It began with my purchase of a Yukon, as some of you may remember, my
re-entry into bicycling as an adult. I posted an article about my new
riding adventures at that time, and have since not updated it, pending
my gaining more experience. I have read and re-read many articles on
proper saddle height. During the last 4 months I have never had the
feeling that things are "just right" so I have continued to make
adjustments along the way, taking care to give the new adjustments
time for me to evaluate before making further adjustments. This is
what I have experienced:
At first, everthing seemed low, handlebars and saddle. I added an
adjustable stem, and then even an extension. The handlebars are way
up over where they were at stock height. The saddle has crept up
considerably too. I read once that if you raise the saddle and your
bike suddenly feels as if you can go faster with less effort, then you
have done a good thing. At this point I have raised the saddle higher
than I ever imagined, and at this height it feels the best it ever
has. I have experienced that feeling of new power, personally. Each
leg is just short of being fully extended at bottom stroke and has
been so for some time, but this last change was incremental. When I
stand on one foot at bottom stroke, I barely come off the saddle. I
cannot sit on the saddle when stopped unless the bike is leaned.
I am also convinced that the frame I have is too small for me. Its a
19" and was the largest I could find. I thought it would be big
enough, but now I know its a bit too small. There is plenty of length
left on the seat tube however, and as long as I don't mind it looking
a bit strange (I do not) then it should be alright.
There is thing that I didn't expect to contribute as much as it has to
the overall equation, and that is the fact that when the saddle goes
up, it also goes back due to the inclination of the seat post tube.
The last adjustment did something interesting. Previously, I have
felt too much weight being borne by my arms. I've adjusted the saddle
itself on the post as far back as possible. It appears that even
though my handlebars are still quite a bit lower than the saddle
height, this last saddle height increase has pushed it back (finally)
to the balance point I need. Immediately, I could feel the difference
in my arms, even though the handlebars did not move. In a few days I
will post more shots of what the bike looks like now. Its rather
comical, but the rack and bag looks cool (I think).
Once, I was fishing off the Sullivan Square Bridge in Charlestown MA
when a man asked me what I was fishing for. My answer was of course
"for fun." I ride for fun, which includes traveling to other
communities near by to sample the local cuisine and just riding
around, either slow or fast, long or short. I do not care about
distance, cadence, speed, heart rate, or any other aspects except for
comfort and safety. This last adjustment is going to keep me riding.
I believe that no matter what the sub-goals are, the main goal is just
to ride. That is what I am working on. I am losing weight and
gaining fitness and not worrying about anything while doing it.
I'd like to thank all the participants on the rec.bicycles ngs for
their valuable time, expertise and advice. It has helped me
tremendously.
Michael J. Klein [email hidden]
Dasi Jen, Taoyuan Hsien, Taiwan, ROC
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