Move Saddle Forward?

Harry said:

I have two questions:

1) Is there a seatpost that would enable me to move my saddle forward
some 3"? My present seatpost has a slight setback and changing to a
straight one would gain me only about 1".

2) What might be the consequences of riding like this for a limited
time, say up to 6 months?

Well, it would certainly mess with your position. It would be like riding
a time-trial bike, which is not really designed for comfort.

Quoted message said:

I recently changed my flat mountain type handlebars to road bars in
order to give myself additional hand positions. Although the hand
positions on the new road bars feel great, it feels like my upper body
is stretched out on an inquisition rack. After taking my bike to the LBS
(not the dealer who sold me the bike) I discovered that my top tube is
probably some 2" too long.

How did he figure that? That is a long stretch.

Quoted message said:

We have installed the shortest stem that the
LBS could find, but that still hasn't helped much.

That should have made more than a 2" difference. Most stock stems are in
the neighborhood of 10cm, so 2" less would cut that to about a 5cm stem,
which is available.

If the bike fits you in terms of leg extension (and seat position), then
if it is really 2" too short it is either a very odd frame, or you have
unusual proportions.

Maybe you should try to become accustomed to a more horizontal position.
That may be your problem, if you are not used to road bars.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | The lottery is a tax on those who fail to understand
_`\(,_ | mathematics.
(_)/ (_) |

Harry said:

I have two questions:

1) Is there a seatpost that would enable me to move my saddle forward
some 3"? My present seatpost has a slight setback and changing to a
straight one would gain me only about 1".

2) What might be the consequences of riding like this for a limited
time, say up to 6 months?

I recently changed my flat mountain type handlebars to road bars in
order to give myself additional hand positions. Although the hand
positions on the new road bars feel great, it feels like my upper body
is stretched out on an inquisition rack. After taking my bike to the
LBS (not the dealer who sold me the bike) I discovered that my top
tube is probably some 2" too long. We have installed the shortest stem
that the LBS could find, but that still hasn't helped much.

At this point it appears I may need a custom frame. What makes this
time consuming (and expensive) is that I ride a tandem. I would like
to try to continue to ride with the road bars, but the long stretch is
just too tiring to ride more that a couple of hours at a time. I'm
hoping that by moving forward I will be able to ride more comfortably
while I research my options.

TIA,
HarryB

Have you tried turning the stem around 180 degreess. You may be able to
reach then. Not sure how the steering would be tho.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Harry said:

I have two questions:

1) Is there a seatpost that would enable me to move my saddle forward
some 3"? My present seatpost has a slight setback and changing to a
straight one would gain me only about 1".

As others will no doubt add, that is not a good idea. Here is why:
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm
The crucial point is: moving the saddle forward will cause you to fall
forward over your bars, increasing pressure on your hands.
Short of buying a new bike, what I would suggest is to buy a stem which
is not only shorter, but much higher. You don't describe your existing
riding position, nor what kind of setup you have: do you ride with the
bars lower than the saddle? do you have a threaded or threadless fork?
If you're riding with the bars low on a threaded setup, then you may
have an easy solution: buy (your lbs can order these stems or you can
buy them from sheldon brown, peter white, and others on the net) a very
short (5 or 6 cm) Nitto Technomic Deluxe stem. This will move your bars
up and back towards you. At that point you can fine-tune position. But
again, that solution would depend on your having a threaded, 1"
fork....others no doubt have some suggestions for threadless
stems...Profile Boa?
Good luck

Art Strum

tspoon said:

Have you tried turning the stem around 180 degreess. You may be able to
reach then. Not sure how the steering would be tho.

This won't work with most stems; the tilt range isn't even close to
big enough to support it.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

David L. Johnson said:

Harry said:

I have two questions:

1) Is there a seatpost that would enable me to move my saddle forward
some 3"? My present seatpost has a slight setback and changing to a
straight one would gain me only about 1".

2) What might be the consequences of riding like this for a limited
time, say up to 6 months?

Well, it would certainly mess with your position. It would be like riding
a time-trial bike, which is not really designed for comfort.

Quoted message said:

I recently changed my flat mountain type handlebars to road bars in
order to give myself additional hand positions. Although the hand
positions on the new road bars feel great, it feels like my upper body
is stretched out on an inquisition rack. After taking my bike to the LBS
(not the dealer who sold me the bike) I discovered that my top tube is
probably some 2" too long.

How did he figure that? That is a long stretch.

He looked at me and told me (before he had seen me on the bike) that I
needed something like a 22" top tube. When we put the bike on the
trainer with me on it, he had me sitting in various positions which
confirmed (to him) that I needed a 22" top tube. The bike has a 24.4"
top tube.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

We have installed the shortest stem that the
LBS could find, but that still hasn't helped much.

That should have made more than a 2" difference. Most stock stems are in
the neighborhood of 10cm, so 2" less would cut that to about a 5cm stem,
which is available.

I now have a 90mm long, 130 degree rise stem on a 2" stem extender on
bike and I'm still reaching very far forward. When I slide quite far
forward on the saddle (maybe 3 or 4"😉 I'm not stretched out as much
and my body's angle feels much more comfortable.

Quoted message said:

If the bike fits you in terms of leg extension (and seat position), then
if it is really 2" too short it is either a very odd frame, or you have
unusual proportions.

The frame is a Cannondale XLarge with a seat tube lenght of 20.1". I'm
5'7" with a 34" inseam.

Quoted message said:

Maybe you should try to become accustomed to a more horizontal position.
That may be your problem, if you are not used to road bars.

tspoon said:

Harry said:

I have two questions:

1) Is there a seatpost that would enable me to move my saddle forward
some 3"? My present seatpost has a slight setback and changing to a
straight one would gain me only about 1".

2) What might be the consequences of riding like this for a limited
time, say up to 6 months?

I recently changed my flat mountain type handlebars to road bars in
order to give myself additional hand positions. Although the hand
positions on the new road bars feel great, it feels like my upper body
is stretched out on an inquisition rack. After taking my bike to the
LBS (not the dealer who sold me the bike) I discovered that my top
tube is probably some 2" too long. We have installed the shortest stem
that the LBS could find, but that still hasn't helped much.

At this point it appears I may need a custom frame. What makes this
time consuming (and expensive) is that I ride a tandem. I would like
to try to continue to ride with the road bars, but the long stretch is
just too tiring to ride more that a couple of hours at a time. I'm
hoping that by moving forward I will be able to ride more comfortably
while I research my options.

TIA,
HarryB

Have you tried turning the stem around 180 degreess. You may be able to
reach then. Not sure how the steering would be tho.

You mean so that the handlebars are behind the steerer tube? Hadn't
given that a thought but it sounds scary. I sure wouldn't want to try
that with my stoker on board <g>

On Sun, 28 Nov 2004 21:49:24 -0800, arthur strum <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Harry said:

I have two questions:

1) Is there a seatpost that would enable me to move my saddle forward
some 3"? My present seatpost has a slight setback and changing to a
straight one would gain me only about 1".

As others will no doubt add, that is not a good idea. Here is why:
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm
The crucial point is: moving the saddle forward will cause you to fall
forward over your bars, increasing pressure on your hands.
Short of buying a new bike, what I would suggest is to buy a stem which
is not only shorter, but much higher. You don't describe your existing
riding position, nor what kind of setup you have: do you ride with the
bars lower than the saddle? do you have a threaded or threadless fork?
If you're riding with the bars low on a threaded setup, then you may
have an easy solution: buy (your lbs can order these stems or you can
buy them from sheldon brown, peter white, and others on the net) a very
short (5 or 6 cm) Nitto Technomic Deluxe stem. This will move your bars
up and back towards you. At that point you can fine-tune position. But
again, that solution would depend on your having a threaded, 1"
fork....others no doubt have some suggestions for threadless
stems...Profile Boa?
Good luck

Art Strum

I learned a lot from reading Peter White's (and other's) articles.
That is part of the reason I'm quite sure I can't make this frame work
long term, but I'm looking for ways to help me between now and the
time I get a new bike.

The bike has a 1 1/8" threadless steerer tube. Presently I have 90mm
long, 130 degree rise stem on a 2" steerer tube extender. The
handlebars are about 1" below my saddle height. The frame has a top
tube length of 24.4" and a seat tube length of 20.1". I'm 5'7" with a
34" inseam. According to a couple of sources, that will make finding a
properly fitting frame difficult.

Harry said:

The bike has a 1 1/8" threadless steerer tube. Presently I have 90mm
long, 130 degree rise stem on a 2" steerer tube extender. The
handlebars are about 1" below my saddle height. The frame has a top
tube length of 24.4" and a seat tube length of 20.1". I'm 5'7" with a
34" inseam. According to a couple of sources, that will make finding a
properly fitting frame difficult.

I'm 5'7" with 30" inseam, and according to some statistics I've seen I'm
very close to average proportions. So, with 34" inseam you have very
long legs and a short torso, so it's not surprising that you have reach
issues.

I think it would be very difficult to get your current bike to work out
for you. I'm not sure if custom is the only way to go, though. I think
it would be worth trying frame which is clearly on the small side given
your inseam, raise the saddle way high and just make sure you can get
your handlebars high enough by not cutting the steerer too short. With
a short stem the overall reach could be fine. Some handlebars are also
different in that they have less reach to the levers.

If you get a frame based on your 34" inseam, you'll get a frame with a
top tube that is way too long.

-as

Quoted message said:

After taking my bike to the

Quoted message said:

LBS (not the dealer who sold me the bike) I discovered that my top
tube is probably some 2" too long. We have installed the shortest stem
that the LBS could find, but that still hasn't helped much.

What was the "shortest stem that the LBS could find"? Shorter than a 8 or 9 cm
isn't as widely available as the more common length stems. I know a Look Ergo
stem can be adjusted to zero, though it is pretty expensive (not as much as a
new bike though)

Steve

Harry none said:

The bike has a 1 1/8" threadless steerer tube. Presently I have 90mm
long, 130 degree rise stem on a 2" steerer tube extender. The
handlebars are about 1" below my saddle height.

Well, there's your problem. Get them another 3" or so higher, and they'll
come back towards you. There's no point in looking for miniscule aero
benefits on a tandem...
--
David Damerell <[email hidden]> Distortion Field!

"Harry" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have two questions:

1) Is there a seatpost that would enable me to move my saddle forward
some 3"? My present seatpost has a slight setback and changing to a
straight one would gain me only about 1".

http://www.trisports.com/proftomfasfo.html

Quoted message said:

2) What might be the consequences of riding like this for a limited
time, say up to 6 months?

Not a problem, especially on a tandem.

Harry <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I have two questions:

1) Is there a seatpost that would enable me to move my saddle forward
some 3"? My present seatpost has a slight setback and changing to a
straight one would gain me only about 1".

Profile Fast Forward seatpost. I have one on a road frame which
I intended to use in triathlon. Forward position makes the bike to
run transition easier, allows you to develop power using slow twitch
muscle fiber rather than fast twitch but requires higher cadence
(lower gear for a given speed) than a traditional road position
to develop max power.
detail on this at www.slowtwitch.com
in particular see:
http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/techctr/bikefit.html

for sellers of the seatpost google: Profile Fast Forward
(diameters avail are just 27.2 and 26.8, I think)

I don't think it gives 3". Its by far the commonest forward
position post. Its said to give about 2 1/2" compared to
"standard" posts with some setback. Hopefully you can use the
rails to get the rest.

Quoted message said:

2) What might be the consequences of riding like this for a limited
time, say up to 6 months?

Since your cadence must be a comprimise on the tandem you are less
likely to train/aclimate yourself to the higher cadences. At the
steeper effective seat post angle you will not be able to develop as
great a peak power in climbing/sprinting (having comprimised cadence/gear
selection).

Of course, when you're "standing" for a climb it doesn't matter where
your seat is beneath you.

good luck with it, Ed

"Harry" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

tspoon said:

Harry said:

I have two questions:

1) Is there a seatpost that would enable me to move my saddle forward
some 3"? My present seatpost has a slight setback and changing to a
straight one would gain me only about 1".

2) What might be the consequences of riding like this for a limited
time, say up to 6 months?

I recently changed my flat mountain type handlebars to road bars in
order to give myself additional hand positions. Although the hand
positions on the new road bars feel great, it feels like my upper body
is stretched out on an inquisition rack. After taking my bike to the
LBS (not the dealer who sold me the bike) I discovered that my top
tube is probably some 2" too long. We have installed the shortest stem
that the LBS could find, but that still hasn't helped much.

At this point it appears I may need a custom frame. What makes this
time consuming (and expensive) is that I ride a tandem. I would like
to try to continue to ride with the road bars, but the long stretch is
just too tiring to ride more that a couple of hours at a time. I'm
hoping that by moving forward I will be able to ride more comfortably
while I research my options.

TIA,
HarryB

Have you tried turning the stem around 180 degreess. You may be able to
reach then. Not sure how the steering would be tho.

You mean so that the handlebars are behind the steerer tube? Hadn't
given that a thought but it sounds scary. I sure wouldn't want to try
that with my stoker on board <g>

How about turning a sheet post (with setback) 180 degree ?

RE/

Quoted message said:

1) Is there a seatpost that would enable me to move my saddle forward
some 3"?

Bilenky made one for me some years back.
--
PeteCresswell

Werehatrack said:

tspoon said:

Have you tried turning the stem around 180 degreess. You may be able to
reach then. Not sure how the steering would be tho.

This won't work with most stems; the tilt range isn't even close to
big enough to support it.

Oops. Thought he meant the seat post; while turning the stem around
to put the bars behind the steerer might work, it's going to look
really strange, and may produce some interesting (and
peculiar-seeming) handlebar feel. It also may put the bars within
range of a knee collision.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Harry said:

I have two questions:

1) Is there a seatpost that would enable me to move my saddle forward
some 3"? My present seatpost has a slight setback and changing to a
straight one would gain me only about 1".

2) What might be the consequences of riding like this for a limited
time, say up to 6 months?

I recently changed my flat mountain type handlebars to road bars in
order to give myself additional hand positions. Although the hand
positions on the new road bars feel great, it feels like my upper body
is stretched out on an inquisition rack. After taking my bike to the
LBS (not the dealer who sold me the bike) I discovered that my top
tube is probably some 2" too long. We have installed the shortest stem
that the LBS could find, but that still hasn't helped much.

At this point it appears I may need a custom frame. What makes this
time consuming (and expensive) is that I ride a tandem. I would like
to try to continue to ride with the road bars, but the long stretch is
just too tiring to ride more that a couple of hours at a time. I'm
hoping that by moving forward I will be able to ride more comfortably
while I research my options.

Here's what you're up against:

Moving the seat forward moves you up over the crank much further than where most
people would be comfortable on anything other than a relatively short TT. This
will be especially awkward with the higher bar position you're describing.
You'll be almost standing above the crank with the saddle ground into your
crotch.

You're 5'7 with a 34" leg. The problem with that is the average guy with a 34 is
about 6'1 and has longish arms as well. So bikes built to that leg length are
going to be long on the top tube. I don't see a way around this problem that
doesn't involve a custom frame. If you buy a smaller frame and then extend the
seat tube enough for your legs, you'll still end up pretty close to where you
are now.

Have you considered trekking bars? Many more positions than flats, but not the
drop or reach of classic road bars.
http://www.nashbar.com/profile_moreimages.cfm?category=92&subcategory=1049&sku=9756&brand=

The picture btw is backward, they should really go like so:
http://www.onecer.net/abbotsfordcycles/trekking-bars.html

Ron

On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 05:24:53 -0600, Harry <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

The bike has a 1 1/8" threadless steerer tube. Presently I have 90mm
long, 130 degree rise stem on a 2" steerer tube extender. The
handlebars are about 1" below my saddle height. The frame has a top
tube length of 24.4" and a seat tube length of 20.1". I'm 5'7" with a
34" inseam. According to a couple of sources, that will make finding a
properly fitting frame difficult.

Hi Harry, there are stems out there that are shorter than 90mm, as
others mentioned, some of the adjustables, might help.

Ok, for a new bike, consider a WSD model. The "women's specific"
frames have shorter top tubes, to leg reach. I have short arms and,
although I didn't know it when I bought it, my LeMond is a WSD frame.
The bike just fit me well and I ended up with a 100mm stem with the 6d
of rise. Or have a custom frame built.

Life is Good!
Jeff

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

If the bike fits you in terms of leg extension (and seat position), then
if it is really 2" too short it is either a very odd frame, or you have
unusual proportions.

The frame is a Cannondale XLarge with a seat tube lenght of 20.1". I'm
5'7" with a 34" inseam.

AS you already know, the frame is way too big for you. And if your
inseam is really 34", then you have a very, very short torso for your
height. Are you really sure your inseam is 34"?. Do you know you
have abnormally long legs for your height?

I'm 5'11" tall and have a 33.5" inseam. And I have normal leg/torso
proportions. I also ride a 58cm c-top road frame. And either an 18"
or 20" mountain bike. Raleigh measuring. 18" if I were to really
ride it on rough stuff so I had to dismount. 20" if riding on flat
easy trails or the road and never dismount. I fit the stock bicycle
frames without any custom fitting.

As for making your current frame fit you, I'm not too optimistic. You
might be able to get a Profile triathalon seatpost. It will put you
2" forward. And you can probably get a seatpost shim to make its 27.2
size fit your Cannondale, if need be. And you can get a shorter stem
than 90mm.

Harry <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I have two questions:

1) Is there a seatpost that would enable me to move my saddle forward
some 3"? My present seatpost has a slight setback and changing to a
straight one would gain me only about 1".

2) What might be the consequences of riding like this for a limited
time, say up to 6 months?

I recently changed my flat mountain type handlebars to road bars in
order to give myself additional hand positions. Although the hand
positions on the new road bars feel great, it feels like my upper body
is stretched out on an inquisition rack. After taking my bike to the
LBS (not the dealer who sold me the bike) I discovered that my top
tube is probably some 2" too long. We have installed the shortest stem
that the LBS could find, but that still hasn't helped much.

At this point it appears I may need a custom frame. What makes this
time consuming (and expensive) is that I ride a tandem. I would like
to try to continue to ride with the road bars, but the long stretch is
just too tiring to ride more that a couple of hours at a time. I'm
hoping that by moving forward I will be able to ride more comfortably
while I research my options.

TIA,
HarryB

Yes there may be an easy solution to this. First keep your seat
position where it is. If the short stem that you installed is not
short enough then raise the the stem height or use a stem that has an
angle degree rise. A 10 to 30 mm rise in your handle bar height wont
reduce the saddle to bar distance but it will provide you with the
degree of comfort you are looking for.