handle bar vs. seat height
 

I notice some people have their seats alot higher than there handle bars. others they are about even and others have the seat lower than their bars.


it seems like the higher your seat is, the harder it would be to get the front end off the ground.
plus, it seems like it would hurt your back worse.


how do you ride em and why?

Aerodynamics vs low centre of gravity. If I am going for speed and xc I raise the seat. This maximizes my leg strength on the crank. It also limits chances of knee injury. I ride like this on normal to low intermediate difficulty trails. If I go to a technical trail or a really rough trail requiring my legs to act as suspension (I ride a hardtail bike) I lower the seat. This give me a lower centre of gravity which reduces the chance of tipping and also gives my ass space between it and the seat which is best for jumping, drops and REALLY rough riding.

You will notice some patterns. Freeride and dh guys ride with lower seats and look very comfortable on their bike (like a lazy chair). Xc guys ride quicker but have more of a racers lean and kind of look constipated. It really depends on the kind of riding you are doing. I spend a lot of time adjusting my seat.

higher seat for uphill climb, lower seat for downhill decend

I think the general idea is that for XC riding, the saddle is level with or above the stem. For downhill/really rough riding, the saddle is lower than the stem. You also have to take into accountt the size of the frame being ridden. If a smaller frame is being ridden by a taller person, than the seatpost could apppear to be muchn higher than it really is, because of the height needed to get the right leg extension.

-Moab

I look at it this way... What ever the rider is comfortable with is better than what profile looks "cooler". Generally XC riders are in a more aggressive riding position - handlebar low, seat high; and, freeriders and downhillers do the opposite - handlebar high, seat low. My seat and handlebars are almost even, and that's how I like it.

I dont know how you could pedal comfortably with the seat level with the handlebars. When my seat is all the way down it is about 1/2 inch higher than the handlebars, when i raise the seat to ride it the seats about 4 inches above the handlebar. My bike is getting a little small but i dont see how you could have them level and still ride properly, well except maybe for DH or something.

My bike has an elevated headtube and I use riser bars.

I keep my seat up for road and smooth trails. down a couple of inches for rough trails, and all the way down for steep hills. Seems to keep my face off the trail