How high is your saddle height?
- Thread starter LS17
- Start date
There are a million-zillion ways you will told how high to have your saddle -
I set mine so I have a slight bend in the knee when my pedal is on the down stroke and the crank is at the same angle as the seat tube - this is how I set it up at first with each new bike I ride - then I adjust a little to fine tune if I feel the need.
If you have your saddle too low your knees will suffer, and if you have your saddle to high, as well as probably doing yourself damage, you will not be able to get a powerful pedal stroke, and you'll also rock side to side on your saddle as you pedal.
There is probably a lot more detailed info on this forum from members with a lot more knowledge than I have - but that's what I have always followed and it seems to work for me.
I set mine so I have a slight bend in the knee when my pedal is on the down stroke and the crank is at the same angle as the seat tube - this is how I set it up at first with each new bike I ride - then I adjust a little to fine tune if I feel the need.
If you have your saddle too low your knees will suffer, and if you have your saddle to high, as well as probably doing yourself damage, you will not be able to get a powerful pedal stroke, and you'll also rock side to side on your saddle as you pedal.
There is probably a lot more detailed info on this forum from members with a lot more knowledge than I have - but that's what I have always followed and it seems to work for me.
a pretty good rule of thumb to follow on road bikes is to have the cranks vertical, and be able to place your heel on the pedal with your leg straight. with the extra 3 inches of stretch you get from straightening your foot out during a pedal stroke, that set up gives a powerful, yet healthy pedal strokeLS17 said:
janiejones said:
I agree this is the best way of checking saddle height without becoming too technical!
Many riders have differences in torso and arm length that affects the size of the frame they ride. The seat height and setback are based on the leg length of the rider. This is why some riders have to tilt their bikes to have their fleet flat on the ground while others don't have to lean much. You can believe that although you see a lot of different seat heights and standover height differences, those riders, when sitting on those seats are set right where their leg length sets them to be. It does not matter what fitness level you are, at the optimum leg extension you are able to put the most muscle groups into action at the best mechanical advantage for the most power transfer.
All the differences we see in bike size relative to rider size is indicitive of the wide range of sizes that people come in. Also it indicates the wide range of bike geometry variations there are to fit riders of different fitness levels on different types of road bikes optimized for a particular effort.
All the differences we see in bike size relative to rider size is indicitive of the wide range of sizes that people come in. Also it indicates the wide range of bike geometry variations there are to fit riders of different fitness levels on different types of road bikes optimized for a particular effort.
I also agree that the old 'heel on the pedals' trick is a good starting point, but I can never remember if it's shoes on or shoess off 
However, probably in a effort to 'technify' everything, people have come up with stuff like 105% to 107% of inside leg length, measuring from the top of the saddle to the top pf the pedal.
However, probably in a effort to 'technify' everything, people have come up with stuff like 105% to 107% of inside leg length, measuring from the top of the saddle to the top pf the pedal.
To the OP's question: the middle of my saddle top is approx. 6.5 cm. higher than the top of my bars.
"The angle of knee flexion should be between 25 and 35 degrees with the pedal at its farthest point from the saddle.
Ballpark It: With your shoes off, set your saddle so your heel barely brushes the pedal at its lowest point.
Or multiply your inseam in cm. (measured from floor to a ruler held horizontally against your crotch) by 0.883."
The last method has never worked well for me.
According to an old 'Bicycling' mag write-up, it's:531Aussie said:I also agree that the old 'heel on the pedals' trick is a good starting point, but I can never remember if it's shoes on or shoess off
"The angle of knee flexion should be between 25 and 35 degrees with the pedal at its farthest point from the saddle.
Ballpark It: With your shoes off, set your saddle so your heel barely brushes the pedal at its lowest point.
Or multiply your inseam in cm. (measured from floor to a ruler held horizontally against your crotch) by 0.883."
The last method has never worked well for me.
Some people may have lower saddle heights due to different crank arm lengths. For instance, someone with 175mm cranks will be able to stand closer to flat footed than someone with 172.5mm cranks because their leg extends down further past the bottom bracket.
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