Road Cycling - What is the highest your seat should be?

I was wondering what the highest your seat can/should be. I hear that you should be able to touch the ground with atleast one foot while sitting on the seat

I was wondering what the highest your seat can/should be. I hear that you should be able to touch the ground with atleast one foot while sitting on the seat

depends on your seatpost. most manufacturers say to leave a few cms in the seat tube, lest you bend the post. as far as positioning goes, that's a bit more subjective. i wouldn't judge at all by whether your feet can touch the ground--they don't pedal there. a rule of thumb is that your knee should not be locked out at the bottom of the pedal stroke. but there's a load of gray area, as i'm sure you'll see as people reply to this post.

according to most cycling literature, your knee should bend 25-30 degrees on the downstoke. that seems pretty common from what i've seen other people do as well. adjusting the saddle height based on whether or not you can touch the ground should not be a factor.

i like to get it to fully locked/extended legs.. .and then retract it back 2 or 3 inches

I've read a good way to set the height is by pedaling through with your heel on the pedal. You should just barely be able to go all the way around without the heel sliding off. Works for me, but we're all different.

Paul

If your hips rock side to side as you pedal your seat is too high. Only make very small adjustments to the height at a time, try it for a while before you make any further adjustments so you become accustomed to the new position.

You can use whatever formula there is but the moment you feel knee PAIN or MINOR DISCOMFORT, it's time to either lower/raise the saddle. (You should raise/lower the saddle by quarter of an inch until comfort is reached)

1. You raise the saddle if the pain is below the knee cap
2. You lower the saddle if the pain is above the knee cap
3. You lower the saddle if you have IT band syndron.

according to most cycling literature, your knee should bend 25-30 degrees on the downstoke. that seems pretty common from what i've seen other people do as well. adjusting the saddle height based on whether or not you can touch the ground should not be a factor.

I have my knee bending 30 degrees

I use the heel method, but then move the seat down an additional 1/2 inch.

put the seat as high as you can get it. then start pedalling. your hamstring and back of your knee will hurt. then bring the seat down millimeter by millimeter until you don't have knee pain. that's the max height of your saddle.

sd

I was wondering what the highest your seat can/should be. I hear that you should be able to touch the ground with atleast one foot while sitting on the seat

Never heard that one. It's not credible as it has nothing to do with cycling mechanics. There are many formulas out there that put you in the ball park. I've used Lemonds as a starting point for me and my wife many years ago. I'm about 3/4 inch above that, my wife 1/4.

The highest for most folks is just below where your hips rock left and right while pedalling. You need someone to watch you from the rear. That said, if you watch the Tour de France, you'll notice some of the racers hip's rock, indicating that even higher is better for them.

If you tend to have inflexible tendons/muscles, you'll do better on a long ride with it lower than the max.

Formulas are only approximations as the seat hight is a function of your bike inseam length, shoes, how you point your toes, crank length, where you have your saddle relative to the bottom bracket, your muscle structure and how much you ride.

Al