Appropriate saddle height on a full suss?

crimsondynamo

I'm making the transition from HT to full-suss. I've always used the "leg locked with heel on the pedal at full extension" rule of thumb. This technique sets the saddle pretty high which is great for climbing, but can cause issues descending unless one's saddle is fairly racey.

What's the rule of thumb for full suspension? The above technique employed when rear suss is loaded (with my weight) - has the saddle half way up towards my arm-pits when not loaded (i.e. I'm standing on the ground). I don't want to adjust things according to whether I'm going uphill-downhill, I have a perverse pleasure in getting round without putting a foot down.

I'm 6'3" and 13st if that makes any odds.

nicklouse

the rules are the same, but drop it for descending. But then for FR and DH bikes you generally want it as low as possible.

So you not wanting to adjust is really out od the window.

Leave it at the correct height and move over the rear wheel for the downs.

Darra8

I am having the same problem, except i'm short in the @rse.

I have just moved from HT to full suss and have set the saddle the same as my HT was. It's like trying to get on a horse now it's that high!! This has made me wonder if i should be doing something different too.

Steve

nicklouse

Darra8
Nope there has been no change the mechanics of your leg.

dave_hill

Darra8 wrote:

I am having the same problem, except i'm short in the @rse.

I have just moved from HT to full suss and have set the saddle the same as my HT was. It's like trying to get on a horse now it's that high!! This has made me wonder if i should be doing something different too.

Steve

Nothing changes.

The top of your saddle should be the same distance from the centre of the bottom bracket is it was on your hardtail.

You may find that the bottom bracket though is higher on your full squidger, hence the getting on a horse feeling.

If I stand astride my full-susser with my feet flat on the floor, the nose of the saddle is in the small of my back. On my hardtail, it's about top of my butt-crack.

Darra8

It's good to know that nothing changes and that i have got the set up right.

It is a very strange feeling riding though, as i feel so much higher than on the HT.

I suppose i'll get used to it, just need to get some more hours in the saddle now.

Cheers,

Steve

Steve_b77

I set mine as you're meant to, sit on saddle and put heel on pedal at full extension.

After a few rides I settled on about 3/4" lower than that as I found getting off the back easier and can put up with the slight lack of climbing prowess (not my best bit anyway)

glen4

Glad you brought this up, have been a committed hard tail rider since time began, currently got a HT stumpy expert. Anyhow thought I'd give a stumpy FSR a test, and was well impressed to say the least, quicker over most of my local tracks, BUT one of the reservations I had was the feeling of riding round on top of a five bar gate. The seat height, at the correct leg extension seems so high, almost in the clouds. I did get used to it over the four days I had it for, and now face a difficult (read expensive) decision, but think I'm gonna buy a '08 stumpy FSR Pro to go alongside my HT

crud_munch

Th best way to do it is:
-Adjust
-Ride to test
-Re-adjust
-Repeat

passout

When riding on anything vaguely technical I just drop my seatpost an inch from the 'normal' (roadie) position. Alot of the time I just keep it there and it works really well for me. OK, on a long non-technical climb you may notice it, but the rest of the time it's an improvement or no hinderance. Try it.

Occasionally I'll drop two or three inches for a very long technical descent.

I only adopt the 'normal' saddle height on my MTB when I think it's going to be XC all the way.