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I have seen a few people do this where their saddle was angled down a bit. Why would someone do that?

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  • In what circumstance? Are these few people commuters or racers?
    – user313
    Commented Feb 16, 2012 at 22:43
  • 1) Because they like it that way. 2) Because the clamp bolt is loose and the seat keeps tilting forward. 3) Because the clamp will only adjust in 15-degree increments.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Commented Feb 17, 2012 at 0:19
  • I was recently told it was a roadie thing, that angling the nose down was for sprinting/speed while angling the nose up was for better hill climbing.
    – OMG Ponies
    Commented Feb 17, 2012 at 5:02
  • I only really have numbness on sustained climbs. I suspect that a slight further forward tilt of the saddle might solve that there but not so much on the flats. If so it would be great if there was a mechanism that would allow one to make that small adjustment "on the fly" while riding.
    – user14628
    Commented Dec 4, 2014 at 0:34

8 Answers 8

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In general, I don't know why one would do this. Especially men.

Here's what Sheldon Brown has to say, and I tend to agree: "If the saddle is tilted down in front, the rider will tend to slide forward onto the narrower part of the saddle. Women who are riding on saddles that were designed for men frequently tilt their saddles down. This will relieve some of the discomfort from the saddle itself, but creates new problems: The downward slope of the saddle causes the rider to tend to slide forward, and this can only be counteracted by pressure on the hands. Thus, poorly-angled saddles often are the cause of wrist, shoulder and neck problems, due to carrying too much of the rider's weight on the hands."

Lennard Zinn mentions that a "very slight" tilt in either direction may be optimal for some riders; but no more than ~2 degrees. Basically the same reasons that Sheldon Brown mentions. The downward forward tilt adds pressure on the arms, back, and shoulders due to sliding forward.

You want your "sit bones" to be on the widest part of the saddle. If you slide forward, the pressure will shift from the sit bones to the perineum; and that's probably a bad thing. There are special cases for tilting the saddle nose downward; but for the general rider it's not necessary.

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  • Sometimes, specially if the saddle is very "aft" in the fore-aft position, you can counteract sliding forward with action on the legs, specially if the bike is meant to ride fast and pedal hard. Sometimes yet, if the handlebar is very low, the very flexion on the torso already relieves some weight from the hands (It's counter-intuitive, but I have the impression I already felt this way on a bike).
    – heltonbiker
    Commented Feb 17, 2012 at 12:04
  • 1
    @heltonbiker - As mentioned: "...special cases for tilting the saddle nose downward, or upward for that matter" and "In general..." Saddle tilt is probably one of the very last items for achieving a good bike fit.
    – user313
    Commented Feb 23, 2012 at 6:09
  • Now measure a two degree tilt on something that is curved, LOL!
    – Kaz
    Commented Jun 13, 2014 at 23:38
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I had some saddles that in some bikes were best with a slight tilt down, otherwise they would crush my perineum.

One of my current saddles (Brooks) is tilted nose-up, otherwise it is very uncomfortable because I feel thrown forward.

In the end, I think it depends on:

  • Rider's anatomical shape;
  • Saddle shape (in case of a leather saddle, might change over time);
  • Overall position of the bike (if you put the saddle on different bikes, optimal tilt might vary;
  • Cruise speed of the bike. If you pedal hard, tilt down might be fine. If you pedal slowly and upright, most probably tilt down would be very uncomfortable.
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5

Tilting the saddle forward relieves lower back pain.

Don't take my word for it; here is a clinical trial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine: http://m.bjsm.bmj.com/content/33/6/398.short

They tilt the saddle forward a lot (10-15 degrees), and show big improvements in back pain. I had this problem and it worked for me. If you look at the spine position drawings it's pretty obvious why: tilting forward means your back doesn't have to round so much. Though 10-15 degrees is a bit extreme I think. 5-7 degrees was enough for me.

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  • Can you give the full reference to the paper in the British Journal of Sports Medicine so I can look it up? The link isn't working for me.
    – tvandenbrande
    Commented Dec 4, 2014 at 8:28
  • 2
    "Effect of changing the saddle angle on the incidence of low back pain in recreational bicyclists." M Salai, T Brosh, A Blankstein, A Oran, A Chechik. Br J Sports Med, published online August 30, 2012
    – alzy
    Commented Dec 8, 2014 at 10:37
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I tilt the seat down slightly to make it much more comfortable for me to ride, When the seat is horizontal, I find I end up with pain from that narrow part of the seat pressing where it shouldn't. Tilting the seat down means that I am only in contact with the slightly wider part of the seat.

The way I have my bars set up means there is no possibility of sliding forwards on the seat.

While my bike is a road racer, with bars and seat set up accordingly, I use it for commuting - about 35 miles a day.

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  • I do this as well, tilting the saddle forward a hair so that I have to push up with my legs just a little tiny bit to stay on the saddle. I find this to be a good balance between comfort and discomfort on the delicate areas.
    – Goodbye Stack Exchange
    Commented Mar 17, 2012 at 9:33
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Quite a few bike messengers tilt their saddle forward a little bit. Personally, I do it because if you're riding a long distance, it will put more weight on your arms, tilt you forward, make you more aerodynamic, it's better for speed, and it takes the weight off of your "sensitive areas". There are some pretty interesting studies about riders with perineum numbness. Tilting the saddle forward will help relieve the stress on the mentioned area, and put more of it on the sitting area. BE CAUTIOUS: this will put considerably more stress on the arms and shoulders. Be prepared. As with anything else, your body will adapt naturally after a while.

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1

For time trialing, or other riding where the rider will be in a very aggressive position for extended periods of time, a slight tilt forward can relieve unnecessary pressure on the perineum.

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I have what most people would call an extreme forward tilt on my saddle. I use a racing saddle with a large cut out. The reason I use this angle is to stop me getting pressure on the perenium. I have been riding like this for around twenty years to the derision of "experts" wherever I go.

I recently rode the new forest epic. My first sportive with no training in 6.01 with no ill effects and no nasty numb areas. I sit on the top wide edge of the seat and the nose drops away at that point and makes no contact with sensitive areas. My riding position is aggressive but feels comfortable with my body almost acting like a stressed member with weight spread between between balls of feet on pedals, hands on hoods and bum on top edge of saddle.

I understand there may well be loads of studies done on bike fit and there may well be a bible on the ultimate riding position, but maybe more time should be spent looking at "people"in relation to bike fit.

I love riding my bike. I have a reasonably decent boardman roadbike. I do not own a car so I use my bike to commute, for recreation and fitness. I love my wacky but effective riding position!!!?

Enjoy your riding everyone:-)

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Because I like it that way. Tried the tilted down position many years ago and have never had any reason to change it.

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