A cure to my back troubles at last! Meta 55 XT

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May 19, 2012, 10:37:49 AM

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Total Voters: 285

[55XT_dude]

Well after much fiddling around with my settings I've found the best riding position which resolves my lower back ache and let me enjoy this superb mtb.

The ache I was experiencing (I believe) was because I was sitting too far back so my knee joint was a behind the pedal axle when the crank is at 3 o'clock. Prolonged riding in this position was very really painful. It only became obvious what was wrong when I mounted my hard tail and noticed the difference in leg position.

Essentially to move myself enough forward I have rotated the RaceFace seat post which allows me to move the seat further forward than 'standardly' (new word!) possible - not sure if it's designed to be used like this but certainly works fine!

I've also fitted a 10mm stem but might drop this back to a 90mm as the steering has noticeably gone slower.

Took it for a test drive and all is now okay. I'm still blown away by it's performance - can't get over how well the back end absorbs all the bumps.

Here's how it looks.

[RSMarco]

How tall are you mate as I tested the medium and couldn't get rid of back ache. When riding the large the ride was so much better. My weight was so far back on the medium that everytime i put the power down the front end just wanted to lift. If I hed the seat any more forward I felt so cramped. Adding a longer stem just made the bike feel so bad.

The large allows me to position myself nice and the only thing wrong is the top tube height which is a little close to the crown jewles..lol

[55XT_dude]

How tall are you mate as I tested the medium and couldn't get rid of back ache. When riding the large the ride was so much better. My weight was so far back on the medium that everytime i put the power down the front end just wanted to lift. If I hed the seat any more forward I felt so cramped. Adding a longer stem just made the bike feel so bad.

The large allows me to position myself nice and the only thing wrong is the top tube height which is a little close to the crown jewles..lol

Hi i'm 5'11. Quite long in the leg though. Doesn't feel cramp to me, in fact feels near perfect now. To be honest I didn't consider the Large for the top tube height reason to mentioned.

[RSMarco]

I am 5'11" too and around a 32" leg.

Everyone said the medium but I just didn't feel right.  I sat on the L and then everyone said I looked more comfortable.

[gravity-slave]

Sounds like you are getting sorted, which is good.

The saddle nose looks very low to me, I run mine flat to slightly upwards as I find a high saddle back puts more pressure on my lower back.

Also, looking at the pic, you should be able to take 2-3" of outer cable off the rear mech to give slicker shifts - I'd recommend cutting the outer to give as straight a routing as you can and you may notice the difference.

[55XT_dude]

Sounds like you are getting sorted, which is good.

The saddle nose looks very low to me, I run mine flat to slightly upwards as I find a high saddle back puts more pressure on my lower back.

Also, looking at the pic, you should be able to take 2-3" of outer cable off the rear mech to give slicker shifts - I'd recommend cutting the outer to give as straight a routing as you can and you may notice the difference.

cheers

yep, i tilted the saddle forward (maybe a little too much) as it seemed to help but certainly doesn't create any problems. I thought once sitting on the bike it would assume a level position due to the sag which would occur but maybe i assume wrong?

Thanks for the comment about the cable length. I have to admit that bit stuck out to me as a bit odd when i first checked out the bike and rear shifter does seem a little stiff at times. I'd usually consider reducing it but i'm a bit windy about the cable fraying and having to re-route another through

Are those cable cutters on Chain Reation any good at chopping cable outers?

[tintole]

Hi mate, I've got some shimano cable cutters and they are great, inner, outer cables no problem also used them on braided hoses with no problems.

So much better than rusty pliers!!!!

[gravity-slave]

I use the Park cutters and they are great but have got away with all sorts of bodges in the past.  Any decent ones are worth it.

You can trim a good bit out to make it look like this:

If you've got good cutters, take a clean cut on the inner first, just before where the pinch bolt has crimped it to make sure it doesn't fray/catch when you rethread it.  A spot of superglue or solder can also prevent it fraying when you push the inner back through.

Regarding saddle/sag - the forks should also sag so there won't be much of a difference.  I set mine dead level off bike then tweak after riding - all saddles (and bums!) are different.  Whatever suits you though!

[55XT_dude]

I would wonder if you are putting stresses on the post or saddle rails that it wasnt designed for by rotating it that way?
Sure it would be fine but the last thing you want is a snapped seatpost tube up the arse, that would certinally give you something other than a sore back to think about!
would be interesting to see if there is anything on the race face website or warranty details about it?
I would also comment that meddling with seatpost positions and stem length is no substitute for a correctly fitting frame, if you think the problem is when the cranks are at 3 o clock would a shorter crank arm not offer a similar solution?? (you don't say what length you have but I guess 175mm - how about trying a 170mm?)

bah, warranty. If it breaks at least I know it's not up to the job - I'll just make sure it goes back to the shop in the standard position they'll be none the wiser.

Besides, I think it looks better the other way around.

Not sure about shorter cranks though, won't that mean my legs having to work harder?