SetBack From Hell: Tall Guy's Workaround

My chronic problem with frames is the setback. Dunno if it's the
size 15 feet, the out-of-spec legs, or what... but my butt always
winds up perching on the rear edge of the saddle - regardless of
how far forward the handlebars are moved.

This is for somebody 6'5" tall, 36" inseam, unusually long shins,
and size 15 feet.

http://tinyurl.com/yl6xrd5

Looks like an abomination and a crime against Nature, I know.

But it works:

- The plum bob-below-kneecap-to-pedal-spindle thing
is right on the money.

- My sit bones are on the part of the seat that
they're supposed to - as opposed to the rivets
along the back edge of the seat.

- It *feels* right.

The Surly 1x1 frame was on sale for $250. Shipping plus
getting the BB chased/faced brought it to a little under $300.

Clearly a $2,000 custom frame would be technically superior- and
I've had a few of those - but I've got to say that this one
doesn't feel all that bad.

Bottom Line: If you're out towards the edge of the bell curve,
this approach might be worth considering. The setback appliance
cost $180 for two of them. It's basically a stoker's handlebar
stem on steroids.
--
PeteCresswell

In article ,
"(PeteCresswell)" wrote:

My chronic problem with frames is the setback. Dunno if it's the
size 15 feet, the out-of-spec legs, or what... but my butt always
winds up perching on the rear edge of the saddle - regardless of
how far forward the handlebars are moved.

This is for somebody 6'5" tall, 36" inseam, unusually long shins,
and size 15 feet.

http://tinyurl.com/yl6xrd5

Looks like an abomination and a crime against Nature, I know.

Just the thought of that weld failing....

--
"I wear the cheese, it does not wear me."

PeteCresswell wrote:

My chronic problem with frames is the setback. *Dunno if it's the
size 15 feet, the out-of-spec legs, or what... but my butt always
winds up perching on the rear edge of the saddle - regardless of
how far forward the handlebars are moved.

This is for somebody 6'5" tall, 36" inseam, unusually long shins,
and size 15 feet.

http://tinyurl.com/yl6xrd5

Looks like an abomination and a crime against Nature, I know.

But it works:

- The plum bob-below-kneecap-to-pedal-spindle thing
* is right on the money.

- My sit bones are on the part of the seat that
* they're supposed to - as opposed to the rivets
* along the back edge of the seat.

- It *feels* right.

The Surly 1x1 frame was on sale for $250. *Shipping plus
getting the BB chased/faced brought it to a little under $300.

Clearly a $2,000 custom frame would be technically superior- and
I've had a few of those - but I've got to say that this one
doesn't feel all that bad.

Bottom Line: If you're out towards the edge of the bell curve,
this approach might be worth considering. * The setback appliance
cost $180 for two of them. * It's basically a stoker's handlebar
stem on steroids.

Your photo link is broken for me.

I have faced a similar fit issue many times. Sometimes I address it
by fitting a longer fork to tip the frame back for a more suitable
seat angle, and this has the side effect of raising the BB a little
bit to suit long cranks.

My first resort when I decided I needed more setback was a gizmo
called a Torque Platform that was intended to retrofit an SR Laprade
post for tri-geeks by shifting the seat clamp forward. It worked
equally well turned around the other way. The offset was about 1.5",
and at one point I broke the bolt holding it to the seatpost.

The first setback seatpost I used was the Revcore Flagpole, a heat
treated chromoly post with 5" of setback, a pair of small triangular
gussets, and deep knurling on both ends. I mounted mine in an MTB
frame with a shim, and surprisingly the post never bent. This bike
has one:

http://bmxmuseum.com/bikes/se_racing/30528

My next iteration was a post I made by turning the end of a five-foot
aluminum rod with a long taper down to a 22.2mm section, then clamping
the thin portion in wood block in a firmly mounted vise and bending
it. The background bike in this photo is fitted with that post:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8pxqMHNBvlg/S2...F3M/bikes..JPG

Note that the foreground bike in the photo has a longer than stock
fork, resulting in 70 degree parallel frame angles for decent natural
setback.

Since then, I mostly try to accomplish the same thing by tilting the
frame back slightly. Nowadays, that would be as easy as using a
longer suspension (or suspension-corrected) fork, up to a 29er fork as
necessary.

Chalo

Per Tim McNamara:
Looks like an abomination and a crime against Nature, I know.

Just the thought of that weld failing....

Well-placed concern.

I've had a ThudBuster and two GravityDropper seatposts fail.

The first GravityDroper was inconsequential: a graceful failure
where it folded slowly - plenty time to react and adapt.

The ThudBuster could have killed me if it happened in traffic or
leaning through a turn - it was like "BANG!" and there I was
hugging the handlebars and getting a *lot* more intimate with the
top tube than anybody wants to be.

The second GravityDropper was about 2/3 as bad.

Dunno the manner in which the welds on this thing would fail -
hopefully not so suddenly.... but it looks to me like it's way
overbuilt - kind of like those frames (Surly Instigator, for
instance) that are made for abusive jumping. Rightly or
wrongly, failure never entered my mind.

--
PeteCresswell

On Feb 4, 10:49*pm, "(PeteCresswell)" wrote:
My chronic problem with frames is the setback. *Dunno if it's the
size 15 feet, the out-of-spec legs, or what... but my butt always
winds up perching on the rear edge of the saddle - regardless of
how far forward the handlebars are moved.

This is for somebody 6'5" tall, 36" inseam, unusually long shins,
and size 15 feet.

http://tinyurl.com/yl6xrd5

Looks like an abomination and a crime against Nature, I know.

But it works:

- The plum bob-below-kneecap-to-pedal-spindle thing
* is right on the money.

- My sit bones are on the part of the seat that
* they're supposed to - as opposed to the rivets
* along the back edge of the seat.

- It *feels* right.

The Surly 1x1 frame was on sale for $250. *Shipping plus
getting the BB chased/faced brought it to a little under $300.

Clearly a $2,000 custom frame would be technically superior- and
I've had a few of those - but I've got to say that this one
doesn't feel all that bad.

Bottom Line: If you're out towards the edge of the bell curve,
this approach might be worth considering. * The setback appliance
cost $180 for two of them. * It's basically a stoker's handlebar
stem on steroids.
--
PeteCresswell

If you're going to ride that bike into town and leave it outside your
office, you'd better grunge it up a lot, Pete. It looks far too good
not to be stolen.

I ran my finger up from the rear hub to the back of the saddle and it
looks like, even with that setback, all your weight will be within the
wheelbase, which has to be good.

I also love the rise on your handlebars, in fact a lot of the details
of your bike.

Andre Jute
A little, a very little thought will suffice -- John Maynard Keynes
Sure, but the example of a guy who knows what he's doing save a lot
of head-scratching -- Andre Jute

Chalo wrote:
PeteCresswell wrote:

http://tinyurl.com/yl6xrd5


Your photo link is broken for me.


I thought so too, until I clicked on "Bikes" under "Album"
on the left side of the page...


--
Tad McClellan
email: perl -le "print scalar reverse qq/moc.liamg\100cm.j.dat/"

(PeteCresswell) wrote:
My chronic problem with frames is the setback. Dunno if it's the
size 15 feet, the out-of-spec legs, or what... but my butt always
winds up perching on the rear edge of the saddle - regardless of
how far forward the handlebars are moved.

This is for somebody 6'5" tall, 36" inseam, unusually long shins,
and size 15 feet.

http://tinyurl.com/yl6xrd5

Looks like an abomination and a crime against Nature, I know.

But it works:

It's odd, I'm 5" taller, one shoe size bigger, and 2" longer in the
inseam, and I usually wind up with my saddle mounted on the middle of
the rails. Even then, I prefer bikes with longer chain stays (e.g.
touring frames) so I don't wind up with a "wheelie" bike. I generally
use a long reach (~130mm) stem and the widest bars I can find. The only
thing that might be a little different, either in my proportions or
posture, is that I tend to pedal "toe down", not level footed. I don't
break seat posts, clamps or saddle rails, but I have broken a stem, and
2 head tubes.

http://sheldonbrown.com/bike-screens...eDSCN4970.html

Per Chalo:
Your photo link is broken for me.

Me too. "The specified media does not exist."

Try this one: http://tinyurl.com/ybjw7cn
--
PeteCresswell

Per Andre Jute:
If you're going to ride that bike into town and leave it outside your
office, you'd better grunge it up a lot, Pete. It looks far too good
not to be stolen.

Rohloff hub? Left outside in The City?

No way Jose'... -)
--
PeteCresswell

Per Peter Cole:
It's odd, I'm 5" taller, one shoe size bigger, and 2" longer in the
inseam, and I usually wind up with my saddle mounted on the middle of
the rails. Even then, I prefer bikes with longer chain stays (e.g.
touring frames) so I don't wind up with a "wheelie" bike. I generally
use a long reach (~130mm) stem and the widest bars I can find. The only
thing that might be a little different, either in my proportions or
posture, is that I tend to pedal "toe down", not level footed. I don't
break seat posts, clamps or saddle rails, but I have broken a stem, and
2 head tubes.

http://sheldonbrown.com/bike-screens...eDSCN4970.html


Broken a stem? I get scared just thinking about that one....

That's a custom frame, right? 27 or 28 inches?

I wonder if the size of the frame gets you to the same place I'm
kludging myself into.

Does the plumb bob hung from under the kneecap wind up over the
pedal spindle for you on that bike?


Few weeks ago, this guy unloaded on me for about a half hour
about his *daughter* (all the women in the family have been tall
going back several generations) who is 6'8" tall.

After hearing that I'll never whine about being too tall again.
--
PeteCresswell