# saddle question in pursuit position



## solideric (Feb 9, 2014)

Hi guys
I dont know if you guys have noticed or not that most cycling pros sit on the nose of the saddle when they are in pursuit position (flat torso, 90 degree arm, 90 degree elbow and on the loops). They are sitting much forward relatively to the seatpost extension line.








And they are clearly sitting on the nose of saddle and most of them are using regular road bike saddle (like fizik antares, arione). For me, I feel like it is very painful and causing numbness by sitting on the nose with my soft tissue when I try to mimic their position (I use Specialized Toupe). But they can hold in this position for a long period of time. 
Can anyone explain this to me? Why can they hold a long time in this position? Do they feel uncomfortable?


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

if you do it long enough it doesn't hurt as much and you only use it @ certain times so a regular saddle is better overall. Old race saddles had a rivet at the nose and this position is where the term 'on the rivet' derives


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## foto (Feb 7, 2005)

When you're on the rivet, you are usually cranking a big gear putting in a big effort and a lot of your body weight is being supported by the pedals. No one sits like this when they are just riding along.


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## adjtogo (Nov 18, 2006)

Yeah, they may ride on the nose of the saddle, but I can bet they are impotent more than important. I have a saddle with the nose of the saddle drooped down. I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but my surgeon recommended it after having hernia surgery to relieve the pressure on the gonads. So far, it's worked fine. Probably the most comfortable saddle I've ever had. But looking at the way these professional riders are positioned, you can bet it puts a lot of pressure where pressure isn't meant to be.


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## Mr645 (Jun 14, 2013)

Also, strong riders put more force from their legs into the pedals, which translates into less weight on the saddle. So it is likely there is very little pressure on the saddle. They use the nose of the saddle mainly for controlling the bike, not for sitting. This position is half way into a standing attack


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## solideric (Feb 9, 2014)

foto said:


> When you're on the rivet, you are usually cranking a big gear putting in a big effort and a lot of your body weight is being supported by the pedals. No one sits like this when they are just riding along.


Thanks for the information. I will try this position.


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## solideric (Feb 9, 2014)

Your information is invaluable to me. I think I will get the feeling after I try this position.


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## stevesbike (Jun 3, 2002)

most riders don't use a standard road saddle. They use a time trial specific saddle like a prologo zero TT, fizik areas, or specialized sitero. Pro riders do this especially because UCI rules require a 5cm setback, which limits the steepness of the effective seat tube angle. But the saddles are also designed with a modified nose allowing more time to be spent on it.

Pesonally, I use a prologo nago evo ttr on my time trial bike, which took about 5 saddle trys - adamo is popular for its split nose but it was painful for me. The nago evo was designed with input from cancellara and now has a newer version (zero tt).

A time trial specific saddle is more comfortable than a road saddle and setup properly also allows for better power in a tt position. The prologo saddles also have grip built in, which prevents slipping (watch a video of Contador time trial and you'll see him 'hop' back on the saddle about every 5 seconds due to slipping forward). Racers use to put sandpaper over the cover to stop slipping, but it has since been disallowed.

By the way, the pic of Cancellara is not his time trial bike.


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## solideric (Feb 9, 2014)

stevesbike said:


> most riders don't use a standard road saddle. They use a time trial specific saddle like a prologo zero TT, fizik areas, or specialized sitero. Pro riders do this especially because UCI rules require a 5cm setback, which limits the steepness of the effective seat tube angle. But the saddles are also designed with a modified nose allowing more time to be spent on it.
> 
> Pesonally, I use a prologo nago evo ttr on my time trial bike, which took about 5 saddle trys - adamo is popular for its split nose but it was painful for me. The nago evo was designed with input from cancellara and now has a newer version (zero tt).
> 
> ...


thanks. I reason why I brought this up is because I want to achieve a aero position on my road bike like Fabian's position.
Do you also agree that when you are pushing big gear in aero position, most your weight is on the pedals not on the saddle, resulting in lower pressure between the sensitive part and saddle as opposed to neutral road bike position?


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## stevesbike (Jun 3, 2002)

pushing harder on the pedals may take some weight off the saddle, but it doesn't solve the issue, especially for larger riders. Also the rotated aero position lifts the pelvic bones and puts weight on soft tissues, so the design of the nose of the saddle becomes critical. 



solideric said:


> thanks. I reason why I brought this up is because I want to achieve a aero position on my road bike like Fabian's position.
> Do you also agree that when you are pushing big gear in aero position, most your weight is on the pedals not on the saddle, resulting in lower pressure between the sensitive part and saddle as opposed to neutral road bike position?


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