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What a difference 3-4mm can make
Since I started getting back outside this spring, my harder or longer
rides have been resulting in a bit of soreness in my right knee. Nothing crippling, just a mild ache at the top edge of the kneecap which went away in a day or two. I had been meaning to adjust my saddle height upward to see what it would do, but in my eagerness to get out on the road, I kept forgetting before leaving on my rides. Last night during a short, fast ride, the familiar ache started up shortly before I got to my turnaround point (6 miles out). So I stopped there and raised the saddle a little. I didn't measure it, but it looks like 3 or 4 mm. Wonder of wonders, by the time I got back home, the ache was completely gone, and this morning there's no trace of it.! It's amazing what a difference very small adjustments can make; kind of like the 1/4 turn seat tilt adjustments I mentioned in another thread. BTW, this was one of my faster rides so far: averaged 16.9 mph for 12 miles. The winter hours spent on the trainer are really paying off! -- Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the newsgroups if possible). |
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#2
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What a difference 3-4mm can make
Last night during a short, fast ride, the familiar ache started up
shortly before I got to my turnaround point (6 miles out). So I stopped there and raised the saddle a little. I didn't measure it, but it looks like 3 or 4 mm. Wonder of wonders, by the time I got back home, the ache was completely gone, and this morning there's no trace of it.! It is amazing. I have noticed that extremely small differences in seat height can affect comfort profoundly. You wouldn't think that the effect would be so great just looking at a bike now would you? |
#3
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What a difference 3-4mm can make
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#4
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What a difference 3-4mm can make
I did the same thing once while riding across the country, with 100 miles
per day. Since it was so long ago I'm not sure what was sore but I think it was my knee. And halfway through a 120 mile day in Colorado I raised my seat about 5 mm, and by the end of the day the pain was gone! Bruce It's amazing what a difference very small adjustments can make; kind of like the 1/4 turn seat tilt adjustments I mentioned in another thread. |
#5
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What a difference 3-4mm can make
"David Kerber" wrote in message
. .. It's amazing what a difference very small adjustments can make; kind of like the 1/4 turn seat tilt adjustments I mentioned in another thread. David, Thanks for the post. Not only did it make me reconsider my unwillingness to tilt my saddle forward to relieve "numb nuts", it's got me embarked on a full scale, blissfully obsessive, micro-adjustment program. Until now, three things got in the way of this: 1) (Thank God for Usenet anonymity) I really wasn't sure how to adjust the bloody saddle (Still a noob, after all). I have this clasp atop the seat post, with hex nuts fore and aft. It took a trip to the LBS today to learn that to tilt the saddle forward, I loosen the aft nut--say 1/4 turn--then tighten the fore one an equal amount. (To those who suddenly feel blessed with a towering intellect, you're welcome.) 2) I didn't really believe that a few millimeters could make a difference. (And they may not, in my case. But I'm gonna give it a shot, at least.) As I said, you've convinced my otherwise. 3) I was really starting to warm to the idea of shopping for a 'bent (and may still do so. What the hell. Need to grow a beard, though ;-) ) I've established a baseline tilt thusly: - Place the bike on level ground - Place a flat, straight board on the saddle (I used a 1-foot length of 2x6. Could've run it through a planer, I suppose, except I don't own one.) - Place a level on the board with the level's bubble perpendicular to the midpoint of the seat post diameter. - Set an initial forward tilt whereby the bubble in the level exactly bisects the aft vertical line in the LevelLiquidFilledCylinderThing. This translates, more or less, to the saddle's nose tip being 3-4 millimeters below level. In about 15 mintues I'll hit the road. Peter Anti-spam = a) Remove NS_ b) Change 3 zeroes to alpha O's |
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What a difference 3-4mm can make
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#7
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What a difference 3-4mm can make
David Kerber" wrote
How is your saddle shaped? Mine has just a bit of concavity in it. and I set it up so that the front end is as level as I can get it, which leaves the back tilted up just slightly. That may also be the case with mine (Koobi Enduro PRS). There's a photo at http://www.koobi.com/koobi/showdetl...._ID=35&CATID=3 but it isn't from an angle that tells whether the back is a hair higher. 3-4 mm of tilt may even be way too much (I was adjusting the height, remember), but you won't know until you try it. Don't forget to write down your changes as you go, in case you have to start mixing them up, like raising the saddle, tilting it a bit, and raising the bars, all at the same time. The baseline I described in my earlier post (i.e., having the bubble in the level bisect the aft vertical line in the glass cylinder) was an LBS suggestion. Since I calculated the tilt in millimeters by lifting the level until the bubble was dead center in the cylinder, my guess is highly unreliable, given normal unsteadiness of hand. In any case it was a place to start. And yes, tonite's project is to set up Saddle Positioning Spreadsheet.xls with too many columns to mention. Let us know how it goes! Would really love to hear feedback on any of what follows, because it really may make or break me riding an upright bicycle. I rode a leisurely 12 miles at 13 mph (so just short of 1 hour)--intentionally slower than my normal ~15mph for this route. [ Question: Might lower cadence and absence of hills skew results, or is it a non-issue?] I felt rather more pressure on my hands, which was to be expected, but no inordinate discomfort--certainly no outright pain or numbness in the upper body. Certainly didn't feel like I was sliding forward on the saddle. _Toe_ numbness, which heretofore had always crept up on me 30-45 minutes into a ride, was 90 percent eliminated. EXCELLENT! As for penile numbness, well, it went like this. Right at the outset, I realized that, in addition to saddle tilt, there was a second issue needing attention--the position of my penis when I ride. Ordinarily, when in non-biking mode, my penis rides left of center. On the bike, I've been adopting this position for two reasons: 1) because it feels natural, and 2) because following some surgery last year, I had to be catheterized. (Guys, avoid this if possible--especially if the nurse seems testy.) As a result, I've had episodes of what I'd call urethral pain down the length of my penis. This was exacerbated when I rode a bicycle with my penis dead center. So I slung it off to the left. About 45 minutes into the ride, I noticed F**K, I'm completely numb! Little Petie, speak to me! Speak to me! I needed no further prompting to reposition the seemingly lifeless member right into the full-length, now highly appreciated Koobi saddle cutout. Dork that I am, I didn't pay attention to the single huge difference between the Koobi and my old Specialized Milano (aside from firmness)---on the Milano the cutout went from the back of the saddle to about midpoint, then just bloody ended (so no cutout, really, for my penis). The Koobi, OTOH, gives me cutout right where I need it, I think. More experimentation is definitely necessary. [Question: Gents, it may be intuitively obvious to the casual observer, but I have to ask: Do you ride with your penis dead center, or do you dogleg left/right?] As for butt pain, no problem. And Little Petie is much improved, if not 100 percent, but a more rigorous test of function [ :-) is required. As I said, feedback _much_ appreciated. Maybe I should repost in new thread to draw a bit more attention? -- Peter Anti-spam = a) Remove NS_ b) Change 3 zeroes to alpha O's |
#8
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What a difference 3-4mm can make
As I said, feedback _much_ appreciated. Maybe I should repost in new
thread to draw a bit more attention? Let your package hang as it will, there is no specific advice availabe on this topic except don't sit on it. -- _______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY MIND_______________________ ------------------"Buddy Holly, the Texas Elvis"------------------ in.edu__________ |
#10
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What a difference 3-4mm can make
"David Kerber" wrote Are you sure you want more attention to this issue Grin? Good point. ;-) Time to stop asking questions and simply believe the evidence of my senses. -- Peter Anti-spam = a) Remove NS_ b) Replace 3 zeroes with alpha O's |
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