Could I have outgrown my bike??

[Sandra6]

Without wishing to be critical, that's the wrong way to establish your saddle height. If you want to touch the floor, get off the saddle. The correct saddle height is a distance measured between your saddle and the pedal, when at the furthest point from it...

The problem with that is that I wouldn't be able to touch the floor! That's too scary. lol.
I've been to the LBS this morning and they made a few suggestions - one being that I train myself out of the bad habit of scooching so far back to go up hills! The other was to either try a longer stem or to replace the seat post with one that will allow me to move the seat a couple of cm further back. Both suggestions will cost me £20 -£30 And I will have to wait for the part as the only stem they had in stock was black and my bars are shiny silver, and that's so not a good look for me.

 

[Sandra6]

Have you tried pushing an easier gear one down say from what you are doing now so you dont need to move so far back in the saddle when climbing? When I climb hills i move as far back as I can which feels like your off the end of the saddle, your not it just feels like it. Obviously if its painful go back to your LBS to double check your fitting. Thats my 10 pence worth.

I tend to be in a fairly low gear on a hill anyway, I'm trying to build my climbing strength so I don't have to resort to crawling up in the granny gear!

 

[black'n'yellow]

The problem with that is that I wouldn't be able to touch the floor! That's too scary. lol.

like I said - if you want to touch the floor, get off the saddle and stand over the bike - not difficult to do.

Difficult to put this politely, so apologies in advance, but there's not much point asking for advice on bike fit if you're not willing to make the adjustments which will help you achieve it...?

 

[Sandra6]

I'm stubborn, I know. I guess I was hoping for different advice?! lol.
I don't feel confident enough on the road if I can't reach the floor from the saddle though, and my seat was put up quite high so I was on my very tippy tippy toes - but it was really uncomfortable on the *ahem* nether regions, shall we say?! I've adjusted it again and I do feel as though I have a better motion through my legs, but I was still hanging off the saddle on the hill. And they weren't even big hills today.
I was kind of hoping the LBS would let me try out a couple of stem lengths or the new seat post, to see if it made a difference. I'm reluctant to part with cash if it is in fact just me that's the problem.

 

[black'n'yellow]

You've got to get over this 'touching the floor' thing. It's not worth considering making any other adjustments until your saddle is set correctly.

 

[Sandra6]

This is not the first time I've heard this. But I am balance challenged and the last time I rode a bike that I had to get out of the saddle to touch the floor, I fell off because of it!!
I am prepared to give it a go though, but I hold you responsible for any ouchies (to me or the bike!)

 

[black'n'yellow]

that's fine - you can sue me if it goes wrong...

 

[mattobrien]

I am guessing that clipless pedals are totally out of the question :-)

 

[Boris Bajic]

This is not the first time I've heard this. But I am balance challenged and the last time I rode a bike that I had to get out of the saddle to touch the floor, I fell off because of it!!
I am prepared to give it a go though, but I hold you responsible for any ouchies (to me or the bike!)

My middle child (now 16) also faced balance issues - he is dyspraxic. I realise the phrase can mean many things, but that is the extent of my experience with balance issues.

He (middle child) now soars along on a road bike, clipped into various pedal types and with his bum about a mile off the ground and his hands somewhere down by the front axle on drop bars.

The only change I made was to put his bottle cage on his bars, as the reach into frame-centre cages made him feel wobbly. He now descends comfortably in the mid-thirties and has pulled a couple of awesome rolling stoppies when slowing with vigour.

Keep building on your balance and (important in his case) your confidence.

As earlier poster have said, if you have the seat height set to allow you to touch the ground seated, then no amount of clever responses will get you to the correct saddle position.

You will achieve a good seat-height position when you set it by the pedals, not the ground.

 

[Sandra6]

I don't have any actual reason for the balance issues, I'm just not very good at staying straight. I can't take the bottle for a drink while moving without a good wobble either.