Mountain Biking - Saddle Height

Hey I'm just wondering if there is a rule for how high to position your saddle.

I was under the impression originally that it was a matter of:
1. Comfort
2. Having your knees just short of straight when in the down
position.

Then I was reading a formula in a book which told me to measure my inseam in cm and multiply it by .0883 and then take the answer from that and measure in cm from the center of the BB to the top of the saddle and position it there.

Upon doing this I had to lower the seat from where I positioned it originally (thinking comfort, etc) by at least 4 inches. (yes, inches, I had to convert to/from metrics due to not having a metric ruler and the formula was metric)

What is right? I immediately repositioned my saddle due to the awkward position it put me in and all of the pics I've seen and other riders I've seen show people in the knee near straight position. Is it different for street and trail riding?

Help. Thanks.

There is no one way to figure it out. Roadies do it one way, xc guys do it another, freeriders and djers ignore both and do it their way. The way you first described is how I do it for comfort or xc riding. For technical riding I drop the seat 4 inches to give space for my dangly bits.

You know, I was just reading a year old thread on the subject. Should have searched first. You said the same thing then. Now I know to adjust it.

I just knew it didn't feel right on the trail WAY up there and it doesn't feel right on the road WAY down there either.

You saw I got my Hardrock Comp didn't you? It's great and I'm hooked on the sport.

I wish that I could take off the decals as well. Sandblast would compromise the metal, would it not? Then paint it FLAT black......yeah

Haha...when it comes to saddle height and bike sizing I always say the same thing. No formula works. It is preference. I run my bike small and my seat height low. Everyone would look at me like I was nuts but its the only way I can ride the trails without feeling like death is near :D...

Congrats on the bike, glad you are enjoying it. Are the decals clear coated on? I thought specialized decals you could remove?...and you can stip the paint and paint alumn I just don't know the technique...

Yep...clear coated and stuck GOOD. I'm not gonna mess with the appearance for now, maybe a Grateful Dead decal if I find one that suits the bike.

Maybe just Zip-Strip and a scraper? What a mess! Cool to get it professionally done...baked enamel or annodized or something??
Definitely FLAT black though.

After reading more threads I get the picture on the saddle height stuff. I just thought there was a norm but I guess the norm is not to have a norm so it's happy trails to me...

Thanks one more time!

Keep on adjusting it to see if it works for you. Like Maelstrom said,there is no formula for seat height. Oh,and just one more thing. If you strip your seat post,try to replace right away. It kills your crotch,and the seat drives up your ass. It happened to my friend like 3 months ago,and he still hasn`t replaced it.

Hasn't replaced his a$$ or his seatpost?

Are you from St. Johns MI?

You cant just take some proportion of your leg length and measure to the bottom bracket (in cm to 4 decmal places!!!) . This takes no account of crank length (ie where your foot will be at the 6" pedal position. It also ignores the thickness of your pedal/shoe combo and the spongyness of your saddle.

Here's what I do:

Road bike (where pedal efficiency is most critical): Place my heel on my pedal body. Set height to where knee "just barely" locks out. When you ride with the ball of your foot on the pedal, you knee WON'T lock out.

XC mtn bike (long rides of 2 hrs or more): about 1/2" to 3/4" lower than this position.

FR mtn bike (shorter rides, aggro XC, jumps, hops, stunts): Seat slammed to the point where upper leg is nearly horizontal when seated and in the 6:00 position. I've never actually noticed my leg position other than to say "the seat's WAY low".

L8R