Bike sizing

[JoeBlow]

Just taken delivery of an Orbea Wild FS H20 with 29" wheels. It's a large which is right for my height but compared to my Trek Powerfly FS (27.5 wheels) it feels big. There is also a longer dropper post than I'm used to which adds to the height. When I sit on it with heels on the pedals it's as it should be with the post fully extended i.e. a slight bend in the knee when the pedal is at the bottom. The problem is my toes do not reach the floor. Will this be a problem? I've found that I can release the seat to a height that does allow my toes to touch down but is this a common way of using a dropper? On my last bike it was just a case of fully up or fully down. It felt a little intimidating to ride at first but I have got used to it. When I was a kid I remember toes just touching the ground was a measure of a good bike fit.

Al

 

[Mteam]

Getting the saddle height right for pedalling is the most important aspect imo . You probably can't touch the floor when the saddle is at the right height for pedalling because of the very short cranks on the orbea.but you shouldn't be miles away from being able to touch the floor.

You'll get used to either jumping off the saddle when you stop and standing straddling the top tube, or lowering the dropper post as you stop.

If it's a real problem you could lower the post a little to find a compromise between pedalling height and being able to touch the floor( I guess super efficient pedalling is not so important on an ebike), or maybe try longer cranks, but then this will bring increased pedal strikes, or thinner pedals if yours are very wide are you just a few millimeters away from being able to touch the floor.

Other reasons that could cause this are if you don't have the right amount of sag set on the front and rear suspension, check you have approx 30% sag front and rear,.

 

[JoeBlow]

I was just about to add that the cranks are shorter, adding to the higher sitting position feeling. I did manage on a 20 mile ride yesterday to correctly judge the amount of rise in the dropper with which I felt comfortable. I was curious as to how common this practice was. I had considered shorter cranks on my Trek to minimise pedal strikes but I never gave any thought to the change in position this would create. Obvious really but I'm fairly new to all this and still learning.

Al

 

[Mteam]

If your suspension has way too much air in it(like no sag at all), it could cause this, so worth checking your sag is correct before messing with the saddle height.

 

[JoeBlow]

Sag is correct as per the Fox info.

Al

 

[flash]

I can't touch the floor with my toes on any of my bikes if my riding set up is correct. Lowering the dropper has become second nature to me when I need to stand over the bikes.

Gordon

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

When I sit on it with heels on the pedals it's as it should be with the post fully extended i.e. a slight bend in the knee when the pedal is at the bottom. The problem is my toes do not reach the floor. Will this be a problem?

With the correct saddle height to achieve optimum pedal power, you will always struggle to reach the floor. This is more or less normal while still seated on ANY bike - FS or Hardtail, Manual or eBike. The old-school technique (no dropper post) when coming to a stop is to always eventually lean the bike slightly over to the side you want to put a foot down. So at a stand still, one foot on the ground, the other foot still on the opposite pedal, with the bike tilted off to one side. I know it seems that I'm just stating the obvious, but I see riders struggle with this all the time - especially when re-mounting their bike while trying to get one leg over a high saddle on an uprightly held bike. All they have to do is lean the bike over their way (about 30° - 45°) and straddle the bike easily... but somehow don't.

I've found that I can release the seat to a height that does allow my toes to touch down but is this a common way of using a dropper?

And yes it's common (well to me anyway), dropping a dropper post isn't just for downhill sections. I always drop my post while slowing down for a stop... I do it instinctively now. I'll never go back to a fixed post. Funny thing was, I used to think dropper posts were just a gimmick!

 

[alan_sh]

The issue I found with dropper posts is that you can't then attach anything to the tubes, such as lights or a rack.

Unless I'm missing something?

Alan

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

The issue I found with dropper posts is that you can't then attach anything to the tubes, such as lights or a rack.

Unless I'm missing something?

Alan

Yep, I have the same problem... Tail Light in particular. It can be attached to the upper most part of the dropper sleeve (not the stanchion part), but it's to low to be effective as the tyre gets in the way of on coming traffic as viewed from the rear... so I've taken it off. There are tail lights that are designed to be attached to the under-backside of the saddle or the back of the helmet, but I've never been bothered enough to get one to try out. Looking for one now...

 

[Gary]

Try googling Xlite 100 bike lights.

 

[flash]

In traffic I have two rear lights. An exposure light attached to my outer seat stay and a Cyclic camera/light on my seat tube, which is a dropper. My dropper isn’t inserted enough that I can’t see the light from behind. Even most cheap lights have a clip to attach to a jersey or backpack.

I don’t see how a dropper interferes with a rack, unless it’s one of those seat tube only atttachments. There are plenty of racks that work with a dropper and even rear suspension as well.

Gordon

 

[JoeBlow]

Thanks for the reassuring replies. My toes just and I mean just touched the ground on my previous bike so it came as a bit of a surprise to me. I've no idea why, I've gone from 27.5 to 29" wheels and the dropper post is longer. Standing side by side the difference looks fairly insignificant but it definitely feels much higher than it looks.

Al

 

[Mteam]

Wheels shouldnt make any difference because the bottom bracket will be lower relative to the axle - assuming you have your sag set right (which you say you have)

dropper post length shouldnt make any difference as long as you can get it into an efficient pedalling position.

It could also be because of a steep seat tube angle on the new bike versus the old,combined with the shorter cranks and possibly thicker pedals. I'd say you'll get used to either jumping off the saddle, lowering the saddle or leaning the bike over, it is normal though (assuming your feet arnt many centimetres away from the floor.) .

I dont know how far my feet are from the floor - it doesnt even register - I'll go and check now

My wife rides my old bike and she complains of the same issue - but its just because shes not used to riding a bike with the seat at an optimimum pedalling height and using the dropper post- on her old bike she used to have the saddle set so she could have both feet flat on the ground while sat on the saddle (but moaned about it being hard to pedal), but it meant her pedalling position was miles from optimal- but she didnt care she preferred to be able to put both feet flat rather than have optimal pedalling. I'm hoping she'll get used to it, but I think I'll get fed up of the moaning soon and she'll lower the saddle again, and then she'll switch to moaning about it being too hard to pedal instead......sigh

 

[Mteam]

Just checked, with the seat at pedalling height my toes cant touch the floor, they are maybe 2-5mm(hard to tell) away at full stretch.

So its normal, you'll get used to it, either by lowering the saddle , jumping off it, or leaning the bike - I think I lower the saddle, but cant be certain as I hadnt even registered that I do anything special when I stop/start.

 

[slippery pete]

160mm travel on the new bike instead of 130mm travel on the old bike. The bike rides higher above the ground to keep adequate clearance at the deepest suspension travel..

If keeping bum on saddle when coming to rest, drop the dropper post. If not keeping bum on saddle, no need to drop dropper post. When starting up again, if riding seated, raise dropper all the way up to pedalling height. Tippy-toes is not a way of sizing or fitting a bike - this was always wrong but was only ever applied for bikes that did not have suspension at all.

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

The issue I found with dropper posts is that you can't then attach anything to the tubes, such as lights or a rack.

Unless I'm missing something?

Alan

Try googling Xlite 100 bike lights.

I had a look at the attachment bracket of the Xlite100 but unfortunately it won't work either. My Selle TRK SMP saddle has a weird rail shape that won't allow it to be attached. Thanks for the tip anyway. It's a really nice USB unit that works nicely on more conventional saddle rails.

Then I thought why don't I just attach my existing light to the very top of the dropper post? I had a few concerns before:
a) that the clamp might wreck the dropper seal (but it's a plastic clamp with a bit that sticks out and stops it from hitting the seal, so it won't)...
b) that the saddle won't drop as much (but it drops far too low than I'd like it to anyway)... and
c) that the rear tyre might hit it on full shock compression - but it doesn't (for my Giant Trance anyway).

So I guess depending on the clamping type and material of the lights, there's no real reason why it can't be done but YMMV.

 

[Gary]

WTAF is wrong with Emtb owners when it comes to fitting lights?



a cheap stretchy silicone LED light could be fitted over the daft SMP badge on your saddle. or on your seatstays. or on the non moving portion of the dropper.around the actual seat clamp or even a combination of those positions seeing as they're so cheap.

Clicky here

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

WTAF is wrong with Emtb owners when it comes to fitting lights?



a cheap stretchy silicone LED light could be fitted over the daft SMP badge on your saddle. or on your seatstays. or on the non moving portion of the dropper.around the actual seat clamp or even a combination of those positions seeing as they're so cheap.

Clicky here

Believe me I've searched... but never came across those lights before!

They're nice...