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-   -   Level Seating (https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycling/681642-level-seating.html)

Velo Vol 09-20-10 08:05 AM

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)?

10 Wheels 09-20-10 08:07 AM

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

carpediemracing 09-20-10 08:17 AM

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

datlas 09-20-10 08:18 AM

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.

BLR_0719 09-20-10 08:20 AM

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

tagaproject6 09-20-10 08:24 AM

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

roadiejorge 09-20-10 08:25 AM

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.

sbxx1985 09-20-10 08:30 AM

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

SteelCan 09-20-10 08:31 AM


Originally Posted by datlas (Post 11493214)
mine is level but just eyeballed. A few degrees either way is ok, tweak to your comfort.

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

caloso 09-20-10 08:34 AM

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

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

mike868y 09-20-10 08:35 AM

I eyeball mine to level and then adjust on feel.

scirocco 09-20-10 08:45 AM

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

JTGraphics 09-20-10 08:45 AM

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

dkoernert 09-20-10 09:08 AM

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

nhluhr 09-20-10 09:09 AM

I start from level and microadjust to comfort.

hao 09-20-10 09:13 AM

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

mvnsnd 09-20-10 09:27 AM


Originally Posted by mike868y (Post 11493297)
I eyeball mine to level and then adjust on feel.

This is what I do also.

BITSA 09-20-10 11:00 AM

Started out level, ended up nose slightly down.

mrvile 09-20-10 11:11 AM

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

chadwick 09-20-10 11:21 AM

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!

Trakhak 09-20-10 11:22 AM

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.

guadzilla 09-20-10 11:27 AM

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.

mvnsnd 09-20-10 11:55 AM

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

Velo Vol 09-20-10 01:07 PM


Originally Posted by chadwick (Post 11494236)
iPhone with a level app

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.

collegeskier 09-20-10 01:24 PM


Originally Posted by Velo Vol (Post 11494958)
You can use an IPhone as a level?

Many of the android based phones as well.

Pinyon 09-20-10 01:27 PM

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.

coasting 09-20-10 01:28 PM

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

bdcheung 09-20-10 01:36 PM

my toupe is level.

my antares is slightly nose up.

noise boy 09-20-10 01:43 PM

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.

AtomicCactus 09-20-10 01:47 PM

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


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