Flat Saddle Angle.

[Racing roadkill]

I have the saddle angled down by about 6 degrees on my Fizik Arione saddle, as it has a very flat profile, I have a Selle Royal with a more contoured profile which I can ride with it set flat.

 

[S-Express]

So in other words you're saying the tilt adjustability is so it fits the rider. Which is what I just said.

Although as I said earlier, tilt is generally a sign that you are compensating for fit issues elsewhere. Colin's video link earlier kind of makes that point. Although for some reason, you said that 'wasn't strictly true'

 

[KnackeredBike]

Most of my Brooks saddles are slightly 'nose up'.

Saves on condoms.

 

[Vantage]

Although as I said earlier, tilt is generally a sign that you are compensating for fit issues elsewhere. Colin's video link earlier kind of makes that point. Although for some reason, you said that 'wasn't strictly true'

For the average everyday cyclist, saddle tilt is not an issue. It is part of the setup. An issue is something that happens when setup isn't working very well. Such as a slammed stem. Which is what Colin's video link refers to.

 

[S-Express]

For the average everyday cyclist, saddle tilt is not an issue. It is part of the setup. An issue is something that happens when setup isn't working very well. Such as a slammed stem. Which is what Colin's video link refers to.

You seem to want it both ways. A tilt is a compensator, whichever way you look at it. Not all slammed bikes have tilted saddles.

 

[oldwheels]

I favour slightly nose down but angle the nose a couple of degrees left on all my saddles. No idea why this works best. Mebbe my anatomy is non standard tho' nobody has ever commented or complained.

 

[ColinJ]

I favour slightly nose down but angle the nose a couple of degrees left on all my saddles. No idea why this works best. Mebbe my anatomy is non standard tho' nobody has ever commented or complained.

I think that is a classic case of a 'compensator'!

I used to do it. My left leg is significantly shorter than my right so I wasn't quite sitting perfectly straight and centred on the saddle. I noticed that my shorts were wearing out in one small patch so I turned the saddle slightly to avoid that.

A better fix was to lower the saddle to suit the shorter leg, rather than have it up where it suited only the longer leg.

I still sometimes catch myself sitting slightly off-centre on the bike - if I look vertically down I am often staring at where the left crank is attached, rather than at the top tube!

 

[GuyBoden]

I think that story relates to just GB women...I was mainly referring to the pro tour riders. The angle regs may now have been relaxed, but you only have to look at a few pro bike setups to see that pretty much nobody runs a saddle anything other than flat (maybe give or take a degree or two).

The report by British Cycling physiotherapist Phil Burt states that the problem concerns both men and Women.

See below:

"One of the major contributing factors to saddle discomfort and health issues we did discover was the UCI ruling that saddles were only allowed a tilt of less than 2.5 degrees with a 0.5 degree margin of error. We presented our findings to the UCI and they have since increased the angle of tilt to nine degrees with a tolerance of one degree. This has had a major impact on rider health, for both men and women, across the sport."

Link.
https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/k...160510-Set-up-Women%E2%80%99s-saddle-issues-0

 

[GuyBoden]

In the GCN video mentioned above, the presenter actually went round looking at pro team bikes and found lots of them with significantly tilted saddles.

As for why - extreme 'stem slamming'!

Hang on, I just found the video ...

Many thanks, I'd not seen that, yes, the video shows that many pro's are tilting their saddle more downwards since the UCI changed the rule to allow a 9 degree tilt.

 

[ColinJ]

The report by British Cycling physiotherapist Phil Burt states that the problem concerns both men and Women.

See below:

"One of the major contributing factors to saddle discomfort and health issues we did discover was the UCI ruling that saddles were only allowed a tilt of less than 2.5 degrees with a 0.5 degree margin of error. We presented our findings to the UCI and they have since increased the angle of tilt to nine degrees with a tolerance of one degree. This has had a major impact on rider health, for both men and women, across the sport."

Link.
https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/knowledge/article/izn20160510-Set-up-Women%E2%80%99s-saddle-issues-0

Where is your soreness?

Where you feel sore can give vital clues to the cause of your discomfort.
...

• Unilateral (one sided) soreness indicates a possible asymmetry, such as a leg length discrepancy. This needs to be professionally assessed and diagnosed with a physiotherapist led bike fit.

That fits in with my experience.

When I used Look Delta pedals I put a shim under the left cleat to reduce the effective difference.

Nowadays I use mountain bike SPD type pedals and those cleats are recessed into the soles of the shoes to make walking around easier and safer so I don't want to shim them. I just lower the saddle a bit and tilt the left foot down slightly compared to the right. It works for me on rides of up to 12 hours.

 

[S-Express]

The report by British Cycling physiotherapist Phil Burt states that the problem concerns both men and Women.

See below:

"One of the major contributing factors to saddle discomfort and health issues we did discover was the UCI ruling that saddles were only allowed a tilt of less than 2.5 degrees with a 0.5 degree margin of error. We presented our findings to the UCI and they have since increased the angle of tilt to nine degrees with a tolerance of one degree. This has had a major impact on rider health, for both men and women, across the sport."

Link.
https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/knowledge/article/izn20160510-Set-up-Women%E2%80%99s-saddle-issues-0

As I said before - that link relates to GB women.

 

[GuyBoden]

As I said before - that link relates to GB women.

As I said before - that link relates to both men and women.

"This has had a major impact on rider health, for both men and women, across the sport."
Stated Phil Burt, lead physiotherapist for British Cycling and a consultant physio for Team Sky.

 

[ayceejay]

I think saddles with a cut out came after that UCI ruling together with a lot of research from the likes of Fizik