Failed test , moved a few millimeters , bingo passed the test with flying colors with reasonable control after following your instructions . Felt the difference when on the road .
Thanks GreshFit for a great educational video, I totally agree, plumline method is flawed as it doesn't take into account the upper body weight of the rider. While setting the fore/aft, we will also need to adjust the saddle height in conjunction.
Thanks for the video, I feel my seat is too far back, and I had professional fit, but I am going to work on it now with the confidence you have given me.
Thanks for the video Tim, I got fitted recently with a 76 effective STA due to my short femur. Was unsure if that's too forward but this test should help. Could you please discuss how femur/tibia ratio affect how Fore (~ steep effective STA) vs Alt (~slack effective STA) the saddle should be? Thank you!
I ride more upright on my drop bar all road bike and I have a very upright bikepacking/touring bike. Does this test apply to a more upright positioning? I have aero bars on my bikepacking bike and I use it a lot on tours where I try to average at least 50 miles a day. I find my drop bar bike strains my neck on multi day trips, so I use Jones Bars for those trips. I haven’t found many fitters that fit people for anything but agressive road positioning. I’m trying to achieve minimal shoulder, wrist, and hand fatigue for those multi-day adventures. Thanks for any help you can give for that.
Yep this test would apply here - in fact for the kind of riding you are doing i'd prefer you can pass the test under a moderate load similar to what you are doing on the 50 mile days. If you can setup the bike on a trainer with the drop bars installed - send me a video of you riding and i'll let you know my thoughts - tim@greshfit.com
Say, do you set up the SMPs level as well? That means placing a spirit level over the two highest spots of the saddle and adjusting the saddle so that they are the same height? Thanks in advance and greets from Germany
Hi 👋 ! SMPs should be set with a flat platform object on top - like a book - then measure angle of the book. Setting to dead level will typically feel like the saddle is too much nose up due to the dipped shape so generally speaking, there is a need for some downward angle when measure this way Usually around 1.0 - 3.0 down depending on the model. Best to use a digital level
So say you are a good core stable person, but have tight hips. When you are inching the saddle back, you're closing down their hip angle. That part isn't so fixable. Any advice on how to handle? Often they end up with the saddle forward out of comfort, at the expense of passing the balance test.
I think there’s always a compromise. The balance test is not be all end all. Example of this, what if someone has hip issues previously and you don’t want to load the hips and put a bit more on the front to offset it for sustainability? Then they would not be able to pass the balance test but they will preserve that hip joints for a while whilst doing a lot of cycling.
What would you recommend if you feel like you’re sliding off the saddle forward? Like couple miles in and you have to kinda push yourself back to the saddle?
Failed test , moved a few millimeters , bingo passed the test with flying colors with reasonable control after following your instructions . Felt the difference when on the road .
🫡 happy to hear it ! It’s amazing how a few mm can make a big difference. Enjoy every ride 👍
Thanks GreshFit for a great educational video, I totally agree, plumline method is flawed as it doesn't take into account the upper body weight of the rider. While setting the fore/aft, we will also need to adjust the saddle height in conjunction.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the video, I feel my seat is too far back, and I had professional fit, but I am going to work on it now with the confidence you have given me.
Best of luck!
Thanks for the video Tim, I got fitted recently with a 76 effective STA due to my short femur.
Was unsure if that's too forward but this test should help.
Could you please discuss how femur/tibia ratio affect how Fore (~ steep effective STA) vs Alt (~slack effective STA) the saddle should be? Thank you!
Thanks ! I’ll consider your suggestions
I ride more upright on my drop bar all road bike and I have a very upright bikepacking/touring bike. Does this test apply to a more upright positioning? I have aero bars on my bikepacking bike and I use it a lot on tours where I try to average at least 50 miles a day. I find my drop bar bike strains my neck on multi day trips, so I use Jones Bars for those trips. I haven’t found many fitters that fit people for anything but agressive road positioning. I’m trying to achieve minimal shoulder, wrist, and hand fatigue for those multi-day adventures. Thanks for any help you can give for that.
Yep this test would apply here - in fact for the kind of riding you are doing i'd prefer you can pass the test under a moderate load similar to what you are doing on the 50 mile days. If you can setup the bike on a trainer with the drop bars installed - send me a video of you riding and i'll let you know my thoughts - tim@greshfit.com
@@greshfit I’d actually love to do that. I’ll try to get that done this weekend
Say, do you set up the SMPs level as well? That means placing a spirit level over the two highest spots of the saddle and adjusting the saddle so that they are the same height? Thanks in advance and greets from Germany
Hi 👋 !
SMPs should be set with a flat platform object on top - like a book - then measure angle of the book.
Setting to dead level will typically feel like the saddle is too much nose up due to the dipped shape so generally speaking, there is a need for some downward angle when measure this way
Usually around 1.0 - 3.0 down depending on the model. Best to use a digital level
What about those of us with less than desireable core strength?
Find the best balance point you can - and do crunches
So say you are a good core stable person, but have tight hips. When you are inching the saddle back, you're closing down their hip angle. That part isn't so fixable. Any advice on how to handle? Often they end up with the saddle forward out of comfort, at the expense of passing the balance test.
Great question. This would be where assessing cranks length comes in. Going shorter will help.
I think there’s always a compromise. The balance test is not be all end all. Example of this, what if someone has hip issues previously and you don’t want to load the hips and put a bit more on the front to offset it for sustainability? Then they would not be able to pass the balance test but they will preserve that hip joints for a while whilst doing a lot of cycling.
What would you recommend if you feel like you’re sliding off the saddle forward? Like couple miles in and you have to kinda push yourself back to the saddle?
Hard to say not seeing you. But my guess would be bars too low and/or far away. Assuming you have the right saddle and have passed balance test.
So now I need to buy a trainer 😬😬😬
Lol