Originally Posted by
Bah Humbug
I had the exact same issue, and only on Saturday when the really good shop's employee came out with me and showed me proper form for mounting and dismounting did I really get comfortable with a proper height. To mount, you stand astride the top tube, put the right (if that is your dominant leg) pedal slightly north of horizontal, mash it hard, and use that leg to lift yourself to the saddle. Dismounting, you keep your right foot on that pedal, slide forward off the seat, and land your left foot on the ground. After spending some time doing it it becomes easier, and the pedalling itself starts to feel more natural.
Someone with more experience please chime in if I somehow got it wrong, but I too wanted to be able to put my feet easily on the ground while seated. Give it a day of practicing away from traffic and you should have it.
+ 1.
Funny story: I taught myself this "correct" fairly early on, once I had the saddle at something approximating the correct height. The "cowboy" mount that I saw other people doing looked unstable and scary, so I figured out something else that worked better for me - which happened to be lifting myself into the saddle by my starting pedal stroke, as above. I later went through a period when I used the cowboy mount a lot in college mostly for my amusement once I didn't feel way too unbalanced to even attempt it. So sometimes it's hard for me to 'get' that people aren't usually familiar with the safe and effective way to mount a bike. I taught my housemate a couple years back, and she immediately became a lot more confident and comfortable on her bike.
OP, you really will be doing yourself a favor if you get used to having the saddle higher. Brian Ratliff makes a good suggestion about raising it gradually as you get past your fear. Your knees will thank you, and I think your road bike might start to feel a bit better, too, once you have an appropriate saddle height. All it takes is a little practice, and coming off the saddle when you stop will feel totally natural.