First electric ride in... 11 months..and cadence question

[morphix]

I've just rode my electric bike for the first time in almost a year.. felt so strange and loads of fun! I forgot to post something at the Post Office earlier, so rather than leave a customer disappointed I decided to drop it in at the sorting office.. the battery had been fully charged a few weeks ago but not used of course.. It's 2.5 miles to the sorting office so I set off on throttle at full power pedalling a bit now and then.. then on the return leg I put it into pedal assist mode at the highest power level and pedalled back at a nice leisurely pace. Such a difference after riding unpowered the last two weeks..just gliding along and loving every minute..really missed riding my bike I will probably suffer from it with my knee tomorrow but I'm dosed up on painkillers now so I didn't feel anything. Was worth it anyway! Surprisingly mild out for the time of year. The battery on my bike felt as the same as when I last used it, no drop in power or performance, in fact it seemed even more powerful than usual as though the rest had done it good!....on the way back it was dropping down a bar (80%) on the hills but came back to 100% on the flat...and when I got back it was still showing 100% charge..I don't think the basic indicator on my LCD console is too reliable though.

As I was coming back this guy zoomed in front of me (without giving way) in lycra shorts! and took this steep hill like it was nothing...even with me at full power and pedalling he still managed to stay well ahead and kept on widening the space..some people are seriously fit!

I noticed the seat on my 26" is quite low as when I'm sitting on it my feet were completely flat on the ground.. I decided to higher it so that I could just reach the floor with the tips of my shoes and that provided a much better cadence..it seemed to take the strain off my knees.

Is that the right thing to do, have the seat just high enough so that you can touch the floor with the tips of your feet but not flat on the ground?

 

[RobF]

Usual saddle height advice is to set the saddle so that your leg is fully extended with your heel on the pedal.

Obviously, you cycle with the ball of your foot on the pedal, but the heel method gives about the right height for most people.

 

[alfie]

I have my seat even higher. Can't touch the floor with both feet from the seat. Have to move off seat to stop. Not so high that their is slightest stretch in hips so they go side to side.

 

[funkylyn]

Sounds like you had fun Paul....just keep taking the pills lol

And yes, I always understood that the optimum height was when your toes or ball of your foot touched the ground when stopped.

( and yes, some people ARE seriously fit.........b******s )

Lynda

 

[RobF]

And yes, I always understood that the optimum height was when your toes or ball of your foot touched the ground when stopped.

The problem with this method is some pedals are set further forward than others, depending on the geometry of the frame.

An extreme example is this Gazelle, which is designed for the rider's feet to be flat on the ground when stopped:

BALANCE INNERGY (2012) - ELECTRIC BICYCLE

Incidentally, the bike is in their UK catalogue which I can't see online.

Cost is about £2K, depending on the size of battery.

 

[funkylyn]

The problem with this method is some pedals are set further forward than others, depending on the geometry of the frame.

An extreme example is this Gazelle, which is designed for the rider's feet to be flat on the ground when stopped:

BALANCE INNERGY (2012) - ELECTRIC BICYCLE

Incidentally, the bike is in their UK catalogue which I can't see online.

Cost is about £2K, depending on the size of battery.

Wow.....now thats an interesting position

Would love to hear from anyone who has tried it.......looks strange but could be comfortable ?

Lynda

 

[flecc]

Is that the right thing to do, have the seat just high enough so that you can touch the floor with the tips of your feet but not flat on the ground?

That is exactly what I've always found best on various bikes, it seems to be a good compromise setting.

 

[Geebee]

Lynda, the foot forward or relaxed geometry bikes are very comfortable and great when stopping regularly as putting your feet on the ground is very easy and comfortable.
They do have one drawback in that you can't develop full pedaling power but with electric assist it is not an issue.
I have not ridden the Gazelle but have ridden several others.

Best rough guide to getting a starting point on seat height is to set your seat height with your leg straight and your heel on the pedal as others have stated, I usually end up a few mm higher after trial and error.

 

[funkylyn]

Lynda, the foot forward or relaxed geometry bikes are very comfortable and great when stopping regularly as putting your feet on the ground is very easy and comfortable.
They do have one drawback in that you can't develop full pedaling power but with electric assist it is not an issue.
I have not ridden the Gazelle but have ridden several others.

Best rough guide to getting a starting point on seat height is to set your seat height with your leg straight and your heel on the pedal as others have stated, I usually end up a few mm higher after trial and error.

Yes I can imagine it being quite relaxing , but probably not for me as I am more often cycling at top speed and pushing myself to go faster.

I have to admit I have never seen that style before but when meandering it could be really comfortable.

Maybe when Im 80

Lynda

 

[alemanyorks]

This is a good read on the subject, also covers heights etc.

A Comfortable Bicycle Saddle

 

[morphix]

If you always ride with your saddle too low, you get used to it, and don't realize that there is a problem...but there is. Riding with the saddle too low is like walking with your knees bent (as Groucho Marx often did for comedic effect.) If you walked that way all the time, you'd also get used to that, but you'd think that half a mile was a long walk. The way the human leg is made, it is strongest when it is nearly straight.

I like to think that William Blake summed it up nicely 200 years ago when he said:

"You never know what is enough
until you know what is too much."

I suggest gradually raising your saddle, perhaps half an inch (1 cm) at a time. Each time you raise it, ride the bike. If it doesn't feel noticeably worse to ride, ride it for at least a couple of miles/km.

If it had been too low before, your bike will feel lighter and faster with the new riding position. If raising the saddle improved things, raise it again, and ride some more. Keep doing this until the saddle is finally too high, then lower it just a bit.


When the saddle is too high, you'll have to rock your hips to pedal, and you'll probably feel as if you need to stretch your legs to reach the bottom part of the pedal. Another indication that the saddle may be too high is if you find yourself moving forward so that you are sitting on the narrow front part of the saddle. (Although this symptom can also result from having the saddle nosed down, or having an excessive reach to the handlebars.) [Or from increasing fitness, so you are pedaling harder. In this case,you might need to move the saddle slightly forward. -- John Allen]

That's exactly been my experience..once I raised the saddle a couple of inches or so, pedalling become easier and seemed more efficient...the ride felt altogether different and my riding position changed. I'm interested now to try it higher next time and find the optimal level.. my Mezzo saddle post is marked with heights so that's a quick handy way to just go straight to your optimal height.

 

[geostorm]

This is a good read on the subject, also covers heights etc.

A Comfortable Bicycle Saddle

I remember way back in the club days it was always advised to position your foot under pedal with leg straight, that being best around placement , by having your feet flat on ground and sitting on saddle would give you sore knees after a while.