Those of us who were riding single track at speed in the early to mid-1980s learned quickly that keeping the saddle at full road bike height would sometimes result in the rider being bucked off the bike. Thus, we learned to drop the saddle at the start of the ride and return it to full height at the end.
I'd love to know who came up with idea of installing the quick-release seat post clamp. Wasn't anybody I knew. The Hite-Rite came along a couple of years later.