Proper seat height??

If you rock back and forth when pedalling then your saddle is too high. A tad below that is what I use.

I am somewhat skeptical of formulae to determine seat height. They'll get you in the ballpark, but all it would take is a small differences in the angle of you like to hold your foot while pedalling to cause a fairly big adjustment.

The first thing I would do is sit squarely on the seat with my heel on the pedal and leg straight this is the minimum setting. Then make upward small adjustments from that point after several rides I could find whats optimum this way. Pain in the back of the knee would mean I went to high.

Bro Deal said:

If you rock back and forth when pedalling then your saddle is too high. A tad below that is what I use.

I am somewhat skeptical of formulae to determine seat height. They'll get you in the ballpark, but all it would take is a small differences in the angle of you like to hold your foot while pedalling to cause a fairly big adjustment.

+1. The "rules of thumb" that are bantied about are very, very general in their application. The one real fact is that you do not want the saddle so high that your hips rock.

Depending on who you listen to, it's said you want a 10-30 degree bend in your knee with your leg at 6 oclock. The heel on the pedal trick is really kind of vague since there's no real standard for how thick shoe soles are (and some people say this particular test should be done in tennies). Methods that use any computation are equally, uhm, successful or unsuccessful depending on how you look at it.

Don't be afraid to futz with it yourself. Just make small changes and ride them for a while. Anything that causes pain is obviously a move in the wrong direction.

If there's a good fitter in town, then you might give them a go. As with rules of thumb, adjustments made by fitters are really only starting points.

racerx217 said:

how do i know what the proper seat is, i just got a new bike and the shop set it up for me, i think the seat height is kinda low, its not uncomfortable just not what i am used to , so i raised it about 2 cm and it feels better, but now i am concerned that it feels better just because i have been riding all these years at the wrong height, so if you in the know let me know whats up

I think a good starting point is just low enough that your hips do not rock when riding. I thinks shops are great but if it feels good, do it. :o

As a general rule while sitting in the saddle place your foot on the peddle at 6 oclock in your normal ridding position your leg should be slightly bent but you should be able lock your knee out with out pushing yourself out of the saddle.

thanks guys