.g. 380mm +100mm stem + 75mm bar = 555mm overall reach.

It also allow you to figure out if it's possible to get a bigger frame (for bigger stack height) with some change, says with 90mm stem and 70mm bar* mean a bike with a reach of 395mm is possible.

*some bike come with long ass bar (85mm reach), so even if the reach is your perfect fit, the bar length may make it feel too long.

Time to embarrass myself again.
I was playing around with a measuring tape and two tubes of Nuun. At 38 cm apart (c-t-c) my arms are tilting outwards at an angle that is wider than what you see in the peloton. I was a bit surprised, seeing that 38 is the smallest size in most makes… and I’m not *that * narrow shouldered I reckon.
I’m not racing, never will be, so I have no need for narrow bars to let me negotiate a crowd. But when doing yoga my teacher told me that for plank exercises the best way is completely parallel arms, so you’d think that a narrow arm width would be good for cycling too?

Er, I don’t know what my question is…. Feel free to take the piss.

http://s1.postimg.org/n1jwwtofz/width_38cm_ii.jpg

http://www.globalpost.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/gp3_fullpage/france-tour-de-france-photos-history-compare-5-20110713.jpg

Some bars are quoted as 38 but are actually 36 at the hoods. 3T ergonova for example.

Were you experiencing discomfort with your current handlebar set-up?

From what I've read shoulder-width bars are what's always been suggested as it's supposed to open your chest and ensure your lungs aren't squished.

Adam Hansen reckons that's bollocks and goes narrower for less frontal area. TT positions with arms in suggest lungs aren't getting squished even if your arms aren't wide apart. I guess the answer is to do what's comfortable. I've got 44s which are right according to shoulder-width, but I think they feel too wide. Can't be arsed changing them, so I'll stick with it.

I agree with Adam Hansen. You've got half a meter of arm between your shoulders and your hands, they can accommodate a 4cm difference in width without compressing your lungs.

I've got 44s which are right according to shoulder-width, but I think they feel too wide. Can't be arsed changing them, so I'll stick with it.

The biggest factor I found with handlebar width is that a wide bar bend your wrist inside a bit instead of resting your palm on the hood/bar.

... a wide bar bend your wrist...

Yeah, I was wondering about this. At least in plank, the point is to stack your joints as linear and vertical as possible, to avoid random bits of pressure on wrist/elbow/tricep/shoulder and instead direct the effort backwards to your back and core muscles.

But of course, road cycling might have different priorities?

Image 1:
http://yogawithadriene.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/plank-with-strap.jpg

Image 2:
http://www.sciencepicturecompany.com/images/1519/Yoga-Plank-Pose.html

turbo downward dog

Down Dog & Turbo Dog - YouTube

dolphin

Yoga - Dolphin Pose 2 & 3 - YouTube

caturanga dandasana

CorePower Yoga Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose) - YouTube

This might be a weird one but during the DD I had a pain in the upper of my arms going along from elbow to armpit. It wasn't unbearable pain and it only hurt once I stopped it might just from not moving much for ages but seems worth asking about. Ideas?

http://www.hughston.com/hha/a_15_3_2.htm

Arms too straight, gripping too tight, etc.