Saddle Dogma
Sometimes the slightest adjustment to one part of your bike can make all the difference to how it rides and the experience you have on it. Often, these changes go against the norm, meaning they’re things you either stumble upon by chance or learn from someone who passes on a bit of wisdom before disappearing into thin air. Other times, it just takes thinking outside the box and not getting too wrapped up in the groupthink of everyday life.
What I’m really talking about here is saddle position, and what got me thinking about it was looking at some photos of my setup from a couple of years ago. The norm, if you look at most bikes, is to have the saddle level with the ground, which often makes it look like the front of the saddle is angled downward. On a road bike in a really aggressive position, this probably makes sense. I’ve even seen people on tri-bikes with their forearms in those stirrups, as I like to call them, with their ass perched on the very front of the seat. I’m sure it works for speed, but there’s no way on earth that’s comfortable, even with those synthetic padded shorts.
What I discovered a few years ago, completely by fluke, because my seat post was knackered and the saddle kept moving, is that for a bike with more of a “French fit,” like ours, you’re likely to be much more comfortable with the front of the saddle angled slightly upward. At first glance, this position might look awful, but bear with me, I’ll explain the benefits I’ve found. For those of you who indulge in Brooks saddles, this setup is practically made for them, especially a leather one like the B17.
I’m sure most of you have heard the term from horse riding, “being in the saddle,” and it actually applies to this little rant of mine. The French fit position is designed to put you in a more upright posture, and with that in mind, you want to be in the saddle rather than just on it. Angling the front slightly upward helps you achieve that. Now, for the guys, you might be thinking, “What about my boys?” Well, I don’t see cowboys complaining about riding around on a horse all day, so what’s the difference? From personal experience, it isn’t uncomfortable at all.
Back to the Brooks saddle and why this position works so well. A leather Brooks will mold to your body over time, and the shape it creates when riding with the front angled slightly upward, I’ve found, is far superior to riding it flatter in a more traditional position. Another benefit of this setup is that the leather seems to break in more quickly. I mentioned earlier, noticing some old photos and seeing how angled my saddle used to be, the reason I noticed is that my current setup wasn’t angled as much. This is something I normally never mess with; once it’s on the bike, I leave it alone. But after getting a new B17 last year, I had somehow installed it flatter than usual without realizing it. It wasn’t until I started wondering why it was taking so long to reach that fully broken-in stage that I realized it was the angle that was slowing things down.
It’s amazing how a small tweak like this can be such a game-changer, at least it was for me. Don’t just settle for what you’re told is the “right” way to do something. If you let them, bikes can open the floodgates to thinking outside the box. Even if something or someone seems to be the standard that everyone is following, try it for yourself and see what works. Be the creator of how you ride, discover what gets you stoked, and keep coming back for more.