# saddle to bar measurement



## arinowner (Feb 25, 2008)

I was looking at different measurements of the pro's bikes and came across this article on Contador's bike. Doesn't the distance from saddle to bars seem alittle long for someone his height? Looking at the geometry for his Madone, he must have alot of setback in the seatpost (mast or whatever Trek calls it) area. I would be curious to see what the saddle to bottom bracket offset measurement is.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/alberto-contadors-astana-trek-6-series-madone


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## Eric_H (Feb 5, 2004)

IMO, that number is kind of a useless measurement. Different saddles have different lengths, and Contador is not riding an exceptionally long saddle (SLR, 270 mm). If he still rode the Concor his saddle tip-handlebar number would be even longer because the Concor is shorter yet. His seat mast does have some good offset to it, not sure if that is stock, plus his saddle is quite far back on the rails (even past "STOP"). A better number would be from the rear of the saddle to the bars, but that can also be affected by saddles like the Arione that have abnormally long tails.

In general most pros will ride a longer and lower setup than the average amateur racer. They ride longer stems in many cases plus they have the bars quite low. Adaptation is the key. And maybe not sitting a desk job all day . I have looked at Filippo Pozzato's numbers, we are the same height yet his bike would stretch me out like some medieval torture device. I have a hard time believing he is 6' or 183 cm based on his bike setup.


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## deadlegs2 (Oct 3, 2009)

grabs ruler.. My TT is 530 and the nose to center of the bars is 510 and I have moved the seat forward recently..There's no way I ever had the nose to bar exceed the TT and I am using a 130mm stem.. I think AC's position looks better than most but I wouldn't want to try to duplicate those numbers,,by scale in my case.


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## arinowner (Feb 25, 2008)

*Weird*

Now look at his bike measurements from a year ago with the Concor. Notice the saddle to bars distance difference. Would a seasoned pro change his bike that much in a year?
I think something is weird here. His top tube length on his old bike is over 2cm shorter than his new Madone but his stem length is the same. That accounts for the 2cm difference in the saddle to bars. Let's see 2 x .394 = .788 or alittle more than 3/4". I guess that's really not that much....
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/pro-bike-alberto-contadors-astana-trek-madone-16689
This is just an observation. I tried to set my bike up with his newer measurements and was amazed at how streched out he must be on his new bike. That would definetely be uncomfortable for me. Again taking everything into account, he must have an enormous amount of saddle to bottom bracket offset . No doubt because of his penchant for climbing.


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

Chances are Contador has his bike set up for climbing....fast.

The longer reach gives more room to move around while out of the saddle compared to a set up that's maybe a bit more comfortable on the flats.

I can also see him switching out stems from stage to stage. Flat stages he could go with a 1cm or 2cm shorter stem for comfort, while climbing stages he extends his reach for climbing and to put more weight over the front wheel for traction while descending.

Also, don't discount the fact that he probably has very long arms...as most Pro Cyclists are somewhat spider like in their build...long legs, long arms and short torsos...so they tend to have a set up with longer reach than the average rider and also use bikes with more laid back STA's and more offset seat posts to compensate for longer femurs.

This is why what works for pro's doesn't necessarily work for the average rider.


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## arinowner (Feb 25, 2008)

*Never thought*

I guess I never thought about his position on the bike not being static like most of us mortal human beings.
It makes sence that the setup would change from stage to stage depending if it's flat or hilly.
Sometimes, I need to think outside the box..


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

arinowner said:


> I guess I never thought about his position on the bike not being static like most of us mortal human beings.
> It makes sence that the setup would change from stage to stage depending if it's flat or hilly.
> Sometimes, I need to think outside the box..


good, grasshopper.... you are now ready for the next phase of enlightenment:

position needn't be static at all, even for us mortals.

chew on that for a while, as you think about how your fitness and riding change during the typical cycles of life....


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## arinowner (Feb 25, 2008)

Creakyknees said:


> good, grasshopper.... you are now ready for the next phase of enlightenment:
> 
> position needn't be static at all, even for us mortals.
> 
> chew on that for a while, as you think about how your fitness and riding change during the typical cycles of life....



Yes Master....


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