Seat position: MTB versus hybrid/road

[Chris71]

I finally got my Sub 5 patched up at the weekend and took it for a brief, non-taxing ride round the local trails yesterday. Today I feel like I lost a fight to Chuck Norris. My arms seemed to be stretched out practially straight when I was riding, my lower back ached almost immediately and it used a completely different set of leg muscles; the MTB putting more stress on the underside of my thighs (for want of a better description), while the mountain bike concentrated it around the knees.

The seat may have been fractionally higher than before, but basically that was riding in the same that I used to cover miles and miles on the mountain bike until about a year ago. I've since been riding the road bike (well, mtb-style hybrid) a lot. So what's wrong? Am I riding the mtb with a fundamentally wrong seat position or is it just different/unfamiliar?

[Parrot of Doom]

Well your arms shouldn't be outstretched, they should be slightly bent. First things first, make sure your saddle is at the correct height. You should be easily able to reach the bars, if they're too far away your frame might be on the large side, or the stem may be too long. It might even be the case that the bars aren't rotated enough toward you (if they're cowhorn shaped).

[Chris71]

The weird thing is it felt fine before. The frame was sized up for me by a competent bike shop when I first got it and it was ridden very effectively for four years or so until I got into this commuting lark. Now after nearly a year without riding it suddenly seems very alien.

I did raise the seat quite significantly when I started riding the other day. Maybe the angle of the seat post and the lowish bar position is what caused the stretch?

[pdV6]

If you've been riding a hybrid for a while, I bet you're fully used to the more relaxed riding position.

Maybe it's time to emulate that position a bit on the Sub5... perhaps a shorter, higher-rise stem and higher-rise bars? Plus, check that the seatpost isn't too high (your hips shouldn't be rocking side-to-side as you pedal).

Also, if you have a post with a layback clamp, consider switching to an in-line one to shorten the cockpit a bit more.

[Chris71]

Had another brief ride this morning. Dropping the saddle definitely gives a better upper body position and is closer to the sort of height I used to run it at I reckon, however my legs feel more bent than they do on the hybrid.