Quote Originally Posted by Vibrato View Post
ALSO- make sure you ride with your sit bones on the wide part of the seat, and make sure your seat is level or with the nose SLIGHTLY pointed down. If the seat is pointed up it can cause long term damage.
That can be disputed. There are are lots of resources saying it's ok to SLIGHTLY tilt the saddle up. I personally do so myself and have had no issues. Anyway, level is still the best way to go. To do this, set your bike on a level surface and place a book on the saddle. Place the level on the book and adjust it so the bubble is dead center. Once level go out and ride it a couple of time. The first ride may not feel like it's comfortable, but after several it should. If after several rides it still feels off then readjust using the dead center as a benchmark. Some saddles are not truly level with the bubble dead center since they all have different shapes, but this will at least give you a benchmark to start from.

Adjusting Fore/Aft

Take a place of string and tie something heavy to the bottom. I like to use several big washers. This creates a pendulum. As said earlier "Next to a wall or something else you can hang onto, sit lightly on your bike with your sit bones on the wide portion of the seat". This time put the pedals so your crankshaft is horizontal. Put your foot on the pedals the same way you as if you were riding. Position your body as closely as you can as if you were riding (in other words when you have your hands on the handlebar your body is tilted forward so try to mimic that position). Now take the pendulum you made and put the top of the string at the top tip of your knee on the side that is vertical. Let the pendulum hang down and hover over your foot. The string should align with the shaft on the pedal that screws into your crank. If it isn't that adjust accordingly. If you feel too stretched out or too crunched into the cockpit when riding then CHANGE OUT THE STEM, DO NOT ADJUST FORE/AFT TO ACCOMMODATE. This position is were your knee needs to be. Prolonged riding in a incorrect position could cause knee pain.