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Saddle position has a lot to do with power and comfort. A seat that is very far forward can sacrifice comfort in favor of power. Track sprinters and crit racers often put their saddles as far forward as possible to maximize power. Time trialists have special challenges. The UCI mandates that the saddle on a TT bike be 5 cm behind the bottom bracket. That means you'll see many time trialists riding on the front of the saddle to maximize power. They're putting their bodies in a tremendously uncomfortable position, though!
To determine the forward to back position of the saddle, place either pedal in the 3 O'clock position. Then place a string with a weight on one end just behind the kneecap so that the weighted end of the string hangs down past the pedal of that leg.
For the average built male, the string should hang from behind the kneecap down through the center of the pedal axle with the ball of your foot over the axle. Here you are aligning the power point of the leg with the power point of the foot and the center of the axle.
For the average female or a male with long legs, the string should hang just in front of the pedal axle with the ball of your foot over the axle. For a male with short legs, the string should hang just behind the pedal axle with the ball of your foot over the axle. The remaining saddle position has to do with the tilt of the saddle. Stand the bike upright, place a carpenter's level on the saddle with it touching the nose of the saddle and the back edge of the saddle. When the bubble in the level is centered, you have the correct tilt for your saddle. If not, you will either hurt your groin or hands on long rides.
If the nose of the saddle is tilted up too much, you will hurt your groin because too much weight is being placed on your groin (this is probably what is causing sterility in 1 out of 5 males.) If the saddle nose is tilted down too much, your hands will hurt because too much weight is being placed on your hands. |
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