My process is to:

1. Use a level to make sure that the ground that I'm checking it on is flat.
2. Check the tire pressure in each tire, to make sure that the are even.
3. Put the bike on a bike trainer, using a level to make sure that the bike is level on both the front-to-back, left-to-right axes.
4. Then I use the level to make sure that the saddle is level.

BUT REALLY, I just eyeball it. What I do next depends on the make and age of the saddle. I tweak it in small increments until it feels good over a 50+ mile ride.

i fiddled with it until it didn't give me perineum pain. if that is not level, so be it.

my toupe is level.

my antares is slightly nose up.

It is as level as it is going to get, my seatpost has toothed adjustment for level, so it either distinctly nose down, level, or distinctly nose up, there aren no other options.

My saddle is tilted nose down by about 5*. My seatpost is cranked way up and my testicles are too big.

Are you leveling with me?

Uh huh.

i have to replace my saddle. I'm not looking forward to the trial and error adjustments until I get it just right.

This will be a helpful thread.

You're welcome.

This and the pothole thread are your greatest triumphs.

My saddle isn't flat, so I don't see any point to it being "level"

We need to scientifically analyze this. Unfortunately I don't know how to determine its present angle. Maybe later I'll measure the drop from back to front.

The saddle is supposed to fit your *butt*, not a carpenter's tool.
My saddles are typically 1cm lower in front.
Who came up with this goofy idea anyway???

I got mine as close to level, with the use of a level, as possible. That's what's worked best for me so using a level takes out any guesss work for me.

Good luck!

This level idea is nonsense. On one bike (a) I have a level saddle. On the other bike (b) I have it sloping down.

a) is not particularly comfortable when i sit on it to start with but then I can sit on it for hours and hours without any discomfort.
b) feels like my ass is being massaged and is very comfortable as soon as i sit on it, but after a few hours, my perineum hurts.

My saddle is level. I can tell because my balls don't roll around

Bwahahaha!! FTW!!

Honestly, to each his own. If you don't know then leveling it is a good start. Then adjust as needed.

I used the markings on my Thomson seatpost to set the tilt to the complement of the seat tube angle. It's close enough to make the Fizik Arione comfortable.

Ugh, my first saddle which was a stock bontrager on my trek 1.2 was pointed nose down. Right now and after I bought a SMP selle plus, it kills more than it helps.. It is "squashing" more than before, even when you point it down there is a curve that keeps hitting your legs each time you pedal.

Level Toupe. Level ground, book or flat piece of wood on saddle, level on top. Evenly torque Thomson seat post bolts to 5nm.

Brooks saddles feel better if the nose of the saddle is tilted up. So both my Brooks saddles are not level.

And it is not something that can be measured ... it just feels right when the nose it tilted up just right.

I tried that and liked it, except that modern cycling shorts manufacturers generally put too much padding in the testicle area. I had to tip the saddle back down to be comfortable. I still can't figure out why shorts have padding anywhere other than under the sitbones.

I started level and tweaked it both ways and months later...it's level. Saddle is a Fizik Antares which imo, wants to be level. GL

I measured and the front is 1.5 inches lower than the back. That seems like a lot. I'm going to adjust it and see if there's an improvement.

Buy shorts with less padding. A lot of Brooks riders don't use padded shorts at all.

And I agree ... I don't understand why shorts have padding anywhere other than under the sitbones. And what I really can't figure out is why some shorts I've tried have padding running up the middle, but not wide enough to accommodate the sitbones at all. The sitbones either sit right on the seam or off the edges of the padding all together.