Originally Posted by
pdxtex
lets do some math! seat height from BB to seat based on lemond method is 30.5 inches. bike A has toe clips, platform pedals and uses soccer shoes. bike B uses spd sl pedals which are 1/2 lower then bicycle A's platforms, AND the sole of the shimano bicycle shoes is apx 1/2". the soccer shoes are apx 1" high. confused yet? so, by my approximation, bicycle B should have the seat lowered 1 inch to match the overall seat to pedal connection of bicycle A. does this make sense?
It makes math sense.
It may not make real world sense. It doesn't take into account shoe flex and clothing. If you're wearing soccer shoes they may be more flexible (? not sure if this is true). At the bottom of a firm downstroke you may flex the shoe 1-2 inches downward, at least at the heel area (which is really what you're trying to control since that's attached to the rest of your leg).
Also if you're not in cycling clothing you may not be sitting on the same amount of material. It may be more. I know that wearing bib knickers under bib shorts, both with padding, messed me up in terms of saddle height when compared to just bib shorts or just bib knickers. The US National Team had a minor crisis when the weather got warm because everyone got sore etc. It ended up that when they stopped using their (thick) tights their effective saddle height dropped a few mm. This was enough for the riders to noticed something awry.
If Bike A feels like the saddle is too high those would be the two things I'd check.
From my own experience I like to have "casual" bikes set up with a lower saddle height, meaning those that I'm riding with sneakers and in street clothing.