A few times last year while doing the cadence drills I found I was pressing down into my saddle for leverage and the nose of my saddle ended up pointing down at a 15 degree angle and I had to stop to adjust it back up. It’s happened enough times that I’m at to the point that I’m afraid to really go all out in the cadence drills for fear of it happening again. I definitely don’t ever want to get to the point that I’m bouncing on the saddle. And I double check my saddle angle almost any time it feels wonky - tho I haven’t had any problems recently now that Ive been holding out on the cadence drills and holds.
Does anyone have any suggestions for a good saddle clamp for a standard rail saddle? I’m nervous it’s happened enough times that I my have now over tightened it and that the more it happens to more it’s likely to keep happening. Any ideas or suggestions would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance!
Your saddle is slammed forward on the rails, looks like you also have a layback seatpost? An in-line post would clamp the rails in the middle and reduce the leverage thats causing it to tilt.
Yes, it is almost all the way forward on the rails. This bike was my dad’s bike. It’s a nice titanium frame that he bought when he retired then gave me when he was no longer able to ride it because of his neurodegenerative disease. He is a couple inches taller than me and the frame and top tube is a bit long for me. (He’s 6’1" / 6’2" while I’m just a hair below 5’11"). I’ve already replaced the 110mm stem with an 80mm stem. Ideally I should probably have a smaller frame, but I didn’t have the money to buy a bike in the first place, let alone an N+1. So, yeah, I’m trying to fit myself into a bike that might be at least a size too big for me.
@JGreengrass I’ve put a better picture in this post so you can see if it is indeed a layback seatpost. If so, it’s not much. But a different seatpost design could be helpful in getting the clamp closer to the middle. That’s a good point. I’ve tried to adjust my saddle slightly further forward than I had it originally, but my arms aren’t as long as my dad’s and so I’ve been compensating for frame size with a shorter stem and pushing my saddle forward.
@way9e0 That would be a nice design change. I like how much easier it is the dial in the seat angle. I’ll have to save up for a month or two, but I like the design. Figuring out my seatpost diameter doesn’t look fun, tho. lol. Would the setback post design work for actually moving the saddle further forward? Despite having my saddle so far forward, the nose is still a good bit behind my bottom bracket (likely because it is a snub-nose tri saddle).
Wooah unless its a TT/triathlon bike that saddle is way far forward. An in-line seatpost is not going to sort your position/clamping problems, you could fit an even shorter stem and slide the seat back accordingly. The frame on my bike is also too big so I’m using a 60mmm mtb stem, OK on my trainer but would probably screw the handling up for riding outside.
Second hand frames are getting a good price right now, could you bear to sell your dad’s frame and buy something the right size?
Re: measuring your seatpost size. Most seatposts are stamped/etched with size, check the old one first.
It’s not, but I am primarily a triathlete, and I do have clip-on tri-bars that I use semi-regularly. I’ve been a runner all my life and have only been cycling for the past 3 years (I don’t count my kid years).
Not looking to sell it or buy a new frame right now. I’m comfortable on it as-is. I’ve done a full century and my knighthood on it with no issues. Only real problem is the saddle falling during cadence builds. It will do me fine until I can save enough money for a better road bike or real Tri bike in a couple years when I’m back to racing and decide if I want to keep at it.
It would be pretty interesting to try to get a bike fit in this bike, mostly for the laughs. But I’m biding my time until I have the money for a bike that actually fits me before I spend the time & money on a bike fit.
I hope this doesn’t sound rude. I’m not trying to be because I definitely do appreciate your thoughts on the seatpost upgrades as well as my bike setup. I’m just not ready to make that many other adjustments, right now.
Oh, no, your advice is all very helpful. I’m just not in a position to follow most of it, even tho I know it makes quite a bit of sense. At some point I’ll take a bigger leap into a more sensible setup, but for now I’m only able to make small tweaks, and the saddle clamp is my biggest current headache. And being in self-imposed isolation to protect my son makes finding and fitting small parts a lot more difficult than it ordinarily should be.
I believe you can switch the setback post and make it set-forward, although I have never done it.
Most seatposts should have the size written on them, so if you pull it out, you’ll be able to read it. The alternative is to measure with calipers. Common sizes are 27.2 and 31.6, but there’s plenty of others too, so you want to make sure you have it right.
At some point I’ll take a bigger leap into a more sensible setup, but for now I’m only able to make small tweaks, and the saddle clamp is my biggest current headache. And being in self-imposed isolation to protect my son makes finding and fitting small parts a lot more difficult than it ordinarily should be.