Mountain Bike Vs Road Fit

Discuss light weight issues concerning mountain bikes & parts.

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cajer
Posts: 673
Joined: Sun Jul 14, 2013 1:26 am

by cajer

I've not gotten fit on my mountain xc mountain bike though I've been fit multiple times on my road bike.

Would I be wrong to take my road saddle vs BB and pedal coordinates and put them on my MTB accounting for crank arm and stack height differences as a starting point?

by Weenie


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DanW
Posts: 1243
Joined: Fri May 02, 2008 5:39 pm
Location: Here, there and everywhere

by DanW

This has been covered a lot before here on WW. The search should turn up some recent threads.

MikeDee
Posts: 118
Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2014 1:27 am

by MikeDee

cajer wrote:I've not gotten fit on my mountain xc mountain bike though I've been fit multiple times on my road bike.

Would I be wrong to take my road saddle vs BB and pedal coordinates and put them on my MTB accounting for crank arm and stack height differences as a starting point?


Yes, I would set up my mtb saddle exactly like my road bike, accounting for crank length differences. At least that makes for a good starting point. If you have your saddle too far back, that could make it a bit difficult to keep the front wheel on the ground on steep climbs though.

boots2000
Posts: 1393
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2007 9:28 pm

by boots2000

Full sus or hardtail?
I ask this because often times saddle setback ends up being different on a full sus bike.
Angles move when you sit on the bike so measured setback means nothing.
That said, you want to achieve the same position in terms of leg extension and knee over pedal spindle.
I am not saying that KOPS is the end all- it is not. But if you are 1cm behind pedal on road bike you will most likely want to maintain that on your mtb.
For front end- reach that is longer than road bike tops, shorter than road bike hoods.
Drop- I say between zero drop and half of road bike drop.
These are just personal guidelines. Not absolutes.
Stem will be shorter if you run wide bars. But I am not even going to get into that.

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roadieboy
Posts: 66
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:19 am

by roadieboy

Don't forget to take into account the reduced a2c your fork will have when sagged.

An old local pro showed me a trick to ease the adjustment process: use a toe strap attached to the arch and crown of the fork to hold it in a sagged position while you make your adjustments.

grover
Posts: 1302
Joined: Mon Jul 26, 2004 1:06 pm

by grover

As mentioned I setup mtb and road to have similar knee extension (saddle height) and knee relative to pedal spindle (saddle setback). The only difference in saddle position is angle, as I sit more upright (different pelvic rotation) on the mtb I have the saddle slightly more nose up to maintain similar pelvic contact and stability.

This all has to take into account suspension sag and angles changing.

As for bar position, it's less scientific on the mtb and more where I find the best combination of handling, keeping the front wheel down on steep climbs, and comfort/ability to engage core.

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LeDuke
Posts: 2021
Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 2:39 am
Location: Front Range, CO

by LeDuke

Wide bars are your friend on the MTB. Don't be the dude riding 560mm bars to save weight.

boots2000
Posts: 1393
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2007 9:28 pm

by boots2000

I do agree that 560 is too narrow, but I think every rider should experiment with bar width to find what is most effective and what feels best.
I personally like my bars at 640- I have ridden 710 and 680 extensively. I put my 640 bars back on and realized that was my best width.
Many of the world cup pros and almost 100% of the world cup women ride with bars that are too wide. Just because a fast pro does it does not make it right.

by Weenie


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