Pedal stack height

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Erik Nordenson on August 22, 2010 at 5:12am

Cross bike is not a road bike. Set it up for cross.

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Permalink Reply by Mr. President on August 22, 2010 at 5:54am

maybe in a bit more specific terms, setting up your cross bike like your road bike seems like a good idea, but you do not ride your road bike like a cross bike. Terrain and jumping on and off. Look to go a cm or two lower on saddle height and maybe one in reach from tip of saddle to center of stem...at least t is a good starting point. The efforts you put into your cross bike in a race or training will not be the same as on the road.

Your body will not be damaged with a higher pedal stack height, lower saddle, etc.

Just give it a shot and work from there.

Good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Chris Mayhew on August 22, 2010 at 6:40am

i'd leave it alone. you want a slightly shorter saddle on the 'cross bike.

http://www.cycle-smart.com/articles/find.php?search=31

moreover, saddle height is a range, not an exact number.
see here for more on that, specifically post number forty six.
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=1163166#1163166

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Permalink Reply by barry davies on August 22, 2010 at 11:10am

your leg length and arm length and body length is the same whether on a road bike or a cross bike, its impossible to set it up like your road bike because the cross frame geometry is not the same.
start by setting the front of your saddle 1/2 inch further back behind the bottom bracket than on a road bike.
then get 2 pieces of welding rod. the first one is cut to the length of the front of the saddle to the back of your handlebars on your road bike.
the second, from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the saddle by the front.
the other measurement you need is the height of the top of the bars below the top of the saddle height
always remember to set the saddle parrallel to the ground with your race wheels in and the tyres at the same pressure.
using your 2 cut welding rods and the saddle to bars drop, transfer them onto your cross bike. then its a case of fine tuning the saddle height bar height and h/bar stem length. 1/8th inch can make enormous difference to saddle/bar height length, also thick shorts padding have the same effect.

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Permalink Reply by MM on August 24, 2010 at 1:15pm

Ideally, your cross bike should be a bit smaller than your road unit. The statement that you can run your seat a cm or two lower without damaging yourself is possibly the dumbest thing I've heard today. Sure, maybe 5mm lower or so is fine, but 15-20mm will jack up your knees. Ask me how I know...

Run the cockpit shorter for more control. Run your bars a bit higher for the same reason. Your seat height should be pretty close to the same as your road bike. It will feel 'smaller', as your bars are closer to you and higher...

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Permalink Reply by Paul on August 26, 2010 at 11:28am

I finally got my cross bike professionally fit a couple weeks ago. I'm very glad I had it done since I had it more like my road bike in the past. An article from today's Velonews summarizes the primary changes/differences....

http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/08/news/velonews-training-cente...

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Permalink Reply by MM on August 26, 2010 at 12:14pm

http://www.cycle-smart.com/articles/find.php?search=31

Here's the word from a pro...Adam Myerson, if you're curious...

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Permalink Reply by Ohio Farmer on August 26, 2010 at 1:24pm

get someone to measure the "flex" or bend in your knee on your road bike and transfer that to your cross bike.
That might be a good starting point for your cross bike.
But your cross bike set up should not be exactly the same, at least in my opinion.
Mine are close but there are some areas that should be different.

wobblenaught.com
or
try the Specialized fit - which is very good.

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