The Saddle Fore/Aft Puzzle

[Peter P.]

I've long pondered what is the correct fore/aft saddle position for me.

From all I've read and observed, cycling is predominantly a quadriceps exercise. Or to put it another way, the quads are the prime mover in the power phase of the stroke (the downstroke, from 2-4 o'clock).

I liked my saddle position where it was, but didn't feel like the quads were actually engaged as much as what I expected. I could feel my hamstrings more.

To be sure, I'm a better runner than a cyclist, which could account for the above, and one thing I wonder is, could some cyclists be more "hamstring pedalers" vs. "quad pedalers"?

So I'm experimenting with my position. Logic seems to be that moving the saddle forward will engage the quads more, so I began moving my saddle forward.

What I found is, and you can go ahead and call me nuts, but I found that in the space of moving my saddle forward, all of a sudden I move it 1mm forward and BAM! I can now feel my quads doing something. And I'm coming home from 2hr. LSD rides and my quads are feeling somewhat toasted.

But it's also obvious to me that I can no longer feel my hamstrings or glutes contributing, especially riding seated up a grade.

The total fore/aft saddle change for me was 3-5mm max.

So what are your opinions regarding saddle fore/aft? Should the quads dominate? Is there such a thing as a hamstring pedaler? Am I nuts that I feel that change in the space of 1mm? Anything else?

I'm trying to decide whether to leave my position as-is and see if it adapts to the quad-dominant position or to move it back to where I presume there's more sharing of the workload with the hamstrings and glutes.

[Clancy]

Also interested. I’m happy with my current position but like the OP keep pondering.

I’ve always used the method of riding up a moderate grade and adjusting the set-back so I feel minimal weight on my hands. I’ll first get it in the ballpark, then do repeat rides adjusting the saddle forward or back 1-2 mm until I get it right.

This has always seemed to work. Better methods?

[kiwisimon]

OP, are you still predominantly a runner? If yes then a further forward saddle position would probably help. There is a reason why triathletes swing forward and it's not just about getting aero.

[oldpotatoe]

Give TiDesigns a shout..it's what he does..

[eddief]

try a little bit of saddle nose up or down. i moved mine up a couple of mm and took a surprising amount of weight off my hands and found much better weight balance to be really comfortable...for me. on my Roubaix i tried everything to get comfortable and i've gotten comfort on a zillion bikes over the years. the Roubaix had me baffled through at least 8 stem reach and rise combinations. at some point it dawned on me that maybe my hands ached cuz my whole body was being forced down by saddle tilt. the mind blower was the amount of difference in comfort and balance i got by just up a couple of mm.

[Dave]

Since I do a lot of climbing, I keep my saddle back with a 25mm setback post with the saddle rails positioned behind the center of available travel. I think that it helps to recruit the glutes and improves my climbing.

I also follow the Dave Kirk idea of getting my body balanced over the saddle to keep the weight off my hands.

That said, most of the bikes I've owned have STAs of 74-74.5 degrees. Few small frames are made with a 73.

[Black Dog]

Double post.

[Black Dog]

TiDesigns really knows his stuff, just as old spud said. Also David Kirk has posted a really good description of how to find your saddle set back dynamically.

[cuda]

This may be an old fashioned concept so please forgive me for being out of touch.
This is my standard
I set my seat so that when I am centered on the saddle the front of my knee is
is at 90° to the peddle spindle at 9 o'clock. This seems to be a system that has worked flawlessly for me. I do move around on the saddle slightly. Mainly when climbing I sit back a bit.

Ultimately, I believe that there is no set rule for anything regarding bike fit we all have different physiques, histories and flexibility as well as what and where we ride.

[Smitty2k1]

I'm a fairly new cyclist and have struggled with bike fit on all 3 of my bikes (Giant Hybrid, Jamis Aurora touring bike, and now a Black Mountain Road+) and with a variety of saddles (Brooks B17, C15, WTB Volt, Spec Power). Can't find the right combination of saddle tilt, fore/aft, shape, reach, etc. to get a good balance of taking pressure off my hands without my toes and feet going numb.

My current adjustments have me thinking I've been riding with too high/too far back a saddle and with my foot position too far back on the pedals (using too much of my "toes" to pedal). Experimenting with a lower saddle height and also got SPD shoes and putting the cleats towards the back.

[unterhausen]

If you have no idea, and aren't going to go get a fitting, try the method that Peter White describes on his website. I think it works better for people with low core strength https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.php

[Elefantino]

I've found the same, after much experimenting. I have a dead sacral spinal nerve in my right leg, and very little calf muscle. I tried many things, but moving my saddle forward on a zero setback seatpost gave me access to more power (such as it is) from the quad.

Would also be interested in TiDesigns' take.

[chunkylover53]

This is timely. I generally don’t have many problems, but persistent numbness in my left hand is getting frustrating (especially after, say, a bikepacking trip where numbness can linger for a month or longer). I did recently get a fit, but wasn’t terribly happy with results (noticed uptick in knee pain). A key takeaway was that my saddle was too far back. Perhaps that change, and change in cleat position, were causes of new discomfort. But today I’m going to experiment with fore/aft saddle position. Not much else to do!

[cmg]

my goal was to take weigh off my hands. leveled saddle, moved it back, weight of hands but feet went numb or had hot spots, moved cleats back towards middle of shoe relieved the issue. all connections points will have to be looked at.

[slowpoke]

Originally Posted by unterhausen

If you have no idea, and aren't going to go get a fitting, try the method that Peter White describes on his website. I think it works better for people with low core strength https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.php

Steve Hogg also mentions this: seat set back for road bikes

Along with Dave Kirk - https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=239036

I agree that if you have decent core strength, it's not the most clear indicator.