Sore knees? Sore lower back?! It could be your SADDLE FORE / AFT 

Always great to hear from Phil, he helped me get back cycling in 2021 after a long-term hip injury. One massive benefit for me, often not talked about, was the confidence he instilled by reframing my attitude to the particular injury. Highly recommend if anyone's in a bit of a rut with getting cycling again😊

kind of surprised this wasn't discussed as Phil focused mostly on knee pain as the primary symptom of being too far forward, but correct fore/aft also effects the weight on your hands. knee pain is a symptom with numerous causes, where fore/aft is probably not one of the first things to investigate (try cleat position, Q factor, saddle height, and crank length) when in the correct fore/aft position you should be able to take your hands off the bars without much change to your torso angle, and when putting out power, you should feel nearly zero weight on your hands - or just enough to steer the bike.

All things can and will be relevant when making changes. Like Phil has said before, seat height first. Age, mobility play into that height. Fore/Aft, then cleat positioning. The knee shouldn't be ahead of the center of the pedal. Too much leg extension at bottom stroke brings in hip rock. All relevant when setting one or another. Finding the happy spot with each so every critical area of adjustment is working with, not against another adjustment. Sometimes we get fixated on one area but overlook something else. Most of us at some point become casual riders, some with a higher mileage count and thus need more comfort, especially when we become less flexible. Great stuff here Katie, thank you Phil for taking time to explain the many different aspects of the bike fit process.

Really insightful videos Katie and Phil.....keep up the bike fit topic on your channel, the advice is first class. Thanks for sharing today's tips, they are unequivocally key to a perfect fit 👍

running into knee pain on my enduro mtb even though i've matched my saddle height to my trail mtb bike (which was professionally fitted). Thinking this might be due to the slacker seat angle and longer cranks. What's a good way to set fore aft on an enduro style bike?

When my saddle is too far forward it ruins my right glute, Quadratus Lumborum and TFL where they join to the pelvis.

If i don't set my fore/aft all or nearly all the way forward, ig get front end wobble on fast descents. Any suggestions?

Im a long leg short torso outlier it took me years to realise i needed a 51cm bike and im just under 5 "11 but it works for me

In the tentative to alleviate my back pain, last summer I experimented with a more forward position and got immediately quads soreness and even cramps on longer rides. I switched back to more aft saddle position and felt immediately better, while switching from 172.5mm to 165mm crank which almost completely solved my back pain issue

What if I have knee pain and low back pain at the same time?😂

Hi katie good video very important too get it wright takecare

Thanks for doing this. Recently switched to a short nose saddle and have struggled a bit with fit since. I’m on the 175mm cranks my bike came with. Looking back at an old (10 years+) bike fit document I used to ride 170mm. I’m 6ft with a 32” inseam so might try 165mm for a change. Maybe a chat about crank length would be great.

This guy sounds just like the bike fitter in Francis Cades videos.. why do they all sound the same?? 😂

How do I interpret a _geometry chart_ when choosing bike/frame size? The brand I'm considering (Bombtrack) is not available in my local shops. I see you did a videos ~3 years ago but hope you might get more into the technical considerations.

I'm an above knee amputee who would love some help with bike fit as everything feels very odd, just wish I was closer to Phil's practice.

Static bike (Wattbike Atom) fit question - constantly end up tipping up the nose of the saddle to stop me feeling like I'm sliding off the front of it. What am I doing wrong?. Can't take the bike to an expert for a fit!

Katie, great to see more and more videos with Phil! Could you consider making a specific video about fitting people with long legs and shorter torso etc.(my case)? plus some insides for fitting climbers when you need space for getting into low bar posiition for long downhills (Alps, Stelvio etc.) Are you comfortable on downhils with your current setup (reach)?

Any tips for winter season? staying healthy and safe… and how do you deal with having a cold or being sick? I need some tips for recovery/ after the flu , something for getting back in shape after illness 😷💕

Mentioned on last video had 2 fits previously and they basically did a cookie cutter "you should be here" (in my case too far back) took me a while and a lot of research (before PB came onto the scene) and a bit of ££ on new parts - straight seatpost/short nose saddle/forget the slammed stem/ get my cleats all the way back - sorted - just need shorter cranks on my road bike- can't swop out from my TT machine.......................

Amazing video once again super super informative!!! Thanks for answering my question and making a video about it!!! Just incase there's no topic for the next few videos ill throw one topic in there. Handlebar height and reach where is the perfect height and reach and where should the shoulder blades be? Retracted/protracted or neutral?

Great video. Thanks for the info. I’m new to cycling and I just can’t seem to find the right setting for my saddle. I have a new fancy (expensive) saddle coming in tomorrow. Hopefully I can dial it in. For me it’s the lower back pain.

Another way to look at this is to examine what determines where your sit bones want to be. The length of your stem is one bit. The shape of your saddle is another. What happens if they don't match? The two will try to push your sit bones either too far back or too far forward relative to the other. The result is a shear force on your skin as your sit bones hunt between where the stem and the saddle want it to be. When your saddle and stem agree, there's a lot less stress on the sensitive bits. If you can't find a comfortable saddle and/or shorts, this might explain it.

Phil's explanation is really logical and easy to follow.. Hands down one of the best out there apart from Neill Stanbury, James bikefit and Stewart Morton.. very informative

Just done a Zwift session on my Kickr bike which unfortunately isn’t set up quite right. Part way into the ride I started suffering some discomfort in my left knee (this often happens on my trainer) quickly moved the saddle back slightly then continued to ride. Niggle in my knee eased. Putting into practice what I picked up in the video last night has really helped. Thank you. 🙏 👏

One measure is the weight distribution. 40/60 fore/aft is one recommendation. Weigh your bike and yourself together. Put your front wheel on the scales while sitting on the bike. Put a book under your rear wheel to level it out. If you're within a few percent, you're good.

Does Phil have an opinion on Brooks saddles? Are they all hype or actually as comfortable as people say?

Great video…I would love to hear about whether or not cycling specific orthotics are a worthwhile investment

Great vlog Katie Thanks as always Phil for the insight. ☀️ 🐿🐿

I think, I might have to pay Mr. Phil Burt a visit with my bike to fine tune the saddle height and position. Heh. I'll just save up to fly from Singapore.

Brooks saddle all the way one of the best.

Those tips are very questionable. When you slide your saddle all the way forward you loose stability and control of the bike, you also put too much weight on your hands and discomfort is guaranteed. Besides that, with your saddle forward you recruit mostly your quads and eliminate glutes with hamstrings. I have been in this delusion and trap of “logics” attempting to solve problems with saddle forward. All problems somehow have gone when I moved the saddle about 1 cm backwards from the central position.

Great video as usual katie! Perhaps you or Phil could confirm this? If you move your saddle forward, do you have to increase the saddle height?

Those bike fit videos are always useful especially as someone just getting into it. How comfortable should a saddle be though expectation wise? First few times out on the bike doing practice laps about 20 mins max each time and I've had a soreness for up to three weeks even when staying off the bike (first time bike rider in nearly 40 years - no experience as a child) . No pain whilst riding just shuffling around a bit to find the most comfortable position on it. Is it just a matter of desensitising the area and getting it used to it that even the most form fitting saddle will be uncomfortable initially?

Yes like they said below, The most important thing for adjust fore/aft, is the weight balance of the rider. You must consider it first.

what should I adjust if the backs of both arms ach while riding my road bike?

What about a fit for a mountain bike used for longer distances and not trail work? Thanks both.

Hi, great video, in regards to front knee pain, I get pain on my right front knee only, could I assume this is not a bike fit problem as no such issues with left knee, thanks

Ta very much Katie and Phil for another really useful bike fit video! Over the last year I’ve been tweaking my Giant Defy mostly to stop knee pain and, thanks in no small measure to your excellent videos, I think I’m pretty close to the optimal setup for me! Just started my winter Zwifting season with the same bike and so far so good.

Would a bike fit be suitable for a full suspension mountain bike? I do trail riding and am mostly in the saddle not standing.🤔

honest guy 👌🏼

Hey Katie I was on a little ride out this morning along the canal and I saw a barge called “The KOOKABURRA “ so I thought That’ll do for our Katie 😂 🛥️

I’ve just had a bike fit as feet and hands tingly and numb seat was too low and cleats too far forward! Now feet feel fine but still tingly hand on right side and still feel as if I’m a bit stretched and weight on hand! Any suggestions pls?

Love these videos and I can definitely relate to the difference a correctly fitting saddle can make. Insightful as always. Thank you very much to you both. Keep up the good work. I will look forward to the next video.

If you need a slammed forward straight seatpost your top tube is too long, lol. No way I would ever ride a straight seatpost on any bike that is torture.

Good to see he acknowledged crank length in this video compared to the last video

So assuming my position is about right, how do I find a comfortable saddle? I’ve had two bike fits, both showed my position was ok and I’m still uncomfortable on almost all saddles. Saddle pressure has been checked using the Geobimized pressure mapping and it shows low pressures and pressures in the right place. And the saddle still feels like sitting on acorns…. I’ve tried a lot of saddles, too. Fizik Arione, Antares, Tempo Argo, Brooks B17 and Professional, SMP Drakon and two others, SQ Labs, various Turbos, Madison G12, 14, with / without gel etc. You get the idea.

Love bike fit tips!

Always brilliant. I've had a bike fit a few years ago after recovering from hip replacement surgery (wound up with oval chainring and shorter cranks to compensate for less mobility), but wondering if I should invest in another fitting just to see (now that I've fully healed) if things should be adjusted at all. Thank you Phil and Katie as always!