How To Set Up Bike Seat Height

Changing your saddle height right is the near important adjustment you lot can make to the fit of your bike. In this guide, we will explicate how to decide your correct saddle height on a bicycle, including how to set the fore/aft position of the saddle, likewise as tilt.

While this guide focuses on setting the saddle height for a road bike, information technology applies equally to mount bikes, hybrids or any other blazon of bicycle.

I key note before we begin: there is no such thing as simply setting your bike saddle elevation' and being washed with information technology. Nevertheless, there is such a thing as 'setting your saddle'.

The difference? Seat height, the saddle's fore/aft position, and tilt should all be addressed simultaneously to 'prepare your bicycle seat'. Get all three of these things correct and y'all'll be set to take a comfy and efficient ride. Get any of the iii wrong and information technology can lead riders off the bike or riding in discomfort.

How to set saddle height on a wheel

Getting your saddle top right will ensure yous have a comfortable, efficient and controlled ride.

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Permit'due south brainstorm past determining where your wheel seat is at present by taking a couple of measurements so you lot tin learn from the changes you make, and what the difference is between a skilful seat position, a amend position and the best position possible.

The three critical measurements to consider are saddle height, fore/aft, and tilt.

There are several ways to measure these, simply the methods described below allow anybody with a tape measure and a smartphone to accomplish this task.

It'due south good practice to certificate your starting position before doing anything. It will come in handy in the futurity, peculiarly if you observe any changes you have made aren't working for you lot – with your old position noted, you can go dorsum to your starting betoken quickly.

The foundation for this measurement system is to eliminate saddle-specific features. It doesn't account for the differences between seats because there is no such measurement, just it does allow you to measure out whatever saddle accurately, and that's a great starting indicate.

i. How to measure your bike'south saddle top

Measure the full length of your saddle to find a midpoint - this Selle Italia is 27cm (13.5 midpoint) — Measure the full length of your saddle to detect a mid-point – this Selle Italia measures 27cm (thirteen.5cm mid-bespeak).

*Thomas McDaniel / Firsthand Media*

Mark the center of the saddle so you can consistently determine your effective seat height — Mark the center of the saddle so you tin consistently determine your effective seat height.

*Thomas McDaniel / Immediate Media*

Measure from the midpoint mark you made - the more accurate your masurements, the better your ability to understand the impact changes make on your comfort — Measure from the mid-signal marker you made. The more accurate your measurements, the amend your ability to understand the affect that changes will brand on your comfort.

*Thomas McDaniel / Immediate Media*

Measure the length of your seat from front to back and find a mid-point. Mark this spot on the saddle with a sharpie, small-scale pen, chalk, etc.

Apply your record measure to outset at the centre-peak of your saddle and measure in a straight line to the eye of your bottom subclass (ignore the seat tube angle – only follow the tape measure).

Measure out from the marking on the saddle to the eye of the crank.

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Some cranks are best measured from the driveside and some better from the non-driveside – either is fine.

Certificate your measurement to the millimetre (764mm, for example).

ii. How to determine the saddle fore/aft position

Measure a horizontal line from a wall to the center of your bottom bracket — With your bicycle against a wall, measure out a horizontal line from the wall to the centre of your wheel's bottom bracket.

*Thomas McDaniel / Immediate Media*

Measure horizontal from the same wall to the tip of your saddle - the diference between the measurements is your saddle setback — And so measure horizontal from the same wall to the tip of your saddle – the difference between the measurements is your saddle setback.

*Thomas McDaniel / Immediate Media*

Place your bike confronting a wall, either in a stationary trainer or with the wheel in. Either mode, brand sure the bicycle is vertically perpendicular to the floor and horizontally perpendicular to the wall.

Measure from the wall to the bottom bracket for measurement #i.

Measure from the wall to the tip of the saddle for measurement #two.

To calculate saddle setback, deduct measurement #1 from measurement #ii.

3. How to decide saddle tilt

Measuring saddle tilt with a clipboard provides an overall bending, eliminating whatever deviations due to saddle contours – smartphones work bang-up for this, too, but brand sure your wheel is level.

Thomas McDaniel / Immediate Media

Because many seats accept contours, the all-time way to get consistent measurements is to measure out the overall seat tilt.

Place a slice of lath over the seat and utilize your smartphone or inclinometer to detect the overall seat tilt.

Double-check to meet if your cycle was level before you started. I recommend documenting to the nearest 1/10^th of a degree.

How to get the perfect saddle height on your bike

Once you take your three measurements, it's time to become started.

There's no shortage of 'old school' methods for seat top: the 'Holmes method', 'Lemond method', armpit on the saddle and fingertips to the centre of crank, and and so on.

To some extent, these accept all been discredited by new schools of thinking in bike fitting, but that doesn't mean they aren't useful.

Determining saddle top with the heel method

As a place to beginning, the 'heel method' is a very quick mode to institute a baseline summit. I all the same discover it quite useful.

This procedure tin can exist done in a doorway, or better however with the cycle on a stationary trainer.

Hop on the bike and place your heel on the pedal, in any shoes you program on riding in.

Pedal forwards or backwards, but do it slowly. If the saddle is also high, yous'll not be able to pedal smoothly without having to rock your hips from side-to-side, overreaching. Movement your saddle downwardly one to 2cm at a time until this back and forth stops.

Conversely, if it'due south easy to pedal smoothly, endeavour going up a few centimetres at a fourth dimension until you have to first reaching for the pedals. Once you're reaching, start edging your saddle back downwards until you lot find yourself in an platonic starting pinnacle.

How to use an app to determine your saddle height

Leave the 'heel method' in the rear-view mirror and effort putting your foot on the pedal every bit you would when riding. If this means clipping into clipless pedals, then go for it.

If yous prefer to ride with flat pedals, then put about 1/3 of your foot in front of the pedal beam, and 2/3 behind.

At this bespeak, a stationary trainer is pretty much a necessity if yous want to give a proper evaluation of your seat top.

If you don't have one, it's still certainly possible, but requires help from a friend and some fancy smartphone camera action.

With the bike in a trainer, information technology's time to snap a few photos/videos. I recommend downloading any ane of a number of gratuitous apps for capturing and analysing motion.

The app I prefer is Hudl Technique, but there are plenty to choose from. Any app that tin can create nevertheless images from action will suffice.

As a starting point for fore/aft adjustment of the seat, the heart of articulatio genus rotation is vertically to a higher place the pedal axle – experiment from there to find what feels best.

Thomas McDaniel / Firsthand Media

Ride your bike for a few minutes, equally you lot would on whatsoever daily rides, adjusting your position on the seat until information technology feels comfy.

One time in position, you tin can brainstorm capturing some imagery. The goal is to be able to quantify how much bend is in the knee joint throughout the pedal stroke, and to the approximate location of the centre of your genu.

More often than not speaking, at full extension (which is non 6 o'clock – more like 5 o'clock) 30 to twoscore degrees of genu bend is the generally accepted range.

If you're feeling tension at the front of the genu or a big amount of piece of work only from your quads, the seat summit is a chip low.

If you lot feel a dull ache at your low dorsum, or you can experience your hips rocking a fleck, the saddle is likely too high.

Using the aforementioned images runway to a point where the crank arm is forward-horizontal and look to the genu.

Determining seat acme should exist an active process – use 'Technique' or other motion capture apps to estimate your leg angle at maximum extension.

Thomas McDaniel / Immediate Media

Judge the centre of your knee, or the point where it appears to swivel. Where in relation to the pedal axle is your genu? In front, behind, or just above?

If it's backside, try sliding your seat forward a bit, until the centre of the knee is vertically in line with your pedal beam. Do the opposite, of course, if your human knee is in forepart of the pedal axle.

When you moved your seat forward or backward did it feel like the seat elevation change? If you moved your seat forward to move your knee frontward, y'all'll likely need to raise your seat, too. The opposite is, of course, true if you moved your seat rearward.

When attempting to set fore/aft or height, pay attention to how you pedal: heel up, heel downward, or somewhere in between – this affects measurements.

Thomas McDaniel / Immediate Media

This piddling dance goes on until yous've plant something that feels smooth and balanced. No rocking back and forth, no musculus groups feeling like they're doing more than their share of the piece of work, and no aching knees or hips.

At present accept your bike out for a few brusk spins and bring your hex keys with you lot.

A few small tweaks can aid finalise a good position, only don't overdo the offset couple of rides or you'll exist minimising the opportunity for proper and painless adaptation.

Make the saddle work for you

Finding the right saddle for y'all is key to making sure your saddle height is correct.

Robyn Furtado / Immediate Media

All of this has been under a major assumption that your saddle properly supports your sit bones.

And then, does it? Do you lot feel definitive pressure level on the two sit bones of your pelvis? If not, it could be for 2 reasons:

Your saddle shape or width aren't matching your anatomical structure, or
The tilt of the saddle isn't enabling your sit down bones to do their job.

If it'south the latter of the two that's worth discussing, largely because yous can cheque for yourself if your bike seat is actually right for you.

The tilt of the saddle is a determining gene for where pressure is applied to the pelvis. If the front of the seat is also high it makes it difficult, if not impossible, for the sit basic to provide support.

Conversely, if the saddle is too far downwards at the front your sit basic can support you, but you'll exist sliding forrad and afterwards applying besides much pressure level on your hands.

Use a piece of lath and a digital inclinometer (or smartphone level app) to decide saddle tilt. Write it downwards! Make sure your wheel is level and if non, take in to business relationship the fact that it'south not. Now try moving things around to come across what provides the well-nigh support, structurally speaking.

Nigh saddles fall into a 0- to 6-degree range, with positive (nose up) numbers rarely a possibility.

This is a fleck of an arbitrary number, but I detect it prevents extremes for new riders, which isn't uncommon.

Sitting pretty

Now you're all fix.

If you still haven't found true comfort after adjustments take been made, go along moving things around. Don't forget to document your changes and how your body has responded.

If yous're non finding condolement within a few centimetres of your starting signal information technology'due south probable fourth dimension to head to your local cycle shop to investigate your seat shape and width.

Following the instruction above provides only a skillful starting point for setting your wheel saddle upward correctly. The manner you lot motion on the bike, what your lifestyle is like off the cycle, and what types of self-care you engage in all dictate how you lot sit down atop and pedal a bike.

Don't listen to what worked for your friends, mind to your trunk. If something aches, attempt something new. If things are expert, document the position and leave it alone!