wearyourtruth

i recently built a new SS road bike that i've been using as my primary bike for a few weeks now. i assembled it all and put the saddle where it felt comfortable. i usually place my saddle by feel and with the measure of putting my heel on the pedal and extending my leg fully.

so i'm riding around and it feels great, but of course i can't neglect my other two road warriors, so i hop on one the other day and the saddle feels and inch or two low. i get on the other one yesterday and had to raise it an inch and a half. both of these bikes felt perfect before, what changed? thanks!

DataJunkie

I had the same question a month ago. The answer is that you did.
Your fitness level increased. Possibly you now have an easier time bending as well.

idcruiserman

Maybe the crank lengths are different.

wearyourtruth

^ my 2 older bikes are unchanged, but i had to raise the saddle on both. so i don't see how that would matter right?

ir0nfist

A.) You're delusional.

B.) the Bicycle gnomes lowered them.

C.) You had a growth spurt

Longfemur

Same shoes, same pedals? Same length cranks? What about saddle fore-and-aft? That by itself can account for differences like this. How about width of the various saddles on the bikes? A narrower saddle can allow a higher position than a wider one, but it depends on the shape and where you sit on it. Also, saddle height is measured to where you actually sit, not necessarily the very topmost height of the saddle, so that can account for height differences between saddles on different bikes. That can easily make a difference of a quarter inch or so. Other than those possible reasons, unless your legs suddenly grew longer, heel on pedal shouldn't be any different.

Keep in mind the heel on pedal method itself can be highly inaccurate and it can easily account for an inch difference in saddle height, simply because there is a tendency to reach down with your heel to reach the pedal if you are only doing this on one side. You don't really notice it unless you're aware of that. It's best to try to actually pedal with the heels on the pedals. But I have to say that I think on a road bike, if you can actually pedal backwards with the heel on the pedal and you aren't losing contact with the pedal a little without rocking your hips, that's a saddle height that is up to a cm or more too low for optimal, efficient pedaling (suitable for just cruising, but not if you're looking for an efficient road bike position). Not only that, but it is bound to make you feel like your knees are coming up too high, especially when in the drops.