The Correct Way to Approach Saddle Tilt (& manage saddle discomfort!) 

I genuinely can't believe you give this info away for free.. This series with Neill has been so unbelievably helpful.

I'm a tall and broad rider. I noticed as in previous video I was heavy on my arms...numb Gooch and pins and needles in my Wang. Also my quads were overloading. With the suggestion of putting the seat right back/tilting forward slightly and then adjusting by 5mm every 20 mins ride... I found my comfort zone in all areas... Thanks invaluable advice and information 👍🏼

this series his truly enlightening and fascinating. neill might be the most insightful & knowledgeable bike fitters i've ever seen/heard of. his deep synthesis of biomechanical phenomena is so inspiring. has also given me so much practical advice with which to re-evaluate how i ride and how to respond to the various niggles in long/hard rides. thanks so much!

I've always been curious where to place the level on the saddle. This video definitely answered that question. Great content, thank you for putting this together for us. 👍

Excellent information. Having gone through multiple saddles and many adjustments this series is hands down the best. A+++++

Super helpful, I've been search for a comfortable saddle. I have a Selle similar to the shape on the right and after watching this video I was able to adjust it correctly and now it feels much more comfortable. Thanks for the information!!

I'm watching your whole video series about adjusting the saddle height and now tilt and realised that I got exactly the 612 Ergowave active mentioned. It is awesome. My mistake was that it requires to be tilted a _bit_ (1-2 degrees) backwards for greater comfort and it stacks up higher then a normal saddle does (0.5-1cm), but using the tips about slowly going lower with the saddle and a bit more back, it is now super comfortable.

I’ve got two bikes, both with different saddle profiles. I’ll be tweaking them both this weekend! Thanks for the video, very helpful.

This video was a game changer for me, introducing me to the Selle SMP Dynamic saddle. I am really impressed with Neill's pragmatic and analytical approach to fit and bike position.

The day this video popped up a few weeks ago my seat from SMP had just arrived (thanks to your previous vid) and I was staring at my bike wondering if I would ruin the fit by changing it. Perfectly timed! Thanks so much for the insights. I changed it but ended up seeing my bike fitter a few days later for minor adjustments. I went with the SMP F30C. It's small and able to slide around a bit. Sincerely appreciate your videos Cam. Cheers!

Returned to cycling after a decade or more. 35 kgs ago the saddle / bike was at one. Struggling ever since last year. Multiple saddles. No change on height yet weight onto the hands. Never had that. Realise weight impact but this video is excellent. Just ordered a SMP now. £54. Reviews are good. I’m hoping this will change the comfort as it’s ruining the rides. Although shook of 10 kgs now. Thank you for keeping it simple too !!

A MASSIVE thank you to both of you. Neil, I bought an SMP Drakon saddle a couple of years ago. My understanding was that the rear of the saddle should be level with the front. Well, I'm after destroying countless chamois, countless sores, and always had numbness in my fingers. Last week I adjusted the saddle tilt downwards in front by a width of a finger. All I can say is WOW. Game changer!!! No numbness in fingers, saddle so comfortable, and I can ride indoors 3hrs+ without any sores. So again, Neil, thank YOU so much. What a channel, what content you both provide. Thanks again!!!

Massive thank yous, to both you and Neil for these fantastically informative videos, they are gold....! Two of his suggestions has already paid me back in spades, saddle height and tilt, the genius is using the level at the front part of the saddle, where it is flat. Right from the first ride, it felt so much more comfortable and I felt my pelvis roll naturally and it felt very stable. Such a tiny thing, I used to use my level over the entire length of the saddle and it never felt right, now, it feels like I am welded into my fit, and that alone takes so much stress of the rest of me. Shout youse a beer next time I'mon the Sunny...!

Neil makes all FIT issues easy to understand and he alsocome sacross as very genuine and thoughtful about the advice he is providing.

Q: "Why would you want to tilt your saddle up?" A: "You wouldn't" (pause ...) A: "Unless you're riding a Brooks" The reason I clicked on here was that as a recent purchaser of a Brooks saddle, I find it most comfortable with a slight uptilt. Thanks for letting me know I'm quite normal!

13:13 just got one and what a difference !!! cycling for 35 years and it is the first time a fell really good on a saddle. THANKS !!!

Thank you Cam. These bike fit videos are great. I’m messing with my position and saddle tilt is what Ive been adjusting recently. I finally got my seat height, and seat for and aft. Now I’m messing with the tilt. Nice to hear from this guy so I understand what adjustments I need to make. Love these. Keep em coming.

Been loving these Neill collab videos. I'm hoping you two don't run out of things to talk about any time soon!

Love these series Cam!

When it comes to getting your bike fitted to you Neil's advice imo cannot be bettered, Thanks

Awesome content man, this guy knows his stuff.

Lots of value out of these videos. Thanks for making them!

That playlist idea was a great one! Thanks! Super helpful series it isn't a substitute for a pro bike fit but I ve had a few pro bike fits and people still need the knowledge to understand their body / bike. My tarmacs seat post drops slowly all the time so understanding that if my knee is hurting it might have dropped to far. I d personally love to see determining reach / Hood position and angle. But as a body of work I think you will need to add a video on the order of settings e.g. Set cleats first then saddle height next and then the bringing together or interrelation of biomechanics e. G. Saddle height up / down by 1cm is 3mm fore aft etc... Thanks again!

Love your videos. Wish I could get a fit with Neil… I had a Retul one and it doesn’t feel right. It’s immediately apparent that Neil is an absolute master of everything bike fit.

Some great info. I have changed some things just yesterday from these videos that have helped.

has been a great series Cam. Looking forward to your next series. Cheers

Excellent discussion! This guy is so good.

Amazing series! Great content Cam and thanks a lot for sharing this kind of information. There aren’t many bike fitters where I live and this videos have been life savers.

Neill nailed it again!

What a great channel for setting up a bike.

My mates always give me a hard time for the saddle tilt I have but anything less hurts the soft bits, this is the video I was looking for.

Just what I was looking for - many thanks for the tips. Been experiencing numbness after riding.

Your videos are a wealth of information. Thanks.

Best explained saddle correction video, I’ve seen, and have seen a lot. Thank you 👍 try it out on my brand new saddle!

Fantastic insights into the "right" way of setting up your bike for us mortals! Thank you :) Do a book and I would buy it so you can be compensated for your knowledge!!

This information is spot on, and it’s amazing how the slightest adjustment on the tilt up/down affect comfort.

What a goldmine of a video! I wish I had seen this 15 years ago!

man I am so grateful for your expertise! With time passed I got used to numb hands, overworked quads and sore lower back. You are absolutely right .....there is no set up that fits all as there is no size that fits all. The exception proof the rule. I adjusted the saddle tilt to a level position as well as 1 cm to the front. The effect was amazing. The hands are no longer numb, even after 3 hours on the track, a lot of load and thus fatigued was transferred to the hamstrings. And the best thing of all is, it does not cost any money, yet the bike has become the bike I always wanted it to be.

Loads of value out of these. Thanks for putting them out! So much value I just booked a bike fit with a UK fitter under the Steve Hogg umbrella. That sounds bad, but I'm not sure I expect to sort my bike out just by watching these. They basically made me appreciate the potential value of a professional bike fit.

just bought a Brooks saddle. Unreal comfort

Cam + Neill, these videos are amazing. Thank you!

This is some awesome useful information.

Great video Neil!! Good toy see you doing well

I have a similar Selle SMP saddle on my gravel bike. I decided to drop the bars and tweak the seat position to get a feel a bit more like my road bike. The seat just was not quite there. Tried the finger under the level thing in the video and it suggested I had the nose too low. Tilted it so the nose as up sufficiently for the finger gap to put the level horizontal and it rides much better.

Found your channel today for the first time. Liked & sub. Really like your approach. Well done.

Thanks for all the info, very insightful! Recently had a fit and changed to a Romin Evo, for various reasons my fit was split over two sessions but I had the saddle set to around 1.5 degrees downward tilt and got on really well with it, nice even spread of pressure and felt good. Fitter proceeded to tell me I set it up wrong in 2nd session and it should be 3* downward tilt... OK I thought, fair enough. The first few weeks after it just felt wrong, uncomfortable, felt like I was falling off the front, quads burning AND started getting sores. Eventually had enough and set it back to 1.5* and INSTANTLY felt better. He improved the rest of my fit, everything else felt more comfortable and just nicer but actually a tad annoyed he just changed it without considering me, ya know, the person sat on the thing! :D Keep up the good videos btw. :)

Excellent seat details. Every biker needs to know this.

Great video. Thank you.

Thanks and brilliant video

This is really helpful stuff....thanks.

Excelentes vídeos, gracias por compartirlos, tendrás alguno que puedas compartir, sobre las medidas de los stend y a que tipo de ciclista se ajusta, saludos

Great video. Thanks.

Another good vid Cam & Neill. I started using the Pro Stealth saddle after suffering from numbness during rides. (Mainly during longer climbs whilst staying in the saddle) It’s a great saddle, I highly recommend giving one a go. Cheers- Leroy.

Liked, bell rung everything. Great value video Cam. Bang on!

Great video. I replaced my saddle a couple of days ago and I kept sliding forward on my first ride. I watched this for proper setup and got the general idea. Despite have a level right next to my bicycle in the garage, I eyeballed it instead and took it out for a short ride to check. It was oh-so-close...I wasn't sliding forward but it felt like the nose was just slightly high, despite the nose appearing to be slightly below level. Which way to adjust? So...LOL, time for the level! Contrary to appearances, the nose was in fact slightly above level. I adjusted it to level and it feels about right. A long ride or two will surely allow me to dial it in further, should any minute adjustments be necessary.

Nice explanation. Thanks.

Great video

Hi to all, just an observation, I had numbness in my perineal pressure so I put some degrees forward to the seat and buy and an aero handlebar where my hands had more surface to stand on. It change it all, no perineal or wrist numbness, but had to strength my shoulders. Thanks for your videos.

Great video. I did a 100 mile ride a few weeks back and some areas of my man section are still a little numb now! I have a selle Italia gel flow but seriously considering a new saddle!

Ha, was waiting for this. My two cents - Level... level.. level. Don't do it to yourself, your seat needs to be level. That means the flat part of the saddle, not a spirit level from tip to tail. If you tip the nose down, your decending becomes scary AF, when you brake, your weight slides forward on the saddle, loading the bars and you hit the railing you are suddenly staring at. A great bike fit means you are balanced on the bike, you will notice how fast and confidently you descend. If descending is sketchy and scary, your bike fit is bad. When doing a fit, worry about two dimensions seat height and layback, don't add the third dimension of tilt, it will drive you f*ing nuts, trust me. Set the saddle level, then worry about seat height and layback. If your fit is correct, a level saddle will be right. If you feel you need tilt, your bike fit is wrong i.e. saddle height / layback. 99% of the time, it is not the tilt, it is the height or layback. Also, a level flat saddle enables movement on the saddle, i.e. when climbing moving back, when powering on the flat moving forward. If the tilt is not level, this becomes a nightmare. I like a lot of what Neal says, but SMP's encourage a one position riding style which tends to work for steady state endurance but not so much for punchy racing. Also, moving around on the saddle is great for pressure relief, so using a SMP on a trainer will send your soft tissue to sleep as it holds you firm in one spot. I envy anyone who got on a bike and has never had saddle issues. I've spent 5 years with some kind of saddle pain, seen Steve Hogg, tried 15+ different seats until only the last three months when I've finally nailed position and the right saddle for me. Great vids Cam and kudos to Neil for being a good sport.

All my road bikes have SQLabs saddles. Discovered them a few years ago. So comfy.

great info. thanks so much.

Thank you !

Wow this vid is timely. I've been doing a whole lot more on the bike trainer during this lockdown, and by gee the gooch is not happy. I've got a Fizik Alliante saddle and I need to try something else urgently. This Sq-Labs seat might be the answer.

After years of fiddling I’ve got it nailed for me. I use a spirit level and a 10mm Allen key. One end of the level sits just where the up curve at the back of the saddle takes off. The other end of the level sits on the Allen key which I place about an inch back from the nose of the saddle. When I’ve centred the bubble, I’ve hit my “saddle tilt sweetspot”. I use a similar approach to helping my friends. We go out for a ride then adjust to feel. With a range of Allen keys or other known size chocks we can dial in and have something that can be reproduced on other bikes. If a friend brings a new bike in to have his saddle set he just tells me its “an 8mm Allen key” or whatever his measurement was. Just remember to keep the bike on a horizontal floor when doing this!

Got myself an SMP Drakon about 6 years ago and from the first moment I was a massive fan. Fitted it according to the instructions and it was dead on immediately. After this I went on to buy the dynamic which has less padding. Dynamic now on my road bike and Drakon on my MTB. Started cycling with our son last year, and to try to get him as comfortable as possible on the bike I got him a Drakon as well. Again, the Drakon was a slam dunk. Got a SQlab, forgot the model now, on a trekking bike and that was for me one of the worst saddles ever. Also changed it for an SMP and it again made a world of difference. I don’t particularly like the design of the SMP saddles, but quite frankly - when they’re this comfy I don’t care what they look like anymore..

Thanks for the tips. Just bought a new bike & tha saddle is uncomfortable so I hope I can tweak it using your video. Nice dog. 🙂

Thanks for video ... very informative 👍... subscribed

Is there a video coming up on the topic "how to set your handlebar height" ??? Very Awesome series you're doing here. Thanks to Mr. Stanbury for for educating us.

Absolutely love my SQ Labs saddle. I used to get numb all the time, I have over 2200 miles on my SQ this includes a lot of seated indoor rides, and haven't gotten numb once.

The most difficult part for me is to maintain the forward-aft position and the tilt angle while tightening the bolts.

How about a show on saddle width? So many models come in multiple widths, now. I just bought a bike with a Bontrager Verse Pro. It came with the 145 mm wide seat. It seems way too wide and bumps me forward with every pedal stroke. I guess I should go down to the 135mm. Great explanation on how to adjust the new style saddle that is flat in front w/ a slight rise in the back.

cheers Cam

He is really good!!!!

Used to play with saddle,adjustments. Broken back stopped that. Now with a level perfectly level . Tiny slip my back hurts.level works for me

Excellent!!!!

Top content Cam. I can listen to Neil all day! What would be the preferred position when on a home trainer?

I have always felt like I was slipping forward just slightly and had a lot of pressure on my hands. Just made a slight tweak and hope this may help. Should know with one good trainer session that's at least an hour long.

Once again another informative video. Interesting to see him briefly mention the Brooks saddles as a few of the guys here ride them as they’re keen Audax riders. A quick question: how do you find the right saddle without buying heaps of wrong ones first?

In my opinion, saddle tilt and position should be set for optimal comfort “under heavy load”, not just a casual (upright) spin. I try and get my saddle dialed mostly for climbing, so I’m not falling off the back of it... and then find a balance for when I’m in an aero position trying to maintain top end speed.

Really appreciate this sort of information. I ride a hybrid (touring?) bike now due to back injuries. I'm curious as to how I would find myself someone who is specialised at helping me set up my bike properly. My bike store are happy to change the components around the handle bar as needed on my new bike but don't seem nuanced in what may be best for me personally. Cheers,

Love the bike fit videos. It's been a much needed resource that has since been missing Only problem now is deciding which saddle to try next: SMP or SQ labs

Very interesting - I had so much discomfort before getting an SMP saddle. Made the world of difference. Now I can go and enjoy my rides instead of dreading the pain afterwards!

Great video as always! Neill is that cool uncle everybody wants to talk to during Christmas dinner! What do you or Neill think of Ergon saddles? They did wonders for me!

thx for a great video! Finally, an in-depth video that covers so much. Still, though I struggle when riding indoors on my trainer. Same saddle same measurement as outdoor without any problems (Selle Flite Titanium). Indoor I can stay on the saddle at max an hour after that numbness in the pelvic area. Am I alone with that or? Been tweaking and tweaking. Any suggestion?

hi, thanks for the excellent video. Is it the case that if the saddle RAILS are level, then the saddle is level? In other words, could you level the rails to avoid trying to level the varied contours of the saddle itself? where to set the level on the saddle seems a bit arbitrary, but if it mirrors the rails, then you could use those....

Another excellent video. I had a look at some of those SQ Labs saddles and they're rated up to 90kg-100kg. Anything for those of us that are a little chunkier than that?

using the sq labs saddles for years now there are the best saddles on the market 👌👍

Great video! I have a Selle SMP Lite 209. If I orient it as described in the video, the extreme downward slant of the back half of the seat causes me to slide forward on the seat putting too much pressure on my arms and hands. For me, the only way to prevent this it to orient the seat so that when a board is placed on top of the seat it is dead level or even one degree tilted up. B/c I rarely ride on the drops, I can get away with this without any man region problems.

Thanks

Very interesting

The bike leaning against the wall has a LEVEL saddle, front to back!!!

Cinelli Unicanitor saddle can do that.. you can ride on the back of it and take almost all pressure of the front of your "regions". Great saddle that was designed years ago!

finally a video where he grazes the topic of perineum pressure. I actually got a tear towards my left side while riding a power saddle a few weeks ago and have barely been able to walk and wondering what my options to alleviate the inevitable soreness are likely going to be once I can ride again.

I love saddle tilt - it works out great on my MTB, it does not work at all on my roadbike - and believe me I tried!

Thank you for the idea of using a spirit level. I have learned my saddle has a tilt. Not to the front or back, but to the left side (right side up slightly). Guess my frame is bent?! It's AL. Can my LBS bend it the other way or am i screwed? lol

Excellent video! May I know where did you purchase that set of sleek wooden bicycle storage platform? =D

Very useful info, thank you. How about a video explaining butt position on the saddle when riding uphill, downhill and sprinting? Why / how do triathletes and climbers get more power while riding on the rivet (on the nose of the saddle)? I’ve tried it, and my power decreases.

The weird case of someone who is worse with a waved saddle was me. The solution I found was a flat, but much wider saddle. With the waved saddle's front level, I kept shifting to the wider swept up area for more support. This made me feel like I was slipping due to that extreme angle. Tilting it back so I sat better on that rear part meant the nose jabbed at me over a ride.

I've learned a lot from your bike fit videos and can't thank you enough for that. What I've REALLY learned is the value of a professional bike fit can not be underestimated! Which brings me to my question. Is there any certifying agency for "professional" bike fitters? It would be really nice to be able to access quality, certified advice for a bike fit without a lot of trial and error. BTW, I'm in the United States.