Seat height

Dick Scruttock

I have been getting some stick off my mates for having my seat too low. Now can i ask do people generally set there seat so they get full leg extension or slightly less?

nicklouse

as high as is needed if your hips are rocking it is too high.

most people have it too low.

but it does depend on what you are riding.

Daz555

Slight bend at the knee, but as said above - you should not be 'reaching' for the pedals which will cause your hips to rock.

I have my own saddle slightly low as when I do ride with it at what would seem to be the 'ideal' height I get pain in the rear of my knee during/after long rides. Dropping the saddle a couple of cm down sorts it completely.

Of course when riding descending I drop the saddle anyway.

BullFreerider

I ride FR/DH, I'm 6'7" with 36" inside leg and i have my seat all the way down most of the time. It's just about pedalling efficiency- through the extra effort on longer rides, I'm fitter, faster and have larger quads than my mates. Raising your seat tends to divert the (lesser) effort to the calves.
Just personal preference!!

pte1643

Leg Straight with HEEL on the pedal is about right.
This should give you the correct amount of "Slight Bend at the Knee", when pedalling with foot in the correct position.
If that makes sense.

chick0

Rick Draper wrote:

I have been getting some stick off my mates for having my seat too low. Now can i ask do people generally set there seat so they get full leg extension or slightly less?

The best thing to do is experiment with different heights. On an average long ride, where surfaces, terrain and obstacles are mixed, i find my self raising and lowering my seat height. In general, my seat is at the highest height on XC trails,but i do have it a few cm lower then what is advised for my leg length, but this is due to back pain. When on steep rough descents, i will lower my seat to get it out of the way.

robertpb

My inside leg is 31" and I have my saddle at 34", it's rare for me to lower the saddle as I run a short cockpit.

It's advisable to get the right hight as years of riding at too lower a hight will damage the old knees.

I spent 25 years riding rigids off road, if that had been done with a low saddle as well I doubt I'd have any knees left.

allthegearnoidea

pte1643 wrote:

Leg Straight with HEEL on the pedal is about right.
This should give you the correct amount of "Slight Bend at the Knee", when pedalling with foot in the correct position.
If that makes sense.

thats how i have been told to set mine up, Leg straight with heel on the pedal for best efficiency,
i Rarely drop my saddle onthe bike, but have no issue's pushing off over the back of the saddle,

spin_to_win

the old leg,heel,straight trick is close enough to be +- 1cm. A good bike fit by a pro. is about +- 5mm thus a great place to start. If you run spd's then you could run a plumb line from down over your knee cap press the line tight on the lump below the cap ( all this done with cranks horizontal.) plumb line should pass somewhere between front of pedal axle and tip of crank arm. adjust cleats on shoes forward or back to suit. again this is a close approximate but in essence what you get when you pay for a bikefit, as that final small and i mean mm's is personal preference.. If in doubt Andy Pruitt's complete medical guide for cyclists. a book all cyclists should read or own