A small intro, cause i'm new
 

Hi everyone. My name is josh. I am currently living in the Netherlands. I am originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. Beginning in April, i will be travelling by bike through Europe for 5 months (All West and some East). So i thought, what better way to gather information, than to join a discussion board concerning the like. So here i am. The reason for my travels is to collect information for a touring agency i am starting in 2005. Taking college students around Europe 10 times a year for two week intervals. That's my situation in a nutshell. Sure i'll be discussing this and that in the near future. Here's a question in the meanwhile. How high should your seat be when riding? At the pedals lowest point how straight (or bent) should the leg be?

Common wisdom is to set (as a starting point) the height of the seat so that your fully outstretched heal just hits the pedal at its (the pedal's) lowest point . Then adjust slightly from there. You want to maximize leg extension while never getting to the point at which your hips rock.

Hi and welcome....

Brillig is spot on with his saddle height adjustment.

If you want cycle set up information try the Sheldon Brown or the Peter White Web sites for starters...

Welcome. passed through Almere a few years ago. As I recall there were some innovative house designs there.

If you need any help dragging college students through Europe, I'll happily give up my job and move to the Netherlands :D