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have you tried something like this:
http://www.enigmabikes.com/index.php?_a=viewDoc&docId=5
should give you an idea if you are way out
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moving the saddle back as far as possible on the rails will also help, but you may need to drop your seatpost a fraction to compensate.
This is my new/old frames compared to solve the same problem.
As you can see with the same bar position, you can get the saddle much further back and down with no change in the distance from the pedal to the saddle. -
Another thing to add, it feels like im leaning too much forward... what could this be due to?
This sounds totally like you've not got your saddle far back enough - the further back you can go, the more weight comes off your arms. Try this:
Stand upright, with normal shoes on, feet about shoulder width apart. Now start to lean forward. As you continue leaning, note what happens to your bum the further towards horizontal your back becomes in order to maintain balance. Right, it goes back lots! Now imagine you're on the bike - recreate this back angle while standing. You're in balance. Now bring your bum forward and you topple forward. If your saddle is too far forward, you have to push with your arms on the bars to stop falling forward - this causes shoulder pain.
This problem will be magnified by either riding on a frame that is slightly too small, or riding on a track frame - both have steeper seat-tube angles, which means your saddle gets place further forward. (Don't know if either of these apply).
So, ram that saddle back and/or buy a seatpost with more setback. If that doesn't solve it, get a new frame!
Finally, set your bars using an appropriate stem so that your back is comfortable - having the bars conceal the front axle is a good starting point.
Courant
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PS I know you said you "fixed" the problem by raising the stem. But to avoid the ugly look, getting the saddle further back permits a lower bar position (thus no flipped stems/risers/spacer), because the saddle position effectively rotates down and back, as per the photo above, so your relative position to the bars comes up (without changing the bar height, critically).
HTH
Courant
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PS I know you said you "fixed" the problem by raising the stem. But to avoid the ugly look, getting the saddle further back permits a lower bar position (thus no flipped stems/risers/spacer), because the saddle position effectively rotates down and back, as per the photo above, so your relative position to the bars comes up (without changing the bar height, critically).
That changes your pedal action though since you're moved further behind the bb spindle.
It can provide increased glute use which is good but it can also cause you to hunch your lower back and this will be painful on longer rides and not good long term.
There's nothing wrong with spacers or flipped stems and bike-fitting for aesthetic reasons is silly. -
That changes your pedal action though since you're moved further behind the bb spindle.
It can provide increased glute use which is good but it can also cause you to hunch your lower back and this will be painful on longer rides and not good long term.
There's nothing wrong with spacers or flipped stems and bike-fitting for aesthetic reasons is silly.Partially true. The only impact on your muscle recruitment is the change in hip angle (i.e. your glutes don't know where the BB is!). Thus you'll only get a hunched lower back if you're tight in your hips, and you'll feel this pretty quickly as lower back pain. In which case, shift forward and/or bring the bars closer.
Given the option of a) higher bars and a more forward saddle b) lower bars and a more rearward saddle, b) is always going to be a winner considering both aerodynamics and muscle recuitment, assuming you can rotate your hips sufficiently.
Like everything it's a balancing act!
It's just good to be aware of the various options - saddle fore-aft position is normally a complete afterthought. I struggled for years until I realised I needed to get my saddle right back and couldn't get on with any frame (from a a comfort point of view) with a steeper than 73degree seat-tube angle. I can quite imagine that, what with the trend for steep track frames, a lot of people are riding in a position that is really compromised in this respect.
Courant (who also runs spacers and flipped stem to get his position right!)
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Most people are tight in the hips.. they don't stretch and have seated jobs.
I forgot about this which is another method I used when testing position changes.
"That said here is a way to get your ball park fore/aft saddle position. Note I'm not talking about reach from saddle to bars. Saddle to bar reach is a separate deal and should not be adjusted by moving the saddle fore/aft. Reach is a function of toptube/stem length.
1) put your bike in a medium easyish gear and ride up a very gentle grade. I use a 42-17 up a slight grade where I can maintain my natural cadence of 85ish without great effort.
2) put your hands on the tops of the bar next to the stem and ride relaxed like this for a bit. Let your body fall into a natural arch and relax.
3) now, with your body relaxed, lift your hands from the bars WITHOUT sitting up or changing the angle of your hips and lower back. Lift just the hands off the bars. Just and inch or so. Do not sit up.
3a) if you can do this without strain or by using a great deal of core strength then your fore/aft saddle position probably isn't bad and is in the ballpark.
3b) if you have a hard time doing this even after a few tries then it's a pretty good bet that your fore/aft deal could use adjustment. If you tend to fall forward when your hands are lifted it's a good bet your saddle could go back. If you tend to fall back then your saddle is way too far back. The latter is pretty rare."
Stormy
AlexB
Courant
hippy
dogsballs-
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Uncomfortable position...
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I agree where there's too much weight on the arms and hands on the raising of the bars by flipping the stem over, or getting a rising one, that's a cheap option.
At 6' I agree the 56cm frame seems a tad small but it can be made to fit with the right saddle height, and stem and bar combination - a small frame is a neat and compact option, less frame weight too.
It'd be interesting to know the centre of pedal axle to top of saddle height you ride to guage the right frame size for you. Centre Bottom Bracket to top of saddle is another good clue too.
Walk into a good bike shop and the guy's already sized you up anyway- a woman would say think yourself lucky you don't need your bra and cup size sorted out......