Cycling UK Forum

531colin wrote: ↑4 Aug 2023, 8:16pm

foxyrider wrote: ↑4 Aug 2023, 7:21pm

maximus meridius wrote: ↑3 Aug 2023, 1:27pm

I think some people may say that you leg isn't quite extended enough. Maybe.

I would suggest trying it a little higher, maybe a whole centimetre, my rule of thumb is leg locked out with the heel on the pedal, you can always put it back if you don't get on with that (obvs measure before you move anything!)

Raise the saddle? For what purpose? OP is already toe down in the video.

531colin wrote: ↑5 Aug 2023, 7:30am To pedal comfortably through the bottom, you need to maintain some degree of bend in your knees.
Watching the OPs video, he has his foot level until he reaches the bottom of the downstroke.
At the bottom of the downstroke, he drops his toe, ie he raises his heel. Not massively, just a bit.
Obviously with his heel raised he has more bend in his knee than he would have with his foot level, so its possible that the toe dipping is in response to the need to maintain some bend in the knee.

I don't think his present saddle height is a problem, he isn't rocking his hips or really pointing his toes in order to reach the bottom pedal, but as i said before, i would be cautious about increasing saddle height.

Other opinions are available, and saddle height needs to be re-visited if he puts the saddle further back.

foxyrider wrote: ↑5 Aug 2023, 8:01pm

531colin wrote: ↑4 Aug 2023, 8:16pm

foxyrider wrote: ↑4 Aug 2023, 7:21pm

I would suggest trying it a little higher, maybe a whole centimetre, my rule of thumb is leg locked out with the heel on the pedal, you can always put it back if you don't get on with that (obvs measure before you move anything!)

Raise the saddle? For what purpose? OP is already toe down in the video.

Which video?

531colin wrote: ↑6 Aug 2023, 2:25pm I'm going right back to the beginning.
Bloke joins forum....he is getting back on his bike (good!) ....he is pushing 50, this doesn't sound too bad if you are 76.
He didn't get on with the original (175mm?) cranks, he has swapped them for 165mm, which are more comfortable.
He has swapped handlebar stem and generally had a go at getting his position right, he posts a video and a couple of photos asking our thoughts on his position.
In the video/photos, he is pedalling comfortably, but his elbows are pretty much locked out, and his upper body doesn't look relaxed.
He tells us he is propping his torso up on his arms. (please tell me if I have missed anything, or added something which wasn't there)
There is a chorus of "put the saddle up!, put the saddle up!, put the saddle up!

The things to sort out and the order in which to sort them out is.....
1 can you get the saddle back to take the weight off your arms?
2 having done that, can you get a decent relaxed bend in your elbows, or do you need a shorter stem? is upper body now relaxed?
3 having moved the saddle back, maybe re-visit saddle height.

Am I missing something here?
will raising the saddle magically take the weight off the arms? or relax the elbows, or the upper body?

For what its worth, I expect if the saddle goes up 10mm he will raise his heels 10mm and carry on with the same knee bend at the bottom.
If the saddle goes up 20mm, he will raise his heels 20mm and carry on with the same knee bend at the bottom; except if he is having a bad day, when he is 20mm closer to rocking his hips to reach the bottom pedal, or over-extending his knees.

531colin wrote: ↑6 Aug 2023, 4:20pm The only “issue” for me is the issue all you people are making out of an adjustment which doesn’t need to be made…… yet.
If the OP moves his saddle back, then height can be revisited.
If it isn’t too rude a question, why are you keen on the OP raising his saddle? What benefit do you expect?

maximus meridius wrote: ↑3 Aug 2023, 1:27pm I think some people may say that you leg isn't quite extended enough. Maybe.

maximus meridius wrote: ↑3 Aug 2023, 11:13am You have the pedals at quarter to three, so a bit hard to tell, but I wonder if your legs are at the optimum "nearly straight" at the bottom of the stroke? If not that would need the saddle higher, which probably means the stem would need to be higher too.

mig wrote: ↑3 Aug 2023, 1:39pm i would try to tweak your saddle up a tadge ~3mm maybe then see how you go.

foxyrider wrote: ↑4 Aug 2023, 7:21pm

maximus meridius wrote: ↑3 Aug 2023, 1:27pm I think some people may say that you leg isn't quite extended enough. Maybe.

I would suggest trying it a little higher, maybe a whole centimetre, my rule of thumb is leg locked out with the heel on the pedal, you can always put it back if you don't get on with that (obvs measure before you move anything!)

531colin wrote: ↑6 Aug 2023, 4:40pm Go on, what is the real issue?

531colin wrote: ↑6 Aug 2023, 4:40pm Go on, what is the real issue?