Level Seating
 

I just noticed my saddle is several degrees off level.

Thread survey: How close is your saddle to level? Did you use a tool to check it? Do you eyeball it? Or do you position it at the angle that feels best (not level)?

Mine is perfect.
Yes you need a level to level it.

Mine is usually slightly off level if you measure from end to end, maybe 2-3 mm lower in the front. I adjust based on feel, and since I rarely sit far back on the saddle, I measure the "level" starting about 2 cm from the back of the saddle. In other words I don't count the last bit of the saddle, therefore the saddle isn't quite level.

Yesterday though I decided I wanted to raise the nose a touch. I haven't done it yet.

With a flatter saddle (no upturn at the tail), it was level.

cdr

No wonder it's off, you are climbing a steep hill (at least in your avatar, what happened to the T??).

Anyway, mine is level but just eyeballed. A few degrees either way is ok, tweak to your comfort.

I put a book on my saddle and a level on top of that and got it as perfect as I could.

Eyeball it and tweak for your comfort. A measuring tool will only give you settings and will not be able to tell you comfort.

Mine is level and after having tried different nose angles it's what works best for me. Get a level to help you if you're looking to get it perfectly level, but going off how it feels is a good way to do it as well.

Mine isn't level. The nose is slightly lower. I tried to level it out a few months ago and it was really uncomfortable.

FWIW: When I was pushing 6.5"+ drops, I had to have a sleight downward angle to avoid chafing. (annoyance - always sliding forward on the saddle and having to shimmy my butt back) Now with the tweaked fit (compact handlebar & 5.5" drop), seat is dead level.

Thread theft alert:
Datlas - You eyeballing me boy?
Mark Sat Nov 6th in your calendar for the Philly Dirty Dozen. (13 of Philly's steepest climbs)
http://colinsandbergevents.blogspot....rty-dozen.html

Mine is level. I used a level to check that it is level.

http://admin.our.bbb.org/Milwaukee/M...ntry/level.png

I eyeball mine to level and then adjust on feel.

Nose up a degree or two from level. Done by feel and trial and error adjustment.

Mine is level I use this with a flat piece of wood on my saddle making sure bike is on level ground.

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pro...cc34cd_300.jpg

Mine was not, until I actually took the time to look at it yesterday and realized it was not level. It is now though.

I start from level and microadjust to comfort.

It's level from nose to where I actually sit. That makes the whole saddle very slightly tilted down.

This is what I do also.

Started out level, ended up nose slightly down.

Mine is like CDR's, from about an inch in to the tip it is level but the rear curves up slightly.

I put a clipboard on mine and use my iPhone with a level app, or a real level whenever I manage to find it.

I've found that even if it's tilted up or down a 0.5 degree I'll notice it pretty quickly when riding.

I just found this weekend that it wasn't level side-to-side, though, which explains a few times. Turns out when torquing down the seat clamp it was tending to move the saddle to one side. D'oh!

Saddle nose down equals saddle too high, as any experienced coach will tell you. Try and find a photo of a pro cyclist with a nose-down saddle.

Mine is also about 0.7 degree nose-up. The rear curves down a bit and I find this position to be the most comfortable.

Btw, those of you with iPod/iPads - get Clinometer. A great app for checking levels. That's what I use to set my seat.

V.

Those of you using a level on the seat are also making sure the ground that the bike is on is level also, right?

You can use an IPhone as a level?

Once upon a time I thought my saddle was level. And if you don't look at it real closely from the side it still looks level. But I broke out the level and sure enough the front is over an inch lower. Apparently it tilted down over time.

Many of the android based phones as well.