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| Thread ID: 109083 | 2010-04-23 22:40:00 | Bicycle Seat Height. | Trev (427) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 879351 | 2010-04-24 00:54:00 | And I can add to Johcar's statement it is also very inefficient when you see people riding with the seat too high, they are easily spotted as when they are peddling you can see their hips rotating up and down. I can reach the ground on tiptoe on my road bike, on my mountain bike the saddle is a bit lower due to the totally different riding style. You have to remember not all of our legs are the same length. Two people the same height can have different leg/body lengths | gary67 (56) | ||
| 879352 | 2010-04-24 01:02:00 | I used to adjust saddle height so that I could touch the ground with my toes of both feet. Feet flat on the ground was far too low a setting, probably ok for little kids frightened of falling off Generally I have one foot flat on the ground, and one foot on teh pedal when I stop, never two feet touching the ground. I adjust the seat purely for comfort when riding. |
Metla (12) | ||
| 879353 | 2010-04-24 03:26:00 | For most people riding around town it is not important the seat is at the right height for the most efficient muscle action. If you are looking to do longer rides, then the correct height becomes more important. Too low, and your muscles are not working to their full potential and it is difficult to use maximum power. In one fun race at work around a 2km block, we were on 'green bikes' which had the seats too low. I have never had muscle cramps so bad as occurred in the last few hundred metres. At the other end of the scale, too high a seat will cause you to overextend and rock your hips, again an inefficient pedalling action. I have never adjusted my seat height so I can reach the ground comfortably. Touching the ground with my toes is fine. If I need to stop any longer, I can get out of the saddle. |
user (1404) | ||
| 879354 | 2010-04-24 04:24:00 | And I can add to Johcar's statement it is also very inefficient when you see people riding with the seat too high, they are easily spotted as when they are peddling you can see their hips rotating up and down. I can reach the ground on tiptoe on my road bike, on my mountain bike the saddle is a bit lower due to the totally different riding style. You have to remember not all of our legs are the same length. Two people the same height can have different leg/body lengths As you say, I too have completely different seat heights for my road bike and my mountain bike for that reason - set similarly to yours by the sound of it. The way I was taught was this (in simple language that is) - with a road bike, you should have your leg slightly bent when you are at the bottom of the stroke, not straight. Like you, I reach the road with tip toe when stopped. My leg is quite a bit more bent at the bottom of the stroke on the mountain bike. From my own experience, I find that if I have the seat height too high, I end up with back pain (amongst other things), and the wrong height can blow your knees. I also find that the right seat height is conducive to preventing numb dork syndrome on a skinny seat road bike... |
John H (8) | ||
| 879355 | 2010-04-24 05:46:00 | My road bike was a custom build back in the 90's (hand built frame) it's still damn light and I have never changed the seat height since it was originally set up | gary67 (56) | ||
| 879356 | 2010-04-24 05:48:00 | Lovely. I haven't changed my seat height either, but I have changed my own - I have osteopenia, so have lost quite a bit of height myself instead. Legs aren't any shorter but I find it hard to reach the bars nowadays so have bought a different stem with a riser! Either that or sell the bike and get a smaller frame to fit my smaller ditto. |
John H (8) | ||
| 879357 | 2010-04-24 05:53:00 | Hmm just remembered I had it built with a Campag chorus groupset as well, and riding it today it still performs as well as ever, it was built for criterium racing as my home town in England had a closed to traffic criterium circuit and a weekly race series. The bike handles like a dream really responsive and very lively on the back end if you leave the saddle too soon coming out of a corner | gary67 (56) | ||
| 879358 | 2010-04-24 09:35:00 | You adjust the bike seat so that at the lowest point that the pedal travels your heel is about an inch (2.5 cm) below your big toe, with the ball of your foot centred on the pedal. | zqwerty (97) | ||
| 879359 | 2010-04-25 00:36:00 | You adjust the bike seat so that at the lowest point that the pedal travels your heel is about an inch (2 . 5 cm) below your big toe, with the ball of your foot centred on the pedal . Note you mention the ball of the foot which is the correct method, a lot of of people in NZ seem to use their instep which is definitely wrong |
bonzo29 (2348) | ||
| 879360 | 2010-04-25 02:20:00 | As noted above, there is no single correct method that covers all situations. The method is determined by the type of riding intended to be done. |
johcar (6283) | ||
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