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Not feeling changes in saddle setback

by Hit the Deck
Wed, Sep 09, 2015 13:14
11

Hello, road.cc forumites!

I'm new to road cycling (even cycling in general) and right now have a nagging question about saddle setback: I can't seem to notice if my saddle is moved forward or backward when the distance between the saddle and the handlebar is kept the same.

When I bought my new bike (built using a 2014 52cm Spesh Allez E5 Smartweld frame), the shop gave me a free fitting and the bike was given a 6cm setback according to my proportions (173cm/5'8" with 77cm/31" inseam). It's actually a good fit but I know that my older bike has a 3cm setback (I fit it myself) so I tried changing the fit on the new Spesh bike to mimic the other one just for curiosity sake (I have several stems - don't worry). "Oddly enough", I can't really notice if there's a difference on my pedal stroke when I'm seated - out of the saddle climbing is a different matter because I easily notice if there's a variation in handlebar position relative to the front wheel.

So what should I look for? The fitter told me that my knee should be over the pedal spindle (KOPS). Six centimeters of setback gives me that on the new bike according to him.

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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11 comments

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Freddy56 | 9 years ago
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It's all witchcraft.
Focus on smiling and cadence.

Get 'er roughly dialed in and enjoy.
One mate went to three different bike fitters and saddle height was 40mm different. Yes 40!

Witchcraft I tell ya

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Yorkshie Whippet | 9 years ago
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6cm sounds an awful lot, goes off to measure his own bike.

What length stem are you using on with the 6cm?

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Hit the Deck replied to Yorkshie Whippet | 9 years ago
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Yorkshie Whippet wrote:

6cm sounds an awful lot, goes off to measure his own bike.

What length stem are you using on with the 6cm?

Hi,

I used a 9cm Spesh stem with -8 "tilt" (it's how Spesh describes their stems) for the 6cm setback. I've changed the stem to a 10cm one (also from Spesh) with -10 "tilt" and moved the saddle 2cm forward so I now have around 4cm setback.

My brief measurements: 173cm/5'8" tall, around 31"/78cm inseam, and 172-173cm wingspan on a 52cm Allez E5 Smartweld frame.

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Yorkshie Whippet | 9 years ago
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Not quite sure what you are trying to achieve here.

Setback is to ensure the cockpit length is correct for your upper body not leg length. Saddle height is mainly for leg length and will alter your pedal stroke and power. Okay altering one does slightly affect the other.

If you are changing the stems to ensure the same distance, then all you are doing is moving the centre of gravity along the top tube as Dasy mentions. Moving it from an extreme TT position to a extreme climbing position.

By 6 cm of setback are you talking about the setback on the seatpost and the saddle or setback on the saddle on top of the layback on post?

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Hit the Deck replied to Yorkshie Whippet | 9 years ago
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Yorkshie Whippet wrote:

...
By 6 cm of setback are you talking about the setback on the seatpost and the saddle or setback on the saddle on top of the layback on post?

The 6 cm is the horizontal distance between the BB and the vertical line drawn from the front tip of the saddle.

I'm thankful for all of your answers and I'll try to get more mileage on the new bike so I can be sure which setback is the most suitable for me! Based on the responses so far, now I know that it's not really set on stone based only on your proportions and the bike's dimensions.

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Welsh boy replied to Yorkshie Whippet | 9 years ago
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Yorkshie Whippet wrote:

Setback is to ensure the cockpit length is correct for your upper body not leg length. Saddle height is mainly for leg length and will alter your pedal stroke and power. Okay altering one does slightly affect the other.

What a load of crap. You clearly don't have the first idea how to set your position so please refrain from telling other people how to do it. Saddle setback is to position your knee relative to the pedal spindle, it has everything to do with leg length. Different length stems are for correcting reach to the bars. Set your saddle position then pick a stem length to give you the correct reach.

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DaSy | 9 years ago
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The main thing you want to achieve with saddle setback is to get your weight well balanced around the bb. Too far forward and you tend to find yourself holding your weight more on your hands and the bars due to your balance point allowing you to drop forwards. This tends to show in numb hands after longer rides, and feeling tired in the neck and shoulders.
Too far back will make you a bit less efficient on the pedal stroke, and also un-weight the front of the bike leading to the handling feeling more skittish and less sure-footed.
KOPS is a good place to start in my opinion, but a bit of variation on that theme to get you feeling right over the bars is fine too.
The test which I find helpful is to pedal the bike slowly in a turbo trainer, with your hands on the drops, and see if you can support that position when taking your hands off the bars and out to the sides. If your too far forward you will find it very hard not to drop onto the stem, assuming a reasonable amount of core strength.

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therevokid | 9 years ago
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saddle set back is usually the distance your sat behind the bb center so
changing stem length wont impact this at all rather it will alter the bikes'
reach.

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Hit the Deck replied to therevokid | 9 years ago
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CXR94Di2 wrote:

I wouldn't worry, if you have adapted to the new bike fit position and it feels comfortable. Just ride.

If you are having PHYSICAL problems with your new position, go back to your old settings

That's an interesting perspective because I thought that there would be an optimal position for riding but then again, I think it also depends on what kind of "ride" (sportive, criterium, touring, going to the coffee shop, etc.) you do.

therevokid wrote:

saddle set back is usually the distance your sat behind the bb center so
changing stem length wont impact this at all rather it will alter the bikes'
reach.

When I change the amount of setback, it also alters the reach and that's why I need to fiddle with the stem (cockpit).

Avatar
CXR94Di2 replied to Hit the Deck | 9 years ago
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Hit the Deck wrote:
CXR94Di2 wrote:

I wouldn't worry, if you have adapted to the new bike fit position and it feels comfortable. Just ride.

If you are having PHYSICAL problems with your new position, go back to your old settings

That's an interesting perspective because I thought that there would be an optimal position for riding but then again, I think it also depends on what kind of "ride" (sportive, criterium, touring, going to the coffee shop, etc.) you do.

therevokid wrote:

saddle set back is usually the distance your sat behind the bb center so
changing stem length wont impact this at all rather it will alter the bikes'
reach.

When I change the amount of setback, it also alters the reach and that's why I need to fiddle with the stem (cockpit).

Cycling position doesn't have to be super critical, most folk adjust with riding, but for some people issues arise if only a few millimetres out of position. I believe if you can ride 50+ miles and don't suffer with any joint aches or severe cramps on any part of the body the position is pretty much spot on. Now if you're racing and wanting to extract the upmost power an optimal position is desirable.
Optimal position is not necessarily the comfiest ie timetrial bike

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CXR94Di2 | 9 years ago
0 likes

I wouldn't worry, if you have adapted to the new bike fit position and it feels comfortable. Just ride.

If you are having PHYSICAL problems with your new position, go back to your old settings

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