I have been working on my cycling position lately after discovering I had major fit problems, currently I’m fine tuning and experimenting and trying to get closer to my perfect fit. I had an expert fitting the other day, but, I think fit is such a personal thing that they can only get you close, in the end you’ll have to know for yourself if a small change is helping.
So I spent some time yesterday marking and measuring where the fitting had me, so that I could come back to that position and reset my fit position if my position experiments don’t work. I know that I need to give each position a couple weeks to get used to and judge, but some of the things I could tell right away needed to be adjusted because it was obvious after a short one hour ride.
So these are my latest changes
- Switched from my WTB saddle to my San Marco saddle that originally came with the bike.
- Moved my fore-aft position forward about 3/4″
- I assume my KNOPS is moving forward by moving my saddle forward, but when I measure with a plum string it doesn’t seem to be moving forward, but I know that it must be? I think I need to find a way to measure KNOPS better. I need to be on a trainer or someone holding me straight while I get a real plumb string not just a string with a tool hanging on the end.
- Moved the saddle up 1/4″
These changes are based on the feeling of not engaging all of my leg muscles fully, I think my KNOPS was still too far back.
Also I don’t think I like wear the fitting put my cleat further back, it feels like it’s to far back now, I think the ball of my foot is now actually slightly forward of the pedal axle where I like to be either right on it or slightly behind.
I was careful to make sure that I didn’t make the mistake of putting my saddle too high like I had it before, it was giving me a dead spot in my pedal stroke the fitter said, I think he was right. I like the saddle on the high side, but you have to know what the limit is.
I still need to move my brake levers closer though I think, the fitter suggested that but I haven’t had time yet.