Saddle height question

grayo59
grayo59 Posts: 722
edited June 2008 in Road beginners
When I bought my first road bike the attentive bike shop guys asked me what felt comfortable on seat height and when I sat on the bike and showed them they felt I had the saddle about 25/30mm lower than what would appear to be optimum performance for my leg length etc..

Anyway I went with what they thought was right but always felt a "pulling" on the outside of my left knee.

So I lowered the saddle 6 mm and it felt no different and I finally gave in and dropped back to my old height with a resulting increase in comfort.

I know it's a "bit low" but my leg/knee doesn't protest anymore. Should I have persevered?
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Comments

  • feel
    feel Posts: 800
    what are your hamstrings like i.e. can you touch your toes easily?
    We are born with the dead:
    See, they return, and bring us with them.
  • Alibran
    Alibran Posts: 370
    I had the opposite thing happen. I'd always ridden with my saddle "too low" until I got my road bike, when I gradually started increasing it, and it's now at about the right height for my leg length. All the knee pain that I used to suffer has gradually gone away, and the improvement it's made to my comfort is amazing.
  • topdude
    topdude Posts: 1,557
    Hi, there is no "correct" height for your saddle, it is a matter of what is most comfortable for you. Try this as a rough starting point, sit on bike with your heels on the pedals, pedal backwards, adjust the saddle height until your knees are slightly bent when pedals are at the bottom. Go for a ride and try moving saddle up/down from this point and see what suits you.
    He is not the messiah, he is a very naughty boy !!
  • grayo59
    grayo59 Posts: 722
    feel wrote:
    what are your hamstrings like i.e. can you touch your toes easily?

    No - useless! My kids laff at me! My finger tips are about 3" away from the ground with my legs straight! 6ft tall 32.5" inside leg.
    __________________
    ......heading for the box, but not too soon I hope!
  • deal
    deal Posts: 857
    grayo59 wrote:
    feel wrote:
    what are your hamstrings like i.e. can you touch your toes easily?

    No - useless! My kids laff at me! My finger tips are about 3" away from the ground with my legs straight! 6ft tall 32.5" inside leg.

    6+ inches for me!

    ps. might be worth checking you have you cleats alligned correctly (sit on edge of a table and observe the natural angle your feet make, your cleats should be alligned to mimick this position on the pedals).
  • feel
    feel Posts: 800
    Do you have cleats - if you do, check what deal said.

    Might be worth doing regular hamstring stretches and when you are closer to your toes try raising your seat a little and see if the leg pain is still there.
    We are born with the dead:
    See, they return, and bring us with them.
  • gandhi
    gandhi Posts: 187
    The pulling on the outside of your knee sounds like it could be a tight ITB. This often causes ITB Friction Syndrome (runners knee), which a lot of cyclists suffer from.

    Dropping the saddle a lot will make it go away, but if often just moves the pain else where, and you will be less efficient.

    I do a lot of stretching, including some ITB specific ones, and I no longer have a serious problem with it.

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