Saddle height adjustment?
 

Is it true that go as high as you can? or is there a certain limit? or go with the usual angles described in most saddle height guides?

Go with the usual guides. Ride a fair bit. Consider the feeling. Lower or raise maybe 1/4", ride some more. Compare the feeling. Repeat until satisfied or bored. Done !

Start with a saddle height that allows you to pedal gently with one heel on the pedal, that leg going entirely straight at the bottom of the pedal stroke with the hips not rocking. It's easier to do while the bike is stopped and you're leaning against something. That knee should be completely locked out with the heel on the pedal. This height will be within ~4mm of perfect for you. Some like it a little higher, some a little lower, depending on their preferred ankle angle.

I never measure or use a formula. Measure with your leg. Even transferring measurements from one bike to another doesn't work because the seat tube angle may be different, pedals may be different, saddle model may be different, saddle setback may be different, etc.

I always suggest starting with the old standby of sitting squarely on the saddle and setting it so your heel is on the pedal with your leg straight. This measurement needs to be done while you're squarely on the saddle. Putting a foot down throws this off, so have a friend hold the bike or set it close to a wall that you can use for support.

That's a good starting point, and will probably be within 1/4" of spot on either way. Ride a while and let your body tell you if you need to adjust, and which way. As a general rule, a low saddle will have your thighs tire earlier when climbing, and/or have you trying to push back or stand. A high saddle tends to hurt knees, and/or tire your lower back because of the hips rocking.

I was having knee pain. Then a teammate was standing behind me as I was warming up for a race and noticed how much my hips were rocking. Took some video so I could see. I adjusted my saddle down 4-5 mm and the knee pain went away within a week.

I usually start with 83% of my inseam (from chamois to floor) to get in the ballpark:

1. Put on your cycling bib or short and socks.
2. Get a large book with a 1 inch binding.
3. Stand with feet shoulder width apart; heels and back against a wall or door frame.
4. Pull up the book with a little force and mark the edge of it against the wall with a pencil.
5. Measure the distance from the floor to the mark.
6. Take the measurement and multiply by 0.83.
7. Raise (or lower) saddle to this new value (center of BB to top edge of saddle).

Then ride for a while and adjust as needed in small increments. Adjusting up or down would depend on which muscles you wanted to recruit more in the legs. I think higher would use the back of the legs more? I also use knee over pedal spindle (KOPS) to determine saddle fore/aft position and then recheck the saddle height. This is the standard older school measurement that was in Greg Lemond's and Bernard Hinault's cycling books.

Edit: +1 for what @caloso said. If your hips are rocking, then the saddle is too high. Saw that a few times riding uptown and passing a smaller dude on a bike too big for him. Tried to explain, but I think it got lost in translation (he's spanish with english as a weak second language). Maybe should try to remember "Usted asiento es demasiado alto" but my spanish is no better then his english. :)

"Tu asiento es demasiado alto."

Also, it seems that the older my knees get, the more sensitive they are to saddle adjustments.

Ha ha. You beat me to the translation! :D

i read that at the lowest position of your foot, your leg should have a slight angle. Straight leg is a no no, can cause iinjury.

I'm with FB, heel over pedal , saddle level* .. longer cranks = lower saddle..

* nose down saddle indicates fit issues , like bars too low and too far away ..





'/,

Yes, if you go back to my earlier post (no.5 or so) you'll see that the measurement is taken with the heel on the pedal. That provides for the proper (or close enough) bend at the knee when you move your foot back to the normal pedaling position.

I'm always impressed with the precise measurement systems, ie. some exact percentage of inseam length. This kind of precision is impossible because when taking body measurements. They also don't account for differences in foot length, which will affect the actual leg extension when pedaling.

So, however you do it, you're looking for a starting place, and will let your own experience guide fine tuning.

I agree with the approaches of FB and Carbonfiberboy, especially the way he wrote it in the recent thread on buying a bike by geometry.

I also respect the measurement-based approaches. I've used them, and sometimes think it is better than the heel method and sometimes not.

I'll use the heel method for initial settings, then set the saddle back, then do the heel or ride testing again, then setback again, and just work this back and forth trying to get comfortable over longer and longer distances.

One issue if I raise the saddle too high is pain. Not in the knees but in the perineum, when hip rocking causes abrasion in the underchassis. THAT is bad news!

The heel over pedal method does not take foot length into consideration either. Nor stack height or crank length. Neither do the "formulas" as all of these methods are intended to get you to a starting point that should be very close and needing fine tuning only. The Lemond formula works good for most as a very close starting point.

It seems to have become fashionable to run the saddles excessively high again. I was in behind (for a brief period :) ), a local group of training racer guys, they are fast and well equipped, I could clearly see half of them were over extending and rocking in the saddle. I also noticed those same fellows had their saddles tilted downward a bunch. I think they have done this so they can slide down on the nose to reduce saddle height, a compensation for having it set to high.

The easiest way to get into the "zone" is to use the Lemond formula or one similar, these are opinion driven forums, but I like to be scientific, being something of an engineer. They all seem to result in approximately the same height plus or minus.

And while it is true the human body is different from specimen to specimen, most people, in a more general comparison, are quite similar. If we put an orangoutang on a bicycle then we may need to adjust the formula, otherwise, they are a very good starting point. The Lemond Formula always puts one in the same place, then, from there one can consider the individual variations of rider and equipment for fine adjustment.

Could you imagine fitting Michael Phelps!!

And an opinion, only, once you get your saddle height, that is your saddle height, with minor variation (mostly for shoe and cleat difference) be it MTB, crit, cruiser or whatever.

Mr Phelps can go to a Paid , Professional, fitting session .. and get a made to measure bike.

Yeah, sure he can, however, he would still be a challenge to fit since he has an orangoutang build. Short powerful legs, long feet, arms that drag the ground and a torso that just goes and goes. And, he is tall to boot.