Road Cycling - Should road bike saddle be a lot higher than handlebars?

I'll be getting my first "pure" road bike this fall and I really want to take the time to size it correctly. More than likely I'll buy a Bianchi Veloce, but I'll test several different bikes. I already own a Bianchi Volpe, 55cm frame, and love it. I test rode a Veloce (can't remember frame size) in 2000 and have fond memories.

1. My first question re: the Veloce and similar road bikes has to do with saddle height versus handlebar height. Most road bikes I see during my regular rides and on television (pro racers) seem to have the saddle set substantially higher than the handlebars. I presume this facilitates the aggressive straight-back riding position during racing? When I see the pros in the aggressive crouch, their elbows are always nicely bent and their knees seems almost to be hitting them in the chest. Is this preferred?

2. I went with the 55cm Volpe in large part because it allowed me to keep seat and handlebar heights about the same, thus providing a comfortable touring/general riding setup. I am also comfortable when riding the drops and the hoods on this bike. Standover height on the Volpe is 31.5 inches and this leaves me with about an inch of top tube clearance.

The Veloce comes in a 53cm frame and a 55cm frame. The 53cm Veloce frame gives 30.5 standover, the 55cm gives 31 standover. My main question (which relates back to question #1): am I better of with the 53cm Veloce in order to get saddle higher than handlebars and thus achieve an ideal road racing posture, or do I go with the 55cm Veloce, which has slightly less standover height (31 versus 31.5) and a slightly longer top tube than my Volpe (555 versus 550) and end up with saddle only slightly higher than handlebars? The 53cm Veloce's shorter top tube should require less stretch/reach to the handlebars, no?

I know these questions can only be answered by actually riding the bikes in question, which I will certainly do, but I wanted to canvas the group to see if people felt a certain way about saddle height versus handlebar height on pure road bikes, and whether people have a preference when it comes to comfort during serious training/racing.

Thanks.

I would go with the bike which fits the best and feels the best to ride. I like to have the saddle about an inch. above the handlebar. It all depends on what feels the best for you. You should try out different variations to get the one which feels best.

You need to buy the bike with the correct top tube length. It sounds like the 53 would be too short for you if your current frame is a 55.

Yes, pros like to set the bars lower but you must remember many pros ride custom frames. Look at Michele Bartoli's or Petacchi's bike. They ride what looks like a 53cm frame but the top tubes are actually about 57cm--basically a larger frame with the top tube dropped down low.

Also 10cm drop from the seat to stem LOOKS alot more severe than 10cm. It is a visual trick.
You must go with comfort and not what "looks" right. My bars are about 14cm lower than my saddle. That was determined by my body, not what looked right.

I purchased a Bianchi Talladaga in a 53 other option was 55. The handlebars are quite a bit lower than the saddle. I like it for fast rides, but have another bike for longer tours.

There is no rule to say you must set up a lightweight road bike like pros or club racers. If you are comfortable and happy in a more touring position, then feel free to use that on your lightweight bike.
If you can borrow or buy and adjustable stem for your Volpe, you can experiment with other positions before you buy. Ask the bike shop if they can help. If this is your 2nd Bianchi from the same shop, then they had better be helpful.


In case you havent read it:

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm

Agree with RacerX that top tube length is
important and generally a neglected measurement.
Personally, (and this is a matter of taste) I prefer
a Quill type stem, I can adjust up or down as I see fit
(no pun intended). You can adjust with a threadless stem
but its more of a hassle, can require spacers etc.
Call me a retrogrouch but I like the flexibility.
Being older I'm also not as flexible as I once was
so I tend to ride with bars higher (about 1-2 cm below
saddle nose) than is the current fashion.

Marty

Thanks for all the input. MichaelW, I should point out that though I am comfortable in a touring position on my Volpe, I am leaning more these days towards a racing-type crouch on the longer rides. The more time I have in the saddle, the more comfortable I am in the drops and I want to be sure my road bike caters to these tendencies.

Someone pointed out that, yes, the pros like their saddles higher than the bars, but no one said why. Why do they do this? Is there some advantage from a comfort and/or performance standpoint? Does it facilitate the 90-degree bent elbow position they seem to favor?

What's interesting to me is that the 55cm Veloce has an ideal standover (31inches), but a top tube length slightly longer than my Volpe. Right now I feel that my Volpe's top tube is about as long as I can comfortably handle. This is why the 53cm Veloce will be an important test ride for me.

Thanks again for all the help. I will be buying the Veloce at the same shop I bought the Volpe. They were very helpful the first time around so I'm looking forward again to the same top-notch service.

The lower bar keeps the torso more horizontal. This is more aerodynamic. There is a comfort factor as well as body type. Climbers, for example, sit more upright on their bikes. Larger framed riders will exaggerate the horizontal position while shorter framed riders tend to have a slightly more upright position. There is no performance advantage to being taller, however.

It depends on YOUR flexiblility

Before you buy anything, I would recommend going to someone who can give you their professional opinion on your current setup and suggest potential changes with your next bike - especially since you're not exactly sure what you want concerning size/fit/etc.

If you're really serious you can go to someone like Tom Kellogg, designer of the Merlin frames and his own line of Spectrum frames located in PA (about 3 hrs from you). If you're looking for someone closer, Spokes Etc in Vienna, VA has an employee on-site that has been through the Serotta fit-kit training and for $50 or so will put you and your current bike on a trainer and offer suggestions.

Hope that helps.

I just bought a new road bike a fondriest. My LBS is run by a singaporean guy who use to ride pro up untill about 6 years ago, he is ex-shimano team and he really knows his stuff. He said that the general trend now is that you have a long top tube and a shorter seat tube, this enable you to have a higher seatpost which in the end is more areodyanmic and i think you can use you power better. I find it very comfortable and my seat post is about 18cm (about 7 inches) above my handle bars. I have only had it for about 2 weeks now, but so far it has been really comfortable. I don't know if this will help, but its just my two cents worth.
Stew:D

For some straight views on handlebar height go to www.rivendellbicycles.com

I do place the saddle higher than the handlebars. It gives me a very comfortable position to ride on! I have a small mountain bike that is rather old, handed down to me by my uncle. For that, as my legs are unusually longer, I place the seat a lot higher, otherwise, it would be very stressful on my knee caps.