Aches and Pains am I just unfit or is my set up bad?

[Soltydog]

I thought that you must be wrong but I just checked my position on my singlespeed bike... When propped up in a doorway I can just touch the ground with the very tips of my extended toes. I wouldn't be able to do it if I were not supporting my weight with the door frame. To touch the ground enough to actually balance I would have to slide sideways on the saddle but would not be able to get whole foot down unless I leaned the bike over somewhat.

As people have indicated above, this isn't the way to determine saddle height but it certainly suggests that anybody being able to get their feet planted on the ground while sat on the saddle has it way too low.

Sounds similar to mine, but the post I originally replied to said even with pointed toes your feet should be a few inches off the ground
Feet planted on the ground when seated = saddle far too low.

Back to the OP though, only make small changes at a time & see how you get on, if it feels better adjust a little more, until it stops feeling better. The body is quite good at letting you know something isn't set up right, correcting things isn't always easy though, on one bike I went through several stems before getting the bars right

 

[mjr]

Sounds similar to mine, but the post I originally replied to said even with pointed toes your feet should be a few inches off the ground
Feet planted on the ground when seated = saddle far too low.

It all depends on the bike design. Also, even on a very high bike, I can put a foot flat if I lean the bike enough. On another, sliding slightly forwards onto the saddle nose allows both feet to get toes to floor. People obsess about this idea of whether or not you should be able to put a foot or feet down but it's bunk.

And KOPS is Knee Over Pedal Spindle (not of) and is a fair starting point but also shouldn't be a religion.

 

[12boy]

The pins and needles I've felt have been associated with back pain, especially lower back pain. I found that maintaining core strength and flexibilty helps a lot with that and to that end I stretch and do planks and other core exercises daily. Planks are good because they do not take long and as a static exercise allow you to exercise in a very controlled way. Before I retired my desk work left me drowsy in the afternoon, which required a hefty dose of coffee to avoid dozing off. Someone in the office got us all to do a 2 minute face down plank and a 1 minute side plank on both sides at 2:30 every day. This actually perked me up more than the coffee and doing it in a group meant I couldn't skip it.

 

[nickAKA]

I think I've been quite lucky with 'bike fit' down the years, maybe because I'm physically bang-average but I have tinkered with various things to improve comfort as I've gone along - this requires spending some 'serious' time in the saddle though. You can jump on pretty much any bike and with a modicum of saddle adjustment bash out 5 miles without suffering many ill-effects (assuming reasonable fitness), the short duration means you'll soon be over whatever aches & pains you've encountered. Doing it continuously over 12 months though will probably lead to more lasting damage, it turns it into an RSI.
So personally I'd start by trying a few longer, flatter rides and identifying exactly what hurts after, say, an hour. Sore posterior = saddle probably too low? Aching hips = saddle too high? Sore knees/ankles = have a look at your cleat position? Sore neck/back = handlebars too low / stem too long?
Pins & needles in your feet is a trickier cove; could be a lower back problem (left foot in particular), could just be an unsuitable saddle (maybe the nose is too wide?) If it's heavily padded it's a good place to start looking. You've just got to experiment to see what's right for you, there are no shortcuts here.
And there's no point trying to sugar coat it, being heavy puts extra stresses & strains on your body - but that in itself WILL NOT stop you. My brother in law was north of 20 stone, I gave him my gravel bike to ride 2 years back and he's flying. Won't say how much weight he's lost but he's gone down 2 jersey sizes that I know of... he did a challenge last month of no beer & ride 1000km in a month. Murdered it. Bet he's dropped at least a stone, and guess what, he enjoyed it!

TL;DR keep going & experiment with the fit, it's all fixable but you probably need more time on the bike to pinpoint the root causes.

 

[johnnyb47]

When i first got my (new to me) road bike i spent weeks making slight adjustments to get comfortable on it. The first problems were numb undercarriage and hands. and felt my legs weren't stretched enough whilst peddling. Raising the saddle solved the under stretched legs but it increased the numbness in my hands. Trying to get a good compromise took a good few goes but it never felt perfect. In the end i flipped the stem which took the pressure of my hands and left me free to adjust the seat height to the correct height. Sitting more upright though, increased the numb under carriage quarters.. I solved this by dropping the nose of the saddle marginally and then all was well. I can ride the bike all day now without feeling uncomfortable (until the legs and lungs give out)
Its well worth making those small adjustments on your bike to get it perfect. Make a small adjustment and note how you feel on your rides. If you feel one pressure point has eased but another has increased then concentrate on sorting that one out. Eventually you strike a happy medium 😊

 

[T675Rich]

Pins & needles in your feet is a trickier cove; could be a lower back problem (left foot in particular), could just be an unsuitable saddle (maybe the nose is too wide?) If it's heavily padded it's a good place to start looking. You've just got to experiment to see what's right for you, there are no shortcuts here.

I do often have tightness in my lower back but I moved my left cleat back slightly and it did seem a bit better. Will try a bit more.

 

[vickster]

I do often have tightness in my lower back but I moved my left cleat back slightly and it did seem a bit better. Will try a bit more.

Do you stretch your lower back, glutes, hamstrings daily, especially if you have a sedentary job?

 

[T675Rich]

Do you stretch your lower back, glutes, hamstrings daily, especially if you have a sedentary job?

No I don't, I really should.

 

[vickster]

No I don't, I really should.

Yep
15 minutes before you go to bed should do it

 

[wafter]

Not read the whole thread, but from what I can remember about trying to sort out my own fit issues:

Pins and needles in feet: Foot orientation and location on pedals; I used to / still sometimes get this in the outside front of (mostly) my left foot. I think this is because the outsides naturally hang lower than the insides, so take more of the load on the pedal. Solutions were to add plastic wedges to build up the inside of the sole so it took a bit more load, and (IIRC) to move the cleats inboard on the shoes to push my feet outboard on the pedal and reduce the contact at the extremity of the foot. I also played around with the cleat spacing to try to locate the ball of my foot over the pedal axis and transmit more force through this part of the foot.

Not saying you nec. have the same issues but IME pins and needles happen at / downstream of areas of high loading because the blood supply is getting interrupted or you're just getting numbness from all the stress in that one spot.

Pins and needles in inner thighs: Again, smacks of a circulation issue; my best guess being that your seat is too high, meaning your legs over-extend on the down stroke and this increases the load between the saddle and the inside of your leg / pelvis.

Pain at rear of knee: I've read that this is often caused by saddle height; with pain at the rear being due to over-extension (again, saddle too high).

So, FWIW I'd try running the saddle maybe 5-10mm lower for a while and see how you get on; also pay attention to where your feet are on the pedals and if you don't have the blight of clipless pedals, try shifting your foot position periodically to see if this eases the issues