Road Cycling - Seat height........what gives?

So I have surfed the internet and read all the "formulas" about seat height, and then, I went to Selle Italias web site and they stated "The height of the seat should be adjusted so that your leg is straight out when your heel is resting on the pedal at the bottom reach of the crank. Don't over extend the leg and don't have it curled".

I thought you should have at least a 20-25 degree angle in your leg when the pedal is in the 12-6 o'clock position
:confused:

Should I extend my seat post :rolleyes:

You should have a slight bend when ball of foot in pedal, but virtually straight (so long as hips don't rock too much) when heel is on pedal.

the "straight-knee-when-heel-on-pedal" has worked great for me...

I set my saddle hight by, clipping in, getting a good speed in a gear I have to put some preasure on the stroke. Then I unclip, and make full circles with one foot. If it is low I have a dead spot in the top of the stroke. I do this with both feet because many times one stroke is a little longer than the other. It has worked great for me.;)

"straight-knee-when-heel-on-pedal" is an often cited rule of thumb, but is really a starting point, IMO. Have you wondered why there's so much differing advice on setting saddle height and position? I think it's because what's right for one person doesn't necessarily work for another. Other issues like Cleat/pedal stack height factor in as well.

I think most roadies feel that your saddle should be a little higher than the straight-knee length. Lower, and you lose power and add stress to your knees. Too high and it's hard to spin smoothly, and like the Selle site says, you can overextend and hurt your knees (and lose power, too). I say start with the straight leg length, see how it feels. Ride for a week or so, and try tweaking it up, like 1/8" at a time, and try it for long enough to adapt to the new position. Repeat as necessary. Eventually, you'll find your sweet spot. If a setting feels really wrong, or your knees start to bother you, go back to the previous or other "known good" setting before the discomfort turns into a problem.

I kept the 20 degree angle at the knee for a while and then one day felt like I was losing some power. I raised the seat 1/2" and then bumped it up a 1/4" each day until I got it right. I ended up about 1.5" higher and still have a slight bend at the knee at the bottom of the stroke. I feel like I have a bit more power and can still spin easily. Part of this is probably because I had a high seat for the past 12 years on my MTB (before I knew better) and just got used to that amount of leg extension.