Seat height for comfortable distance riding

OK, on my 29KH, I have the center of the seat 33 1/2" up from the top of
the pedal when in the 6 o'clock position. My inseam (wearing my riding
boots) measures 34 1/2" from the floor.

Keep in mind you will need the post lower for longer cranks, and higher
for shorter cranks, if you ever plan to change out the cranks. So if
you have 165 cranks, make sure to leave enough in the tube to raise the
seat if you ever move up to 125 cranks (almost 2" difference).

--
ahollow
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ahollow said:

Keep in mind you will need the post lower for longer cranks, and higher
for shorter cranks, if you ever plan to change out the cranks. So if
you have 165 cranks, make sure to leave enough in the tube to raise the
seat if you ever move up to 125 cranks (almost 2" difference).

Oh, ya.. I forgot about the crank length..

ok.. lets measure from the top of the pedal in the 6 o'clock position.
🙂

Now I gotta think about crank length.. ah.. so much to think about when
you are getting ready for a new baby. 😄

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Unibugg
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With each unicycle I've had I've found that I've started off at a
relatively low position but as my confidence has increased I have
naturally found the need to raise the seat. So get them to cut off as
little as you can get away with but have the seat where you feel
comfortable. I think distance riders have their seats higher than for
other types of riding.

Sorry, this is probably too vague to be of any use.

--
cathwood

Cathy
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I don't have any measurments to post but I can say I do alot of distance
riding and I like to have my seat higher.

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thayr
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If you buy (or borrow) a pipe cutter (hack saws also work) you can cut
ityourself. That way if you start conservatively, you don't have to
bring it to the shop to be cut again.

Pipe cutters are super easy to use and make very clean cuts.

Unibugg said:

I did a search on seat height but most threads mix distance, muni, and
trials heights. When my AX-29 comes in, I'll have to make a decision
on how much to cut off the seat post and can be fairly sure noone
around will be able to help me much. I plan of course to have the bike
shop cut only a little at a time, but I would like some idea of what it
should feel and look like.

The noname I am riding is too low. But I can't use it to gauge how
high it should be because the post is too short to be raised much
higher. I recall that the Swinn I road in the late 70's was high
enough for my younger brother to reach the pedals while barely bending
his knee. The same uni (we had only one between us) on me was of
course a little smaller in comparison.

For distance riders...please post your inseam and seat height. Let's
measure between the cranks and seat.

--
mscalisi

Quoted message said:

<> Unicycle for (reducing the) Buddha <><

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cathwood said:

cut off as little as you can get away with but have the seat where you
feel comfortable. I think distance riders have their seats higher than
for other types of riding.

Sorry, this is probably too vague to be of any use.

Vague. Of course not. Your message is that precise measurements are
fine but in the end it must be what you are comfortable with. 🙂

mscalisi said:

Pipe cutters are super easy to use and make very clean cuts.

Thanks

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GizmoDuck said:

I think do a fair bit of 'long-distance' road/muni-cycling, whatever
that means.

The way I set up my unicycle for road unicycling is exactly as I would
for my road bike. Knees very slightly bent at it's lowest position on
the pedal stroke. You lose a lot of power if the seat is too low, but
if it's too high it's harder to stand up and can be painful from
overextending.

On a Muni I set it up with slightly more bend in the knees so I have
more maneuvaribility.

if you are going to listen to anybody, he is most likely your best bet.

--
Chris.James

"Thats my favorite thing about unicycling, I can eat oreos while
riding!" ~Me

dforbes said:

Well, boys and girls, this is what separates us from the gods; Kris goes
riding and has to worry about landing on naked ladies - you and I have
to watch we don't land in dog [censored].....

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have it so that your legs are almost straight when you are seated, but
make sure you can still stand and ride for larger bumps (ie. curbs,
roots, etc).

I have my seat like this on my 24" and it is perfect -for me.-🙂

note: i only ride on the road with my cruiser, so if you plan on doing
M-uni or light offroad, discard what i have just said😉

--
uni_jim

Beware of the pixies!:eek:
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if your planning on road riding, buy shorter cranks. 170s are way to
long for road riding. buy like 114s.

--
mornish

aim:kiloornish
email: mornish AT gmail DOT com

abbabibble said:

don't look at me. i'm just a sheep. BAAAAH.

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mscalisi said:

Pipe cutters are super easy to use and make very clean cuts.

NOTE: That's a *good* pipe cutter. All the ones I ever had were
cheapies, and only cut spirals. Those are probably okay for
(occasionally) cutting copper plumbing pipes, but seat posts are a
little heavier, so don't buy the cheapest pipe cutter you see! Someday
I'll get a proper one for myself. Until then it's the hacksaw, but a
pipe cutter makes a much nicer, easier cut.

Chris.James said:

f you are going to listen to anybody, he is most likely your best bet.

Yup. If unicycling has a Lance Armstrong, Ken is the closest thing to
it. Plus, if you know the rules for bicycle seat height, that's a great
rule of thumb. If anything, unicycle seat height is more critical
because we pedal *more*, and because we don't get to *stop* pedaling. I
agree with Ken on the high seat, which you may lower if the ride is
rough. I lower mine quite a bit for serious MUni, but when I take the
Coker on the trails I'm not aiming for super-technical so my seat
height stays put.

--
johnfoss

John Foss
Email: "jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com
-----------------------------------------------

"pretty much every trail that we've done on the California or Moab Muni
weekends is an XC trail." -- Kris Holm, on XC from a North Shore point
of view
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GizmoDuck said:

You lose a lot of power if the seat is too low, but if it's too high
it's harder to stand up and can be painful from overextending.

On a Muni I set it up with slightly more bend in the knees so I have
more maneuvaribility.

Thanks. So it needs to be a nice balance between comfort for distance
and maneuverability.

Chris.James said:

if you are going to listen to anybody, he is most likely your best bet.

🙂

mornish said:

if your planning on road riding, buy shorter cranks. 170s are way to
long for road riding. buy like 114s.

The AX-29 comes with 152mm cranks. This is what I am used to so I'll
leave it at that for now while I get used to the wheel (and mounting
it). But I'll keep this in mind for later. 114s? :eek:

johnfoss said:

I lower mine quite a bit for serious MUni, but when I take the Coker on
the trails I'm not aiming for super-technical so my seat height stays
put.

Ok.. if you take your Coker onto trails without adjusting the seat then
someday I should be able to do this with the 29. um.. "someday" 😉

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Unibugg
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on a 29er with 115mm cranks I started with an height of 83cm from the
lower position of pedals and ended on slightly less than 85cm.
since my ancestors evolved from wild beasts later than other people I
really have short legs ... (so the values have no meaning unless you
share the same physical features)
same advice: for muni it is still 83 cm.
conclusion: try and try again until you feel comfort

edit: do not be shy on 114 on a 29er I am an awful rider and I can
manage it!

--
wobbling bear

One Wheel : bear necessity
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When I had a knee problem (after riding a Coker) I was advised to
raise the saddle (to about the point where the leg is fully extended,
or very nearly, at six o'clock). It seemed to work. But the same
unicyclist warned that with your saddle too high (which may be just
right for the knees), your ankles start to hurt.

Later, my physiotherapist said that these both made perfect sense. (I
remember that the knee issue is because the vastus medialis muscle
only works when the leg is nearly straight, and it needs to be
exercised too. Not sure what brings the ankle problem on.)

You'll never go back. I'd at least shorten them to 125s. Then when you
revisit 152s you'll think they're unbelievably long and clunky. At
least make sure you leave your seatpost long enough to allow for short
cranks.

Unibugg said:

The AX-29 comes with 152mm cranks. This is what I am used to so I'll
leave it at that for now while I get used to the wheel (and mounting
it). But I'll keep this in mind for later. 114s? :eek:

--
mscalisi

Quoted message said:

<> Unicycle for (reducing the) Buddha <><

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Perhaps the idea then would be to experiment within certain parameters
and listen to your legs: if they hurt, ajust slightly.

--
cathwood

Cathy
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Danni said:

Remember to file down the sharp edge when you are done cutting it with a
saw or pipe cutter. It helps to put it in your frame, and lessens the
chance of cutting yourself.

I just carefully put in the seatpost after cutting it (with a hacksaw),
and let that action lessen the nasty edges. I won't ever remove it
again unless I need a new post, so it really doesn't matter.

--
SNES350
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Buy two seat posts. With longer cranks and early caution your seat post
may be lower and may be too short for your eventual height. As you
improve and go to higher seat post settings due to developing skill and
still higher due to shorter cranks, if you run out of seat post height,
just have another seat post to hand. In fact there is a reasonable
amount of adjustment, in any case.
Barry

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wobbling bear said:

edit: do not be shy on 114 on a 29er I am an awful rider and I can
manage it!

I will definately keep the 114 in mind. I might even be convinced to
give it a shot. 🙂

There is some nice advice on this thread. Thanks to all.

--
Unibugg
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Here is something you can try and it works...
Measure your inseam and set the height of the seat to your actual
inseam. Measure from the bottom of the crank to the middle of the seat,
not the top. That would be an ideal position to ride long distance. If
you don't feel comfortable, you sure have a good starting point.

--
hectorqlucero
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