Thorn Cycles Forum
Community => Member's Gallery => Topic started by: Matt2matt2002 on January 04, 2015, 02:26:43 PM
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Happy New Year to everyone.
Santa brought me new Brooks B17 + springs. I had been riding a second hand B17 & very happy with it. But when I saw the sprung version at a good price, decided to see what Santa could do. ;)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-HDWbM9ezIfM/VKk0w-RFuHI/AAAAAAAAHR8/NA8NSfxnbkQ/w958-h719-no/DSCF0226.JPG)
Fitted it yesterday and had a couple of goes adjusting the upwards and downwards angle. Got it just right, however....
It appears to be wider that than my old one. Wider halfway along - not at the rear.
Here's a snap looking down.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-axaO8-FHOFs/VKk1OcFr2bI/AAAAAAAAHSM/A2nTrk5IJR0/w580-h773-no/DSCF0231.JPG)
Old saddle on top. Can you see its a few mil. wider?
Question. If I tighten up the front saddle bolt nut will it pull the leather tighter - and narrow the width?
I'm quite prepared to ride it until I fit it, just wondered.
Also....
I have no rearward adjustment on the seat post and now feel as if the distance between me sitting on the saddle and reaching for the bars, has been shortened.
I am riding in a more upright position than of before.
Here's a shot of the front end. I fitted an extension Click-fit arm to the top.
Intended to allow me to fit the Go-pro.
I also lowered the T-bar to under the bars.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-DQtcGqxmeW4/VKk0QGakEAI/AAAAAAAAHRk/85uS-fKlR-M/w958-h719-no/DSCF0227.JPG)
Here is another shot showing the new location of the T-bar.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-oo0XGq4dbrU/VKk0fjOPIBI/AAAAAAAAHR0/c7Vh1UWQR10/w958-h719-no/DSCF0228.JPG)
It's a Thorn Stem 40 degree 110mm
If I want to increase the distance between the bars and saddle, should I consider buying the Thorn 150mm 12 degree or the 150 degree 6 degree one?
Any other ways to increase this distance?
Lastly, some of you may recall that I had a big problem with my bars and the Rohloff shifter a few months back.
The LBS fitted a new one and I asked then to fit new brake cables at the same time.
I just noticed that the front brake cable appears quite short. Haven't had a problem turning the bars. I only became aware of it when fiddling about with the T-bar and Go-Pro.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-DQtcGqxmeW4/VKk0QGakEAI/AAAAAAAAHRk/85uS-fKlR-M/w958-h719-no/DSCF0227.JPG)
The picture is straight on to the cable so the curve - such as there is one, doesn't show up too well.
But any opinions on the length?
Here's the present state of affairs.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-x1HihEDnEhA/VKk0SxF5d3I/AAAAAAAAHRs/0oKJK7PtjOE/w958-h719-no/DSCF0225.JPG)
all the best for 2015
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Happy new year to u Matt.
your arse will get used to that saddle in no time leave well enough alone ;)
did you make any videos yet.
anto.
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My Conquest is sprung like your Champion flyer: Mine has a little lateral movement in the saddle but being sprung I guess it should have so I'm not tightening anything; I've only 1300 miles on it so its a mere babe.
What did help me was making some very fine adjustments to my cockpit length. By moving my saddle slightly forward and by raising my adjustable headstem I have a much more comfortable riding position. My sit bones feel better placed and my Conquest's width ( similar to your Champion's I guess ) is an asset (!) as opposed to a hinderance (!)
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I don't think tightening that tensioning bolt will narrow the saddle up at all. One thing you could try, if you really want, is lacing the saddle. You would drill half a dozen holes or so along the bottom edge of each side and run some shoe lace between the sides to snug up the distance. But really, both lacing and retensioning are generally things you do with a well-worn saddle, to relieve the sag that develops as the leather stretches one way or another.
The classical solution to the positioning problem is to get a new seat post with a larger lay-back. Not an inexpensive solution, of course!
That extension Click-fit arm looks nifty. I didn't know those existed! Looks perfect for the go-pro!
The only problem I see with that short front brake cable housing - it looks from the photo a bit like that brake noodle isn't seated so securely? There should really be no question of that somehow jostling out of position! If the cable housing were tugging on that to pull it out of line somehow, that would seem worth addressing. Of course if the housing leaves the lever housing too sharply, up at the bars, then that might stress the cable and make for a wear problem. Anyway it's hard to tell exactly from the photos.... just a couple things to double check maybe.
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Thanks In4
Adjustable headstem?
What make n model please? Not aware of these.
My saddle can only be tipped up or down. What do you have on your seat post to allow forward/backward movement?
Mtt
My Conquest is sprung like your Champion flyer: Mine has a little lateral movement in the saddle but being sprung I guess it should have so I'm not tightening anything; I've only 1300 miles on it so its a mere babe.
What did help me was making some very fine adjustments to my cockpit length. By moving my saddle slightly forward and by raising my adjustable headstem I have a much more comfortable riding position. My sit bones feel better placed and my Conquest's width ( similar to your Champion's I guess ) is an asset (!) as opposed to a hinderance (!)
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Thanks Jim
That clickfit arm doesn't raise my Go-pro very high or is it very rigid. I get a bit of camera wobble from it and the Cateye light I attach does not clear my bar-bag.
Nice idea but think carefully before buying.
Thanks for the saddle suggestion. I'll ride it a few 100 miles before tweaking.
What do you think about a longer bat stem to give me more room between saddle and bars?
I am in too much of am up-right position
Matt
I don't think tightening that tensioning bolt will narrow the saddle up at all. One thing you could try, if you really want, is lacing the saddle. You would drill half a dozen holes or so along the bottom edge of each side and run some shoe lace between the sides to snug up the distance. But really, both lacing and retensioning are generally things you do with a well-worn saddle, to relieve the sag that develops as the leather stretches one way or another.
The classical solution to the positioning problem is to get a new seat post with a larger lay-back. Not an inexpensive solution, of course!
That extension Click-fit arm looks nifty. I didn't know those existed! Looks perfect for the go-pro!
The only problem I see with that short front brake cable housing - it looks from the photo a bit like that brake noodle isn't seated so securely? There should really be no question of that somehow jostling out of position! If the cable housing were tugging on that to pull it out of line somehow, that would seem worth addressing. Of course if the housing leaves the lever housing too sharply, up at the bars, then that might stress the cable and make for a wear problem. Anyway it's hard to tell exactly from the photos.... just a couple things to double check maybe.
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You can always slide the saddle rails forward and backward through the clamp on the seat post... but from your photos it sure looks like you have yours all the way back.
Yeah a longer stem is certainly a simple way to get more length. But if you just feel too upright, maybe you just want to lower the bars? From your photo, it looks like your grips are above the level of your saddle. Just move a few of those spacers from the below the stem to above the stem. I would probably put a couple between the auxiliary bar and the stem, too! Give you more room in there.
There is some rule, I forget exactly... like put your elbow up against the nose of the saddle, with your forearm horizontal... your fingertips should just reach the handlebar? I will have to look that up. But anyway if you just feel too high, rather than too cramped, then maybe lowering the bars is the thing to try. Ultimately you could flip the stem, too. That will lower the bars a lot - maybe more than you want!
yeah, take a look at: http://www.lmb.org/?option=com_content&view=article&Itemid=216&id=183:how-to-fit-a-bike
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That finger-tip rule of thumb is really for drop bars. You'll probably want your finger tips to line up with the grips or even be a bit short of the grips.
Here is a crazy photo of my bikes. The grips on my Thorn line up along the drop bars of my 520 just a bit short of the hoods.
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/kukulaj/threebikes.jpg)
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Hi Matt!
Terrific photos you took; they really do illustrate the issues you're facing.
Others have offered good suggestions about the more obvious things, so I will tackle the more obscure, heavily influenced by my own experience. ;)
I have found it best when setting-up my bikes to use saddle height and saddle fore-aft adjustment to address my relationship to the bottom bracket. I do that first. In my case, that almost always means a seatpost with large layback if I am also using a Brooks saddle...because their rail placement is a legacy of their genesis in an era when bikes had much slacker seat tube angles than we see presently.
Once I've set my position in relationship to the bottom bracket, *then* I set my relationship to the handlebars. This also includes my reach and the forward angle of my back.
[My preferred setup is pretty easy: I like my (drop) handlebar-tops about the same height as my saddle-top. With my hands resting atop the brake hoods (my most-used position), my back leans forward at 45° to horizontal when viewed as a line drawn from shoulder joint to hip joint compared to a flat plane, and a line drawn from my hands to my shoulder joint is also 45°. This just feels right to me and apportions the load equally between my hands and bottom.]
There is a lot of mythology and rules of thumb about fitment that are just that -- rules of thumb that don't apply equally to everyone or every situation. In 1978, I recall the common practice was to fit a stem of a length necessary to obscure the front hub when holding onto drop handlebars. This did nothing wrt body positioning or arm length, and it was never clearly stated *where* the handlebars were to be grasped at the time. Far better to set the bike up so it is comfortable and efficient for you, no matter the means. It helps to start with a properly sized frame, then take each measurement in turn and in light of other adjustments.
Too often, I've seen people slide the saddle forward or back to adjust reach. Of course this can work and sometimes accidentally puts one in a better position overall, but one should be aware it also changes the relationship between feet/legs and the bottom bracket, the axis of rotation. If you set that relationship first, than it is much easier to address reach and body angle as separate issues.
Oh! I can offer one observation about Brooks saddle width: They are handmade, and some are notably wider in the "waist" than others. I prefer mine to be as narrow as possible in that place to prevent chafing, but it doesn't always happen. I usually return (if unused) or trade or sell-on examples I find too-wide there, but yes, lacing offers a means to draw the saddle in at the sides,but I would suggest treatingt he saddle with a light coating or Proofide or by some other means first so the leather isn't completely dry. Please don't use the tension nut. The saddles arrive close to the maximum tension needed when new, and adding more can have unintended consequences. An acquaintance tried to narrow his new saddle via the tension nut and managed to pull the leather in two just behind the nosepiece. The saddle was fresh and new and untreated and the added tension exceeded the elasticity of the leather fibers. I hadn't thought it possible, but with threads remaining and enough turns of the nut...!
All the best,
Dan.
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Thanks Dan & co.
As always, lots to think about.
Sometimes I think I enjoy tinkering with the bike as much as riding it!
Almost.....
;)
Matt
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I had a similar problem with my RST frame. I felt to far forward and also I could not get the saddle level, so I invested in one of these http://www.freshtripe.co.uk/Freshtripe/Seats%20&%20Seatposts_files/VO%20GC%20seatpost-3.jpg (http://www.freshtripe.co.uk/Freshtripe/Seats%20&%20Seatposts_files/VO%20GC%20seatpost-3.jpg) it allows more rearward adjustment and better up down adjustment.
As Dan says the position of the saddle is directly related to the position of the bottom bracket which can move if you have an eccentric bottom bracket.
Peter
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Is your old ssddle definitely a B17?
It doesn't look like one to me, certainly not a recent model.
It has copper rivets so must be a 'Special' if it is, but it doesn't have the three holes along the top that the B17 has.
How old is it?
Compare it to this picture of a current B17 Special from the top http://www.oipolloi.com/brooks-england-b17-special-saddle-british-green-leather completely different.
The 'radius' of the rivets on the frame is different too.
Does it have bag loops?
I reckon its a different model, thats why its narrower.
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I think it's a team pro, a very nice one at that. These are narrower than b17 and do not have the saddlebag loops.
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its got champion flyer embossed on it ;)
oops! 40w moment there.
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its got champion flyer embossed on it ;)
That's his new saddle, it's the old one that doesn't look like a B17.
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I just checked that elbow - fingertip rule of thumb on my Nomad. When I put my elbow at the nose of the saddle, my fingertips just hit the middle of my steering tube. So there is the whole length of the stem out ahead of that before hitting the handlebars. But I have comfort bars too, not drops. With drops, the tops of the bars, where the stem clamps the bars, that is the closest place you grip, and the hoods are again a few inches further forward of the saddle. With the comfort bars, the grips are closer to the saddle than the stem clamp.
Dan is certainly right, that the real question to resolve with seatpost layback is the saddle to bottom bracket relationship. That bike fit link I posted above does address that in the conventional way. My saddle is also all the way back as far as the clamp allows. I think sometimes about getting a seatpost with more layback. I certainly sit way far back on the saddle! But of course that is also the way the saddle is designed.
Yeah I too vote for that old saddle being a Team Pro. Sure looks nice! But the Flyer is great too.
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Jim (and Matt),
The long(er)-layback rigid seatpost does the obvious for me in terms of positioning behind the BB, but it also does something else:
It puts the clamp closer to the center of the saddle rails.
Without the offset, the bulk of the saddle/rider weight is cantilevered off the back of the seatpost, making the rails more prone to fracture.
It took me awhile, but I realized this was a real factor for me in Brooks rail breakages (a half-dozen broken chrome rails on past Brooks...I learned how to re-rivet the leather tops to fresh rails pretty quickly). I have not had a problem since Brooks switched to powder-coated rails, but that's also when I switched to longer-layback seatposts to get the clamp more centrally located, so I'm not sure which is most responsible for the improvement. Certainly the saddle feels more secure (and has less faux "suspension" that was really rail-flex) with a more central clamp placement.
On my suspension seatposts, I am able to adjust clamp placement in concert with elastomer preload to achieve the same effect as a longer-layback seatpost. By "longer-layback", I mean a 'post with substantial layback as opposed to the minimally offset 'posts or zero-offset 'posts. Thorn's formerly available Zoom-made (Hsin Ling) model did the job nicely on Sherpa and now Seymour the Nomad.
Best,
Dan.
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Re the saddle question.
I must admit I have always thought of it as a B17
It came with the bike - second-hand.
I rode 8,000 miles in 21 months on it. ( I went for the new saddle because it was a good price and I liked the idea of a little more 'spring' at the rear).
The rear metal tag fell off a few months ago - but it sure is a Brooks.
Here are more shots in the hope someone can identify it for me.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/gAfmlY_Nc8-B3PfV6ag98wGK7FkPE8P_ZfEzXpjmEMo=w958-h719)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-W8LsHjkNgw0/VKpu8wHsNgI/AAAAAAAAHTM/zgk44PtLTVQ/w958-h719-no/DSCF0214.JPG)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-yoOzQf29SWY/VKpvEYzSvyI/AAAAAAAAHTU/OwxskwraBsY/w958-h719-no/DSCF0215.JPG)
A few dents but sure is comfortable
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zq6yrE3qavQ/VKpvMa23SaI/AAAAAAAAHTc/wwGhnpajFsU/w958-h719-no/DSCF0216.JPG)
Quite narrow
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-JR8k9UruZTE/VKpvYJMdPHI/AAAAAAAAHTk/VdJa37-kVi4/w958-h719-no/DSCF0217.JPG)
So could it be a Team Pro?
'professional' is stamped on the side.....
Thanks again folks
Matt
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Matt,
I think the sharp-eyed gentlemen before me spotted it correctly. Not a B.17, I believe it to be a Team Pro.
Lovely saddle, adored by many, much admired by me.
I just find I must go with the slightly wider B.17 myself, thanks to my slightly more upright riding position.
Best,
Dan.
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Thanks Dan.
I sure like the narrow mid section.
Hopefully my new B 17 will 'conform' as the miles roll by.
I do detect a positive effect from the springs, so that's a plus.
So; I kick off the year knowing a little more about my Raven.
An adventure. I like adventures. Large or small.
Matt
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An adventure. I like adventures. Large or small.
Yes! Me too! And...the biggest one of all, Life! :D
All the best,
Dan.
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Matt
if you don't get on with the new saddle you might like to try a Brooks Conquest, they are being remade now and are more like the team pro that you already have, not 100% but i think its the same upper
edit
i knew i'd seen it somewhere http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/saddles/brooks-conquest.html (http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/saddles/brooks-conquest.html)
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Here we go again folks.....
Great thoughts and advice as usual....
In no particular order.
Dan, you mentioned the rails sometimes breaking if under too much strain?
Here is my position.
I need the saddle that far forward to stop my knees hitting the bars!
;)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kY-BtOTqJR8/VK0Ko6vgbfI/AAAAAAAAHUU/kgZYroxg7AA/w958-h719-no/saddle%2B001.jpg)
I checked on my Team Pro Brooks saddle I removed last week and the rails were marked in the same position - quite far forward.
Am I putting too much strain on the rails?
I made sure the rails line up with the grooves in the clamp but note that the rails do not run straight/parallel underneath the saddle. And also the grips do run parallel. Why so? With the ability to move the saddle forwards and backwards I would have thought that both rails and grooves should aline at any position?
Here is a shot of the rails in the grooves.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-klOAxogr6WU/VK0K2SQ0EeI/AAAAAAAAHUk/T6HRTgKv_Mc/w958-h719-no/saddle%2B004.jpg)
I then noticed that the edges of the saddle are not equal distance from the center.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-0bjSY3_xihg/VK0LtEGO3WI/AAAAAAAAHUw/GVJIB_ZEfTA/w958-h719-no/saddle%2B002.jpg)
Could this be just how mine was made - or a fault?
Could I wear it in? I know each saddle must be slightly different but is this excessive?
JimK....
The finger tip rule....
I am well short of that distance. More mid palm hits the steering tube!
So - It appears that the new saddle pitches me forward and gives me an excessively up-right feeling.
Before I splash out on a longer bar stem, any other suggestions?
( JimK - I'll remove a few spacers and see if that works before ordering a new bar stem )
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I think Dan's point is valid, that getting the clamp more centered front-to-back on the rails will reduce stress on the rails. But adjusting the saddle front-to-back to optimize the fit of one's body on the bike, the saddle is designed for that. So I wouldn't worry too much about that - it's a fine detail. The leather not being centered... I think that is just the way natural materials are. It'll all shift as you ride on it, anyway!
Mid-palm to steering tube... hmmm... if the feeling of uprightness is like your hips are too far over the pedals... yeah, you really do want a long lay-back seatpost! The Thomson is one possibility:
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/thomson-elite-setback-seat-post-410mm-x-272mm-prod31023/?geoc=us
I am not expert on this at all... the seatpost diameter has to be right, or at least a touch small & then with a shim...
another possibility might be:
http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/sp3.htm
- oops, this is probably too short for a compact frame!
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Here we go again folks.....
Great thoughts and advice as usual....
In no particular order.
Dan, you mentioned the rails sometimes breaking if under too much strain?
Here is my position.
I need the saddle that far forward to stop my knees hitting the bars!
;)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kY-BtOTqJR8/VK0Ko6vgbfI/AAAAAAAAHUU/kgZYroxg7AA/w958-h719-no/saddle%2B001.jpg)
I checked on my Team Pro Brooks saddle I removed last week and the rails were marked in the same position - quite far forward.
Am I putting too much strain on the rails?
I made sure the rails line up with the grooves in the clamp but note that the rails do not run straight/parallel underneath the saddle. And also the grips do run parallel. Why so? With the ability to move the saddle forwards and backwards I would have thought that both rails and grooves should aline at any position?
Here is a shot of the rails in the grooves.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-klOAxogr6WU/VK0K2SQ0EeI/AAAAAAAAHUk/T6HRTgKv_Mc/w958-h719-no/saddle%2B004.jpg)
I then noticed that the edges of the saddle are not equal distance from the center.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-0bjSY3_xihg/VK0LtEGO3WI/AAAAAAAAHUw/GVJIB_ZEfTA/w958-h719-no/saddle%2B002.jpg)
Could this be just how mine was made - or a fault?
Could I wear it in? I know each saddle must be slightly different but is this excessive?
JimK....
The finger tip rule....
I am well short of that distance. More mid palm hits the steering tube!
So - It appears that the new saddle pitches me forward and gives me an excessively up-right feeling.
Before I splash out on a longer bar stem, any other suggestions?
( JimK - I'll remove a few spacers and see if that works before ordering a new bar stem )
Hello,
If your knees hit the bars the solution is pretty obvious, move the bars forward. Or indeed get a longer frame
The saddle is designed to move fore and aft on the rails and as such is doing it no harm, but knees hitting bars is dreadful!
Regards,
John
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I put a ;) after I said about knees hitting the bars.
Not that bad of course but way too close.
Strange that this should be caused by a wider saddle pushing me and my bum forwards.
Thankscfirv gexsuggestion of the seat post Jim.
I think a longer barcstem will be cheaper but will keep it in mind.
I never would have thought a wee tweak would cause such a dynamic change.
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could be that the setup of the rails on the Flyer pushes the saddle more forward than the Pro, so it is not so much the width of the saddle that changed as the position of the saddle.
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this might be an option... on sale!
http://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;navigation=1;menu=1000,2,110;product=16219
or
http://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;navigation=1;product=49218;page=1;menu=1000,2,110;mid=227
Do these offset / setbacks / laybacks all get measured uniformly?
Your top tube doesn't slope so much... you could probably use:
http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/components/seatposts/vo-grand-cru-seat-post-long-setback.html
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Strange that this should be caused by a wider saddle pushing me and my bum forwards.
Matt,
I think the root of the problem is visible in your saddle-overlay photo. The various Brooks saddles I've seen vary not only in width or design, but in where the rear begins to flare. The wider saddles intended for more upright riding begin their flare sooner -- more forward -- than the racing saddles, so the thighs contact the wider sides sooner, pushing a person further ahead.
If your position in relation to the bottom bracket has changed, then so has your position on the bike. Fitting a longer-reach stem will open up the cockpit, but you'll still be sitting more forward in relation to the pedals. A change to straight handlebars would also open up some room for you, but still leaves you in a more forward position on the bike.
Rails a bit unparallel and lack of symmetry in the cover-to-rail gap is typical, I've found, and so I try to hand-select my saddles to minimize the problem. These are handmade items, and so some variation is expected without it being considered a defect. However, I have seen some really skewed covers on rare occasion, and these I do consider "defects" worthy of return. The rails should square-up when clamped securely.
Looking at the whole of things (if 't'were me) and reading your description of how it feels, I'd try a long-layback seatpost.
All the best,
Dan.
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Could the spring on the flyer be angling you forward? The team pro is perfectly flat. For the flyer to achieve the same position the springs must have to be compressed slightly? If you're not particularly heavy or the spring is very strong being new it might be you are not getting quite the horizontal platform you had before? I've not tried one so I'm guessing here.
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Could the spring on the flyer be angling you forward? The team pro is perfectly flat. For the flyer to achieve the same position the springs must have to be compressed slightly? If you're not particularly heavy or the spring is very strong being new it might be you are not getting quite the horizontal platform you had before? I've not tried one so I'm guessing here.
Worth playing with the tilt of the saddle. Compared to standard B17 I have my sprung saddles tilted slightly downwards (and slightly higher on the seatpost) when measured unloaded.
For Matt - I have a used Brooks Conquest in my spares box. This is more or less the same width as the Brooks Professional (i.e. narrower than the B17 and the Flyer). I would be quite happy to swap my Conquest for your Flyer if you find you don't get on with it and want something a bit narrower. I'm in France, so postage woud be a tad more expensive than in the UK, but probably not too excessive. But I reckon it's worth giving the Flyer a good try first.
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I put a Wink after I said about knees hitting the bars.
Ah! In that case you simply need to ride ride ride the new saddle and use a massive 'layback' seatpost.
Regards,
John
PS The ride ride ride will as you know shape the saddle.
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Thanks once again folks.
What a great forum this is!
Martinf. Nice offer. I think I'll keep working on a solution but will keep it in mind.
Leftpoole. Yes indeed. Ride ride ride. No problem breaking the saddle in. But its my whole body position that's the problem.
As you and Dan both suggest, a lay back seat post is probably the answer.
I'll have a few more tweaks and then let you all know where I stand. Or sit, so to speak!
Matt
Who feels he has saddled you with a problem
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Matt
Who feels he has saddled you with a problem
Dan, who assures you this is the kind of support Forum members are only too happy to supply!
Best,
Dan.
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Re Adjustable head stems: Here's a few on Amazon to look at.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=zoom+adjustable+stem&tag=googhydr-21&index=sports&hvadid=23547010832&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17294690768638221343&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_9a4sbncp2l_b
No idea what brand mine is but I guess they all do the same job.
Different names used for the same item, just to add further confusion! :)
Hope that is of use/interest.
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Some are better than others, apparently (i.e. more or less prone to slipping). Have a look at this review (http://velocelt.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/adjustable-stems-good-bad-and-ugly.html). A lot will depend on your riding style, though if you just want it for short-term experimenting you could get away with one of the poorer ones if you are careful.
I was lucky enough to get a s/h Ritchey which I find excellent.
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Hello,
After giving this a great deal of thought.
The saddle is not really suited. Your original style saddle worked, why change? Sprung comfort maybe?
I think that the rails, the shape are not going to work for you. The only other way is a Brooks B66 Champion which I think goes further back.
Or indeed a large layback post.
Regards,
John
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Thanks John.
If it ain't broken why fix it? Indeed.
Background to the change was seeing the new saddle at a bargain price, having some Xmas money to spend and my planned trip across the Pamir Highway which can be a wee bit bumpy I believe.
Before making the saddle change I had fitted new bars and Egon grips. I recall thinking I had found the ideal set up!
Then along came the new saddle!!
So, its either buying a set back seat post and also a new bar stem or sell on the Brooks.
I'll think on for a while but may finish up flipping a coin.
Once again, thanks for your thoughts.
Matt
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Hello folks,
Saddle up for the continuing adventures from Scotland UK
Hope you are sitting comfortably - I think I am.
Firstly, thanks again for everyones input and suggestions.
I called SJS last week to check on my back-ordered EBB. I had looked at mine last year and noted it was very worn with dents dings and grooves. Time for a new one. This was last October. Every month SJS apologized for the delay but I thought I'd give them a buzz this month.
Turned out it had arrived and was in the post! Sure enough, it arrived the next day.
While I was on the phone I thought I'd ask their thoughts on the saddle situation.
They recommended the lay back option.
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/vk-saddle-adjuster-prod1249/
When I asked about extending the bars forward the chap said it was an option but then the steering could become heavy.
So I went with the saddle extender.
It arrived yesterday and took me a bit of time to work out what bolts went where but here's the result.
Pictures taken with the saddle post off the bike - too cold to work outside and Mrs.Matt was home - so unable to bring the whole Raven inside for the work.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-G9u-V5DIu0c/VLvUFUzwBII/AAAAAAAAHbk/AH9H7xZJ85g/w958-h719-no/saddleEXTENDER%2B001.jpg)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rJaobEqxfW8/VLvUN1tGSOI/AAAAAAAAHbs/nO86TsEYSDI/w958-h719-no/saddleEXTENDER%2B002.jpg)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-aDMw8oG8AqI/VLvUT3Boh2I/AAAAAAAAHb0/5UBEDrCH5Qg/w580-h773-no/saddleEXTENDER%2B003.jpg)
Weather here in Scotland has prevented a proper test ride. Fingers crossed for tomorrow.
A quick sit on the bike allowed me to trim the angle and I defiantly felt the benefit of the lay back position.
Cheers my friends.
Matt
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Best followup yet, Matt! Sure hope this does the job for you. The adapter looks to have done the trick.
All the best,
Dan.
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wow, that's a nifty device!
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wow, that's a nifty device!
Indeed, and there is a lot more travel backward if needed. My only concern would be leverage stresses on the saddle rails as they are not held at all centrally. This may be unfounded though. Certainly looks a good solution.
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My thought is that the springs on the flyer should help relieve stress not just on one's sitting anatomy but also on the saddle rails! Still... that is a mighty big extra offset!