any insight would be appreciated. I plan to call the saddle maker to ask them…and prob will redo my bike fit. but I want to try to experiment a little bit first on my own.
So I got a new saddle for my road bike. it has put me - for the first time in ~3 years years of riding and a dozen saddles - in a very neutral spine position. I have basically always had some flexion in my lumbar spine with every other saddle I’ve ever had. so it’s crazy comfy on my back.
I have noticed that I now when I’m on the hoods have quite a bit more pressure on my hands than I am used to. I’m not really sure how to gauge this because like I said, I’ve never gotten myself into this kind of position.
I can remove my hands and keep pedaling but I gotta brace myself. I have a fairly strong core though so I dunno how well that test applies to me…or if the test is remove hands and don’t fall without bracing hard?
So my main question is: I Would like to figure out how much hand pressure is “acceptable” / normal before I run into an issue later on. I rode two ~75 min endurance-zone rides today and my wrists feel a bit like ever so slightly worked - not sore…just like say I did a bunch of pushups more than normal or something. I am sure I’ll adapt in a few rides…but wondering if I should ease the saddle backwards somewhat? or reduce tilt? and maybe build up to it?
a few other bits of info if it helps: My arms before were basically straight on the hoods…now I have a slight bend (which I believe to be more comfy in the arms - just like I said more wrist pressure than I am used to - plus more aero just as my default position). the drops are Much more comfy to get into. in fact going downhill I much prefer the drops. the aero position where my forearms are level with the hoods is much easier to get into.
The further back the saddle goes, the more the weight shifts off of your hands.
Is this indoors or outdoors? Indoors I have to use a riser block because otherwise I end up with too much pressure on my hands. Outdoors, I have no problem with the same fit/same bike.
Bringing the saddle back is definitely an obvious thing to look at. However, I’m interested that you mentioned not just hand pressure but particularly wrist pain. If the new position has changed the angle at which your arms approach the bars, make sure that the hood position is still allowing you to have a neutral wrist position/angle without any unnatural bend.
My guess is the seat placement and/or size threw off your fit. Fore/aft. higher/lower.
One way to test hand pressure is to pedal a little lower than FTP in your usual position. You should be able to lift your hands off the bar like you’re playing the piano while not falling on your face. Or pull your hands behind you by your hips. Assuming you’re at the right saddle height, this is a good way to measure your saddle fore/aft position.
Did you install the new seat? Did you match the previous seats fore/aft location, seat angle/slope, and the seat height? Presumably you didn’t have this issue before. Do you have that information written down anywhere? Before you make any adjustments now, make sure you write down the dimensions as it sits, since you like the way the seat feels now…that is probably due to some combination of the fore/aft, angle and height being in the ballpark of where you want to be, so you want to be able to go back to what feels good on your butt/back after you completely screw up the position over the next couple weeks of chasing the perfect seat position (ask me how I learned this lesson ).
This isn’t something the seat manufacturer is probably going to be able to help you with, unless they installed the seat, too.
I did my best to match as carefully as possible but the shape and size of the saddle are different.
yes good idea on writing stuff down before changing.
yeah the big thing I want to know is what level of hand pressure is “normal” and what I should prepare to adapt to…vs that’s def not right and I should make changes immediately before wrist issues develop.
I would have answered the “how much pressure is normal” question, but as a sufferer of too much pressure on my hands for the last 10 years, I don’t know the answer. I have a long torso and short legs, excessive weight up top, my core gets weak after a couple hours, and I ride an mtb, is what I usually blame. But I’ve watched a few BikeFitJames videos on youtube this week, and am gaining confidence that some tweaking of my position might not be a bad idea. I had a local guy do a bike fit for me maybe 6 years ago, and he didn’t seem like he was overly experienced with mtbs (he didn’t have a way (or the needed adaptors) to put my bike on their trainer so he could see me in motion). We went outside and he watched me ride in circles in the parking lot. And to get the weight off my hands, he opted to put on a longer stem, with the rationale that it would force me to engage my core more.
Oh, also be open to the idea that you may get your seat in the right spot but then need to change stem and/or bars to get in the right position to get the full enjoyment of that new seat.
).
I have a long torso and short legs, excessive weight up top, my core gets weak after a couple hours, and I ride an mtb, is what I usually blame. But I’ve watched a few BikeFitJames videos on youtube this week, and am gaining confidence that some tweaking of my position might not be a bad idea. I had a local guy do a bike fit for me maybe 6 years ago, and he didn’t seem like he was overly experienced with mtbs (he didn’t have a way (or the needed adaptors) to put my bike on their trainer so he could see me in motion). We went outside and he watched me ride in circles in the parking lot. And to get the weight off my hands, he opted to put on a longer stem, with the rationale that it would force me to engage my core more.