Bicycle Saddle Tilt : What do the pros do? What should you do?

Lots of confusing information out there about saddle tilt. especially since some pros have been opting for some very drastic nose-down saddle positions in order to get the front of their bike even lower. So what should you do?

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[Kyrodan]

He gives you free advice to make riding a bicycle on long rides more comfortable..and people on here complain..seriously..thank you for taking the time to explain this and help us.

[Philatlondon]

I adjusted mine down very slightly and it cured low back pain I'd been getting on my road bike almost instantly.

[BluesTheBestBoyIGuess]

I'm a beginner track cyclist in an older age group.
I was having terrible hand pain and numbness at first.
I read about the science of bike fitting and leveled my saddle along with some other tweaks.
pain and numbness magically gone - I'm a bike fit believer.

[bryndavies]

Wow! Lotta haters out there. I thought this was really well explained. Clear and balanced. Great work.

[cuts]

That has to be the most complicated way to hang scissors I have ever seen.

[mikeperry]

After 40+ years of road cycling I found that if you play with tilt until you don't feel pressure on your soft tissue in a position you want to ride in then you have figured it out. Keep it simple and listen to what your body feels and doesn't. I agree that saddle shape means everthing as well as knowing your sit bone measurement. Spin those wheels!

[Heavywall]

I’ve been riding for thirty years at this time I ride a Brooks Cambium carved saddle, I have always ridden with it level, at least to the eye.
In the past I’ve tried more aggressive tilts or forward positioning, both of which hampered my riding almost immediately.
Compared to most cyclists I’m huge at 300lbs so any discomfort is quickly evident.
My belief is that you’ve got to adjust the position to your comfort, abilities, and performance goals.

[HealthvsWealthme]

Well Put! Thank you very much for posting this video explanation. I have had my current ADAMO saddle forward and tilted as to make me more comfortable and efficient in the aero position with my clip on bars (and other adjustments too). Not the best for group rides while upright but I understand the trade off. Recently went into a LBS and had a discussion with the sales manager about a specific saddle. After a few minutes, He immediately jump to his opinion that "you are not fitted properly" etc. Told me things like what I'm doing is not scientific or related to Math like their Retule bike and proper bike fit methods are. Conversation did not go well and I gave him some push back. I've been a avid road cyclist for over 10 years now. I have had bike fits in the past. Always seem "okay" at first and dealt with "try it for a while"... but I have always made small adjustments from that point. Anyway, you explained this very well, with reason and in a educated manor. This is what we look for in a bike shop but unfortunately I found that this LBS guy has views that come from being on the sales side for too many hours a day. I see that some comments here were joking about this video and that is disappointing. Thank you!

[mlee]

You don’t need tilt the nose full 9 degrees, just a little has huge benefits in relation to more comfort. I’ve dipped the nose from flat to a little more nose down and found I can ride longer and less pressure on my privates... no additional pressure in hands etc..

[gabriel.trainer]

Before the new angle limit being set, I put my saddle at 5º. I found it to be the optimum position for me because the right saddle height was causing numbness at the crouch area. So the down angle relieved me and the numbness was gone. At the same time I didn't changed the stem angle nor the handlebar height. Nor have I experienced "new" pain in the hands, shoulders, etc, for longer distances. Not any pain different from what I felt before. So, olders ciclysts can use the new rule to improve some eventual crouch numbness without puting more pressure on the hands.

[roadriderjohn]

Great explanation. Saddle position/tilt is clearly a trade off, and can be dynamic over time (months/years of riding). Time on the bike comments were spot on. Let's face it, VERY few amateur riders put in anywhere near the annual miles of top pros. And even the same rider may change saddle tilt/position when riding 5-7, 000mi one year and only 1, 000mi the next when recovering from an injury.

[jcmymtb]

Im not a roadie but like to watch this guy, so much knowledge

[hornet]

He is talking about a road racing bike saddle tilt for lightweight racers that are supple and have correct posture. I do it the way he describes, but my other bikes with a different geometry have only a small tilt. He is spot on.

[seattlegrrlie]

I've always been more comfortable in an aggressive stance which gives more power to the legs and i like a pretty tilted saddle.

[speedsac]

Started racing in 1971. When fit road with a flat saddle. In older age and even fit started tipping saddle tip down. Numb nuts is part of the issue. Bodies change, comfort is number one! And a interesting point when climbing a tip pointed down saddle starts to become flat relative to pull of gravity. You spend more time climbing than descending and also when climbing you work HARD descending is not nearly a effort as a climb. So it is not hard to hold yourself on a tip down saddle descending if bike fit is correct. I frankly like the tip down position.You can roll your hips and get more aero with low bars and very short cranks..

[daniellorca]

Best explanation ever.as a teacher, i have to say that if you are not one by profession, you should be one. I am totally impressed. thank you sir.

[samattos]

I ride in a pursuit position and frequently ride centuries. I keep my saddle tipped forward quite a lot and the push back phenomenon he mentions is exactly why. When I want more juice, I slide back up the seat and get a deeper stroke.

I am NOT extremely light, either. I'm 40 years old, 5'11", weigh 230 right now, and typically am between 200 and 230. My hands, arms, and shoulders bear a lot of weight, but I also train for it by doing weight training for those muscle groups.

I feel like we make a lot of noise about what is correct and I'm sure if I were professional and had access to athletic ergonomic trainers, my ride would be different. Right now, though, laid out forward and saddle tipped down is just fine.

[southern_leyte]

Thanks, for that explanation, I have used my saddle in the level position and it works for me... And I'm not competitive with anybody but myself and my cyclocomputer.. But yes that was good.

[blackrocket]

So, inspired by this I tilted by saddle down a few degrees. Wow, how different it feels! More weight on hands/handlebar. Better reach (I always thought my 19” frame on Kona Blast was a little big for me). But now I have more power. More weight to deliver on the pedals. Clipped into my Crank Bros Candy 2's and shaved time off my normal short morning ride. At approaching 70yrs of age, I'm not that fussed about performance, but the engineer in me liked the efficiency of the ride.

[stevestewart-sturges]

I found this and the saddle setback videos extremely helpful, thanks !