Seat Surprise (WTF?)

[Kayakguy]

I cannot change your preferences. Many "city", "cruiser", or "comfortable" e-bikes allow at least planting your toes on the ground when the rider stops.

I, however, have to insist it is not the horizontal saddle position that controls that but the seat-post height, which either allows efficient pedalling or feet touchdown on the stop. The dropper seat-post could be the ultimate answer. Unfortunately droppers are expensive and not necessarily easy to install.

Yeah, it's the "either-or" that is the dilemma.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

My wanting to position my seat farther back stems from wanting to plant my feet--at least my toes--solidly on the ground when I stop. At 85 I'm pretty wobbly, otherwise. My seat post does provide some extension to the rear, probably about an inch. Though the Townie (my wife has one, non-E) does have a crank-forward configuration, for irrelevant reasons that is not the bike I prefer. I would also lean toward using a dropper post for the above reason, except that my seat tube is tall enough that there is no room for that. It's one of the downsides of being short, and having short legs. (Are there any upsides? Can't think of any.)
I'm considering that as I contemplate my next bike. But I'm wondering if that's a legitimate use of a dropper post? Aren't they intended for single track mt. bikers to switch between uphill and downhill modes?

A surgical complication left me with peripheral neuropathy in both legs in 2005. The resulting reduction in nerve conduction velocity (NCV) added noise to the sensory feedback loop between my feet and spinal cord. Balance on your feet depends heavily on that feedback.

On top of that, we all lose NCV as we age, and I'm 18 years older now.

The result: Slowly deteriorating balance on my feet, but no problem balancing on a bike once my feet are off the ground. (Inner ear contribution to balance intact.) When I do touch down, much more reliable for me to do so with both feet -- especially on uneven surfaces.

Do you notice a similar difference between balance on a bike and balance on your feet?

 

[mschwett]

Yes, quite familiar with the principles. But it's not that simple.

Like @Kayakguy, need for a safe foot plant puts an absolute upper limit on seat height. And at the limit of questionable safety (balls of feet barely on the ground), knee extension is inadequate for my long legs and dodgy knees. The larger V Rook frame was no help cuz all it does is extend reach, and reach is perfect as-is.

So, the only safe way left to get more knee extension was to move the seat away from the bottom bracket horizontally. Luckily, the stock seat's long rails allowed enough setback to get my knees onboard with ebiking at low assist.

Big win in my book -- provided the one-bolt Selle Royal Essenza Plus seat is strong enough for the job.

definitely a good case for pedal forward, at the expense, of course, of the majority of weight on your butt and not feet. but your use case is basically why that geometry exists, lower seat for foot planting but still get enough leg extension for good power.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

definitely a good case for pedal forward, at the expense, of course, of the majority of weight on your butt and not feet. but your use case is basically why that geometry exists, lower seat for foot planting but still get enough leg extension for good power.

My regular frame's working quite well for me with the seat setback pictured earlier -- a good compromise between knee and butt comfort. But the pedal forward option could come in handy down the road.