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Level Seating

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Old 09-20-10 | 08:05 AM
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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)?
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Old 09-20-10 | 08:07 AM
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Mine is perfect.
Yes you need a level to level it.
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Old 09-20-10 | 08:17 AM
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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.

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Old 09-20-10 | 08:18 AM
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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.
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Old 09-20-10 | 08:20 AM
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I put a book on my saddle and a level on top of that and got it as perfect as I could.
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Old 09-20-10 | 08:24 AM
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Eyeball it and tweak for your comfort. A measuring tool will only give you settings and will not be able to tell you comfort.
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Old 09-20-10 | 08:25 AM
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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.
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Old 09-20-10 | 08:30 AM
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Mine isn't level. The nose is slightly lower. I tried to level it out a few months ago and it was really uncomfortable.
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Old 09-20-10 | 08:31 AM
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Originally Posted by datlas
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.

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Datlas - You eyeballing me boy?
Mark Sat Nov 6th in your calendar for the Philly Dirty Dozen. (13 of Philly's steepest climbs)
https://colinsandbergevents.blogspot....rty-dozen.html
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Old 09-20-10 | 08:34 AM
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Mine is level. I used a level to check that it is level.

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Old 09-20-10 | 08:35 AM
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I eyeball mine to level and then adjust on feel.
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Old 09-20-10 | 08:45 AM
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Nose up a degree or two from level. Done by feel and trial and error adjustment.
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Old 09-20-10 | 08:45 AM
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Mine is level I use this with a flat piece of wood on my saddle making sure bike is on level ground.

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Old 09-20-10 | 09:08 AM
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Mine was not, until I actually took the time to look at it yesterday and realized it was not level. It is now though.
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Old 09-20-10 | 09:09 AM
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I start from level and microadjust to comfort.
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Old 09-20-10 | 09:13 AM
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It's level from nose to where I actually sit. That makes the whole saddle very slightly tilted down.
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Old 09-20-10 | 09:27 AM
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Originally Posted by mike868y
I eyeball mine to level and then adjust on feel.
This is what I do also.
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Old 09-20-10 | 11:00 AM
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Started out level, ended up nose slightly down.
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Old 09-20-10 | 11:11 AM
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Mine is like CDR's, from about an inch in to the tip it is level but the rear curves up slightly.
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Old 09-20-10 | 11:21 AM
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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!
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Old 09-20-10 | 11:22 AM
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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.
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Old 09-20-10 | 11:27 AM
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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.

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Old 09-20-10 | 11:55 AM
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Those of you using a level on the seat are also making sure the ground that the bike is on is level also, right?
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Old 09-20-10 | 01:07 PM
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Originally Posted by chadwick
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.
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Old 09-20-10 | 01:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Velo Vol
You can use an IPhone as a level?
Many of the android based phones as well.
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