[KingOfOrd]

Set it and forget it! ...level that is

 

[93EXCivic]

Most riders do not control their bike with their knees. I don't think you'll find a single pro or coach (from the last 15 years) who suggests using this technique. I suggest getting a dropper and learning to let the bike more more freely under you.

Yeah this.

Exception being tricks where your hands come off the bars and you need to pinch the seat (barspins, suicides).

 

[Nat]

DH riders and DJ' guys use saddle's to control the bike with their knees.

Dammit!

 

[sturge]

I've occasionally found my seat slightly up or down and it drives me crazy. I do lots of ups and downs (New England singletrack) so I prefer level. As for 'control' on downhills, before dropper yes...used knees/inner thighs to grip seat in technical terrain. When I got a dropper it was totally different and had to sort of re-learn things to get used to seat being out of way. Now it's natural.

 

[Forest Rider]

I wonder if you have been misunderstanding what you have read.
Or maybe you don't have the experience to have located the best saddle tilt for you, personally.

Regardless of the above, do what feels right for you.

I have one bike about level, one bike with a slight tilt downward in the front. That bike has different geometry and with the saddle set level I get too much upward pressure while reaching for the bars.

The tilt is noticeable enough that I can feel the difference but in no way am I sliding off, just to help draw a mental picture.


I have never once heard of a person adjusting their tilt to climb or descend. I do, however, know many people that LOWER their saddle before a descent. Lower the height, not lower the tip via angle adjustments.

One that that I am having a difficult time understanding is when you say that a downward tilt makes the rear of the seat too high and you can't descent well with the high rear.

It also sounds like you need to dial in your bike just just a bit more discussing slight changes to the tilt helping with hand soreness due to too much palm pressure.

The bike fit is full of slight (mm or a couple mm) adjustments that eventually fall in line perfectly for the rider.

The only adjustment I ever make on either of the 2 bikes are seat high via the dropper. If I didn't have a dropper I would need to lower the seat height manually. My old bike was not a big deal for seat height for descending for 2 reasons:
1) I wasn't as skilled at downhill, but was pretty good
2) The bike was smaller and I could move around the seat when shifting weight rearward.

With both current bicycles being quite a big larger (longer and taller), I am not able to shift weight rearward as the seat is in the way. Now my arms are more fully extended disallowing myself to get back further without hitting the seat. That is not 100% the problem, but is more noticeable when trying to get shifted forward onto the seat.
One reason is that I ride more aggressively these days than I did with the smaller bike -it did take a long time for me to learn how to be comfortable with the seat lowered.

I think you'll get it sorted out. For now keep making your trailside adjustments until you get it just right, then forget about the days when you 'used' to stop on the trail to lower the tip.

Lastly, perhaps your saddle is too long. A shorter saddle would not interfere with your body as it may be doing now which would allow you to lean forward more easily without applying pressure to the 'numbing zone'.

Good luck man!

 

[Scott O]

I set mine up like this, otherwise I'll fall asleep and my boss will yell at me.

 

[KingOfOrd]

Jaroslav Kulhavy the 2012 Olympic Gold medalist says we're all doing it wrong..

 

[natas1321]

I keep mine level and leave it that way as it feels fine to me doing both climbing and descending.

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

 

[Nat]

Jaroslav Kulhavy the 2012 Olympic Gold medalist says we're all doing it wrong.. View attachment 1299383

He slid right off the front of the saddle onto his top tube though...

 

[KingOfOrd]

He slid right off the front of the saddle onto his top tube though...

Cushioned top tubes, that's the future of where mountain bikes are going in the next 10 years.

 

[Sparticus]

fromme604, you're showing great patience & tolerance. I live & ride in the PNW (Oregon) but with regard to challenging terrain, yours up there is another level. I know because I've ridden there. Based on where you live & ride I'm sure you're an accomplished rider so appreciate you accepting a smidge of insolence & flak from us know-it-alls.

I've never adjusted saddle tilt mid-ride but I suppose when conditions get wicked steep, I'd do so if only it could be done instantly, easily & as frequently as necessary.

Now I'm going to head over to the "what will MTB see in the next 10 years" thread and add "electronic remote tilt-adjust seatposts" to the list of future MTB contraptions. j/k

Seriously, if making tilt adjustment wasn't a PITA, I'd probably give it a try. I can't deny that I spend a certain amount of time climbing while perched on the nose of my saddle as we have some intense pitches to gain around here. Whenever necessary, my go-to technique has actually been to lower my dropper (so my saddle nose doesn't bump the backs of my thighs) and stand.

I don't believe I could remain seated (even with adjusted tilt) when climbing the kinds of steep ups I'm talking about -- STA of inclined bike would prohibit sitting regardless of saddle angle. For long grinds (we have plenty), personally I don't find tilt adjust necessary. But we're all different.
=sParty

 

[chuckha62]

I've tried it level and also slightly down by suggestion on this site. Neither has worked for me. Mine is just a mm or two tilted back of level. As far as that position lifting the front wheel, that's what your upper body is for, move it accordingly.

This is exactly what I've found, as well.

 

[Nat]

Cushioned top tubes, that's the future of where mountain bikes are going in the next 10 years.

Bringing it back from the day:

 

[Harold]

I do not adjust the angle of my saddle mid-ride. That's silly business.

The specific angle at which my saddles are set depends on lots of factors including the bike/bike geo, and the specific saddle.

But I agree that tilting it too far down forces my arms to counter the forward slide, or at least puts more pressure on my shoulders/hands. Don't like it. Too far back pushes the nose of the saddle into my taint, causing numbness. On most saddles, it's a small window in between those two where a given saddle is comfortable to sit on. I do not find that my ability to slide forward and hover over the nose of the saddle on steep climbs is affected by the saddle position. I DO find that my ability to do that depends on the specific saddle, and as such, I like a saddle that has a well-padded nose as well as a bit of a droop to it.

 

[Lone Rager]

Slightly nose up, just a few degrees. Been riding like this for many many years.

 

[EatsDirt]

If you see someone with the nose down it's because they don't understand how to properly set up their bike, or they hate the saddle and they think that will help or something. All it does is put lots of pressure on your hands and makes you slide off the front of the saddle constantly.

I set my saddle nose down by about 5*, but with sag it might net a flat saddle on flat ground. Apparently I'm doing it wrong?

What about WC XC guys that clearly are in a nose dive at all times?

 

[Sparticus]

I set my saddle nose down by about 5*, but with sag it might net a flat saddle on flat ground. Apparently I'm doing it wrong?

What about WC XC guys that clearly are in a nose dive at all times?

Every time I see a saddle tilted down, right or wrong I think, "There's a guy with prostate trouble."
=sParty

 

[J.B. Weld]

Every time I see a saddle tilted down, right or wrong I think, "There's a guy with prostate trouble."
=sParty

Every time I see a saddle tilted up, right or wrong I think "there's a guy who's going to have prostate troubles"

 

[DIRTJUNKIE]

He slid right off the front of the saddle onto his top tube though...

And that's how he likes it.

 

[Sparticus]

Every time I see a saddle tilted up, right or wrong I think "there's a guy who's going to have prostate troubles"

Haw haw!

FWIW the future holds more promise than the pasture. :thumbsup:
=sParty