[Closed] Show me your saddle to bar height drop pictures.

[url= https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8653/16485577586_b9455a3571.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/r7LTSj ]cidImage_FOTE008.JPG" target="_blank">https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8653/16485577586_b9455a3571.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/r7LTSj ]cidImage_FOTE008.JPG"/> [/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/91703444@N06/ ]20ston[/url], on Flickr

[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7510/16322354626_8a6099c4d9.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qSmknm ]cidImage_FOT60D5.JPG" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7510/16322354626_8a6099c4d9.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qSmknm ]cidImage_FOT60D5.JPG"/> [/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/91703444@N06/ ]20ston[/url], on Flickr

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Edit: but it's irrelevant how everyone else has their bikes set up. Set yours up so it fits you. Unless you're starting to have doubts whether you've bought the right frame size....

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Ignore what anyone else does
on a mountainbike set your bars to the correct height for riding technical terrain while standing with your cranks level and set your saddle height for the correct extension for pedalling.
Drop on other peoples mountain bikes is irellivant to you.

There's a little bit of drop on mine.
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Bregante initially I was a bit concerned that I had bought the wrong frame size.

However the top tube it slightly longer and the reach is apparently but as its got a slacker head angle it feels different. Plus the seat angle is steeper putting me in a different riding position to my old 5 spot.

I'm not going to lie to you but I'm not gelling with it quite yet.

[i]Is it now fashionable to have a big drop or is it really personal preference? [/i]

Leg length vs frame size really.

[URL= http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/bruce_nikki/13012013875_zps760307bb.jp g" target="_blank">http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af45/bruce_nikki/13012013875_zps760307bb.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

20" frame, +34" inside leg

[img][url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5602/15371579297_6fee756d00_h.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5602/15371579297_6fee756d00_h.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/pqkmZg ]2014-09-06 14.43.51[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/120231558@N03/ ]rlockwood64[/url], on Flickr[/img]

Lovely bike shredder.

I know I asked this before but how many of you also pay any interest to the knee over pedal spindle set up ?

On the fiver spot mine was behind but on the trance its about level and my quads are feeling it just above the knee ??

Ignore what anyone else does
on a mountainbike set your bars to the correct height for riding technical terrain while standing with your cranks level and set your saddle height for the correct extension for pedalling.
Drop on other peoples mountain bikes is irellivant to you.

If anything Renton I'd say yours looks short and the bars fairly high in comparison to the saddle, due to the rise on your stem. But as I say, comparison with others is fairly impossible unless its in direct comparison with someone with identical proportions on an identical frame.

And even then, back issues, general flexibility, style of riding are all variables.

[url= https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2915/14312874434_b35e279243_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2915/14312874434_b35e279243_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/nNMdV9 ]IMAG0556[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/80128368@N08/ ]MattNSmith[/url], on Flickr

Large frame with a 30" inside leg.

I guess me flexibility isn't the best which is why I'm trying to get a more upright position without feeling to cramped.

Are there any good core/back exercises I can do to help rather than flogging my bike again !!!

I do actually quite like this one.

http://www.bikeradar.com/commuting/gear/article/core-training-for-cyclists-41207/

Are there any good core/back exercises I can do to help rather than flogging my bike again !!!

Deadlifts.

This bears repeating again:

Ignore what anyone else does
on a mountainbike set your bars to the correct height for riding technical terrain while standing with your cranks level and set your saddle height for the correct extension for pedalling.
Drop on other peoples mountain bikes is irrelevant to you.

Your saddle looks miles back though and your bars very high.

I deadlift 150kgs 3 times a week ??

What does that mean to you chief???

Help a brother out here !!

Three people have already given you the correct answer...

Ok but my saddle is at the right height for max leg extension?

Have I just got to forget about kops then and let me legs get used to the different riding position.

@ renton

What's your height / frame size?

According to my RAF id card I am 183cm and riding a large frame.

The size sounds fine for your height so I wouldn't worry about the frame being the wrong size.

Where am I going wrong then and why doesn't it feel "right"??

Are you related to hora?

I deadlift 150kgs 3 times a week ??

Strong enough but poor flexibility through the hips?

Unless you're mincing along on endless tarmac'ed paths forget the bloody KOPS crap. It's about as idiotic a means of measurement for a mountain bike as you could think of. Once you've done that set it up as you feel you need to, maybe done some excercises to become for flexible, cycle on in comfort not giving a shit about how other people's bikes look compared to yours.

Edit: maybe "forget" is a bit strong, but now you know it doesn't feel right, so just work from there. Most people who start off believing KOPS and find it just doesn't work for them seem to end up somewhere forwards of it.

I'd start off by moving that saddle forward a bit then taking out a few of those spacers from under the stem.

[img][URL= http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w393/alaber1/photo.jp g" target="_blank">http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w393/alaber1/photo.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL][/img]

Warpcow as I mentioned before when I move the saddle forward a bit I get a bit of muscle pain just above the knee.

Reading up on bikeradar about bike fit they say to get the correct cockpit length to put your elbow on the end of your saddle and then your longest finger should be halfway between top cap and bars.

I've set mine up that my longest finger just touches the top cap so I guess the saddle could go forward a bit.

I'm going to experiment over the next week and see how I get on.

Get that stem slammed and inverted.

All of these things are just rules of thumb. They sort of apply to loads of people but really actually properly apply to very few. Use them as a starting point but don't feel beholden to them.

[i]et voila...[/i]

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[quote=warpcow ]All of these things are just rules of[s] thumb[/s] middle finger.
apparently....

The Andy Pruitt (Spesh body geometry guru) book may help you on setups. It sounds like you are combining various techniques and coming out with a poor result.

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Saddle a bit higher.

crimsondynamo - Member

et voila...

Wow, 40mm of spacers, inverted stem (bullshit(80's movie reference)) & 30mm risers, quite a combo! 😉

Iainc I suspect you maybe right.

I know it's easy to get wrapped up in what gets published about set up and also to adopt what someone else does who maybe of similar physique to yourself.
However, just for the sake of finding out if you are barking up the right tree , or not. Why not simply do what may seem 'wrong' but instead of going by small increments, just go all out to the opposite extreme and see if if really is as bad as you think it might be. It'll take minutes.
Slam the stem to the tube , slide the saddle forward a bit and maybe tip it nose down a degree or two.
It could be that this would put you more in the middle of the bike and feel more comfy .
Just a suggestion I'm pretty certain that the frame size should be right for you. At 5'9 I'm on a medium Giant and my mates large Trance feels just too big for me , he's 6'1.

I wouldn't say it's fashionable, in my case it's unavoidable.

I have found hamstring stretching is a huge benefit in terms of getting happy leaning forward on the bike

My saddle drop is huge. This is not a planned thing but a consequence of really long legs and knees that are really only happy at road bike height
[url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5105/5680179971_41c7036639.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5105/5680179971_41c7036639.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/john_clinch/5680179971/ ]bike[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/john_clinch/ ]John Clinch[/url], on Flickr

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I reckon my bars are about an inch or two higher than the saddle on my Trance.

Renton, your frame size sounds perfect for your height.

If you're getting any sort of knee pain, go and speak to a bike shop - it could be caused by various things, including your saddle being too low.

Make sure your shock pressures are correct for your riding weight. If your rear suspension sags too much, with the lay-back on your seat post, you'll be lurching your upper body forward on climbs which won't be comfortable.

As everyone has said, it's personal preference - my only advice is don't lower your bars, and keep them at least level with the saddle, if not a tiny bit higher.

renton - Member
Where am I going wrong then and why doesn't it feel "right"??

.
.
move your seat forward 1cm and fit a 60mm stem and roll your bars back a bit (so the sweep is back rather than upwards) see how you go with that 😉

For some good no nonsense advice on fitting that doesn't just try to squeeze you in to a formulaic box check out stevehoggbikefitting.com

Of course amount of saddle to bar drop is also very discipline dependent.

MTB

I'm comfy on this for hours

[img] ?oh=7fe80e576b8c129181e6f56107ac7b27&oe=55485DC4[/img]

Track

I wouldn't want to have to ride this for much more than about 45 minutes at a time.

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Ryan Trebon's cross bike
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Adam hansen

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Right just for starters I have moved the saddle forward a bit and put some more air in the shock as I have to much sag.

Riding to work shortly so will see how it goes.

Christ those Ridleys are gorgeous!

Don't know why you're obsessing over the details of what someone suggests is the 'correct' way to set a bike up.

I've never read anything that mentions elbows on saddle, finger on stem, knee over axle, etc.

Set it up so it feels right, if something feels odd, change it so it doesn't.

FWIW, I wouldn't have that long a stem, i'd run something shorter, with a wider bar rolled further back, as someone else mentioned, and (maybe due to the photo angle) put the nose of the saddle down just a fraction.

[img][url= https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8616/16370836050_cc40b64f9c_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8616/16370836050_cc40b64f9c_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qWCPcY ]Salsa Horsethief[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/126516346@N08/ ]sandwicheater1[/url], on Flickr[/img]

[url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5499/14137456894_360cce33f9_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5499/14137456894_360cce33f9_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/nxhaoN ]image[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/54931015@N07/ ]Plus one2010[/url], on Flickr

I'm all legs

[url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5614/14970082804_ca03bea0ec_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5614/14970082804_ca03bea0ec_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/oNRA4W ]Untitled[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/54931015@N07/ ]Plus one2010[/url], on Flickr

I think it would help Renton if everyone only posted photos of mountain bikes, and with them side-on to the camera so there's no perspective 😉

Renton - follow the instructions for air pressure/rider weight for your shock. For example, my ride weight is about 85kg (with full camelbak) and I set my RP23 to 200psi. I wasn't suggesting you pump it up to keep the frame upright. Use the o-ring to measure sag - aim for about 20%.

Medium Frame (18"), 32" inside leg. Seatpost is a an inch too high in this photo.
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I deadlift 150kgs 3 times a week

lifting hookers into the boot doesn't count as core work. (Unless you top one every night).

It's surprisingly hard to find a pick of my bikes propped up against something immovable and square on...

Saddle has dropped a bit on the this one. I have also now added a longer (70mm) stem and Jones Bars.
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This feels bang on to me. I have since added Bar ends too. They may or may not be staying.
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Where did you buy the bike??

They should never have let you leave with it like that!

You have a whole bunch of spacers under a long stem that has a serious rise to it, add to this riser bars rotated up.

The good news is that you have plenty of room for improvement.

The bars need to be rotated so that the sweep is just that, a rearward sweep.

Then pop half of the spacers above the stem.

Then think about the saddle end of things.

You have a laid back seat post on there... that could be swapped to an inline, this will bring you forward an inch.

Start there and then go ride... not for 10 minutes but for 10 miles, do that 3 times and see how it feels.

Oh and don't forget that suspension set up is important too. Get that wrong and you can end up with the geo being out. A soft rear shock with too much sag for example will tilt the seat tube backwards etc.

Mtb nut.

I bought the bike secondhand of the internet.

I have the saddle that far back as I was trying to get me knee over or slightly behind the pedal spacer.

Initally it did come with some spacers above the stem but I moved them in an eoffrt to get the bars higher. I have also added a higher rise bar. It does look as thought he rise is pointing up in the picture but in real life its pretty flat witht he sweep going backwards.

To me the bike feels great length wise but its trying to get the bars at the correct height/position for me.

I am going to try a shorter stem in a week or so.

Off road (100 mm stem, no less, 6 cm drop to the grips)

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Road (8 cm drop)

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What's that stem called on the giant?

Warpcow as I mentioned before when I move the saddle forward a bit I get a bit of muscle pain just above the knee

Tight Quads?

[img] https://www.flickr.com/photos/131386451@N05/15947458994/ [/img]
[img] https://www.flickr.com/photos/131386451@N05/16382357688/ [/img]

These are mine, although I do have very long limbs for my height hence the somewhat extreme drop! Bike setup is very personal though, have a fiddle with everything and see what's comfortable. Just because it works for one person doesn't make it right for everyone.

http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/2015-giant-trance-275-2

FFS, you are having a laugh.

b r Whats your point?

Thanks for the free advertising btw ! 🙄

Tandem (around 6cm):

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[/url]

Singlespeed (about 8cm):

[URL= http://i1050.photobucket.com/albums/s419/mike_moore4/2015-02-21%2018.25.53_zpsboz6ntsm.jp g" target="_blank">http://i1050.photobucket.com/albums/s419/mike_moore4/2015-02-21%2018.25.53_zpsboz6ntsm.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

Race bike (around 8cm):

[URL= http://i1050.photobucket.com/albums/s419/mike_moore4/2015-02-21%2018.26.49_zpsm8jvl5lp.jp g" target="_blank">http://i1050.photobucket.com/albums/s419/mike_moore4/2015-02-21%2018.26.49_zpsm8jvl5lp.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

Road bikes (around 10cm):

[URL= http://i1050.photobucket.com/albums/s419/mike_moore4/2015-02-21%2018.45.41_zpsitqcgprn.jp g" target="_blank">http://i1050.photobucket.com/albums/s419/mike_moore4/2015-02-21%2018.45.41_zpsitqcgprn.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]