Mountain Biking - Proper saddle alignment

For men, what are guidelines for positioning the saddle correctly? I feel some mild discomfort when riding, and it feels like occasionally there is some sort of pressure in my balls, so I'd rather not have to break every 10 minutes. Any ideas? What are common saddle alignment errors?

Horizontal look:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/viperfx10/Seat11.jpg


View from under:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/viperfx10/Seat12.jpg
Isn't that reversed?

Well, Bontrager saddles seem to be universally regarded as sucking, though I have no experience with them.Hard to ttell fromt the pic but the nose of your saddle may be a little high.

Place a hardcover book on the seat, while the bike is as close to straight up and down as possible, and put a level on the book. Almost all seats are designed to be dead-level to the ground. As far as forward/aft, get on the bike and lean one side of it on a wall or have someone balance you, and keep your feet on the pedals, just as you put them when you are riding, with the cranks parallel to the ground. Take a string with a weight of some sort tied to one end and hold the end without the weight on it in the indent in between the bottom of your kneecap and the start of your leg bone. The string should be hanging right in line with the axle of your pedals.

Does your saddle have a love channel down it? If not, get rid of it or you risk damage to yourself.

Place a hardcover book on the seat, while the bike is as close to straight up and down as possible, and put a level on the book. Almost all seats are designed to be dead-level to the ground.

Useing your method: Everyone of my bikes has a noticeable drop at the nose of the saddle. I must be doing it wrong.


Does your saddle have a love channel down it? If not, get rid of it or you risk damage to yourself.

I don't run any V saddles either, should I buy new ones?

Is that the Bontrager *****-Hatchet model? They are no-bueno. Like the other poster said, set the seat level, it looks to be a little nose up. On a mountain bike I can get away with it a little nose down, but I'm talking just a couple degrees here, not much.

If you're a man and would like to stay one, get the v channel. If you never had one, you will notice a huge increase in stamina the first time riding one.

I dont.

In saying that, just fiddle in your backyard til you figure out how to not hurt your balls.
Just re-read that post and decided it should instead go like this:
Change your seat angle around in the backyard, and go for a quick spin around the block til you find what you think works best.