Saddle Height

AL the Quins Fan

This is very interesting & a topic which I have discussed at length in Bike Shops recently. I ride all my bikes with a high seat, this is because I have suffered serious knee problems & had an ACL reconstruction & cartilage repair 18 months ago. I am 49. The surgeon who did my op, recommended that I take up cycling, & that if I did, always set up my bike so that the front of the knee never obscures the tip of the toe. He wanted me to always keep cycling as a "closed chain" motion. Extending the leg was fine, even if the hips rocked a little as it kept the knees in the safe position. A lot of people think my fit is wrong, but for me it works perfectly & is safe. I did 2000 miles last year, that was my first year cycling. I'm just so pleased to be able to do that. I see a lot of people riding with very bent knees which looks ultimately painful. Surely these bike fitting gurus must acknowledge previous injury & individual body shape when recommending a bike fit?

Shadowduck

Shadowduck wrote:

jhop wrote:

Shadowduck how does your actual saddle height setting compare with the 109% or Lemond method?

...and the votes are in!

Lemond method
Calculated = 751mm
Measured = 735mm

109% method
Calculated = 928mm
Measured = 910mm

So both methods say my saddle is a touch low, if anything, but given the measurements were done by squinting with a tape measure I don't think I'll be adjusting anything.

I pick up my shiny new bike from Surosa on Friday, it'll be interesting to see what height the saddle's set to after I had my session on the fitting rig!

Shiny new bike picked up a day early (yay!) and ridden home through a hailstorm (boo!).

As close as I can measure it with a tape, the new bike pretty much agrees with both the 109% and LeMond methods! Careful choice of crank length involved there, I assume... Since Nigel also measured my knee angle while I was on the sizing rig, it appears I'm probably set up correctly using all three methods!