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On a club ride yesterday the observation was mentioned that the Tour riders when they're getting back on their bikes can just chuck a leg over the saddle and slide on while fairly useful 'cross riders can do the 'leap' thing on to the saddle but yet not one of us old buggers can get even close to performing this athletic if not gymnastic feat.
A possible reason is that we all, to a man and woman have our saddles too high but certainly in my case, if I lower the saddle any further I'll be very uncomfortable.
So, I'd be interested to know what a random sample of other enthusiast riders height and saddle height is if any of you would be so kind? Just your height and the measurement from the flat of your saddle to the middle of the bottom bracket. Mountain bike, 'cross bike, road bike, any bike really.
Surely crank length plays a part as well? I measure all mine from middle of pedal when the crank is at bdc. Mines around 82cm (I think) @ 171cm total height fwiw, same for all bikes and I can just about pull off a cross style remount (on a good day)
Well height relative to BB against leg length will give you an idea if others are using a similar saddle height to you, but the leap/slide thing surely needs to take into account the static BB height as well?
Not so much an issue on road bike as they'll be much less variation but on full sus bike can make a fair bit of difference! Getting on my old Mk1 Intense Tracer was always a 'leap', but I can practically walk over my short forked hard tail as it's that much lower.
FWIW, 5'7 (and a smidge), 29inch/73.5cm inside leg, 170mm cranks, BB to top of saddle is 66cm if using SPD's, 64cm if running flats
CX bikes may well have higher BBs.
84cm road bike, 6'5", 175mm cranks
Lower on CX and mtbs respectively down to 81cm
6'2"ish, 84cms from centre of BB to top of saddle on MTB, road, and CX bikes. 180mm cranks.
Easy enough to do the leap/slide technique on all of them but obviously a bit easier on the road bike due to its lower BB. Look cleats make it a bit more difficult mind 😆
861mm from crank bolt to top of the saddle running 175mm cranks. Pedal type and shoes make a difference as well as they may have more/less stack. I'm 6'4" BTW with a 36" inside leg and the saddle height was prescribed by 2 different bike fitters.
Got mine set up by the bike shop when i bought it - saddle shiggled up down, back and forth etc to put my knee over the ball of my foot when pedalling or something.
Saddle height was adjusted to cater for how my heel was pointing at the bottom a pedal stroke. If and when I ever get more flexible hamstrings the saddle will go up a bit apparently.
I'd recommend getting a shop or knowledgeable road rider to give you a hand with bike fit (and I wouldn't have said that three weeks ago before buying a bike and having it fitted to a small degree).
6ft4 and typically set my saddle height at 31" (~79cm) from centre of BB and run 175mm cranks. Obviously differs between shoe/pedal types, amount of padding on saddle etc.
Interesting how low that sounds compared to lunge even though im taller.
6ft, 33 inside leg, 76 centre bb to saddle top.
So at 5'9" and my saddle at 73cm from the centre of the bb, I'm about right with the saddle height? No way in the world I can throw my leg over or jump onto the saddle. I think I'm of standard proportions.
885mm seat top to bottom bracket 6ft 4 gert long legs
im 6ft. 172.5 cranks. 73ish depending on pedals, I think 72.5 with speedplay on the road bike
I'm 6'4" and a saddle height of 875mm from centre of bb to top of saddle, lower on cx and mtb
I've not even got the highest saddle height in my road club!
6ft 33" inside leg an 78cm from the centre of the B/B with 175cm cranks. I'll have the saddle 1cm lower on the mtb. How old are all your club mates Op ? 55 here and I can still slide on jump on get on my bike anyway I please Lol.
6'3" with a 36" inside leg. Saddle height is 823mm from centre of BB with 175mm cranks.
A possible reason is that we all, to a man and woman have our saddles too high
Possibly; two bike fitters both told me my saddle was way too low, so if that's the way they set people up then folk are probably running them too high. It makes it very difficult to get a good position on a road bike if your saddle's too high, stops your glutes from firing properly aswell.
Lemond: 0.883 x Inseam = 740 mm (BB to saddle top) works for me with a saddle nose to BB offset of 50 mm. A cm lower on the cross/mtb.
You folk actually know these things?
Unless you're xc racing this is a bit unnecessary...if you pedal comfortably then it's perfect. Pro road riders would be told by bike shop fit "experts" their saddles are too low. That about sums the validity of them up.
What scotroutes said.
I go by the mucky Mark on my seatpost... 😆
glasgowdan - Member
Unless you're xc racing this is a bit unnecessary...if you pedal comfortably then it's perfect. Pro road riders would be told by bike shop fit "experts" their saddles are too low. That about sums the validity of them up.
Never tried to win an "elite" time in a sportive before, then? An incorrect saddle height could be the difference between that and a "gold" time
If my saddle height slips by even 5mm then my left knee is painful at low cadence and high torque, so saddle height is very important to me
Surely height is irrelevant - inside leg is more important.
For example, despite brushing 6ft, I only have a 29 inch inside leg, but still ride a large bike, due to having gibbon arms (Size 12 feet probably have an influence too).
I also agree that BB height is a factor, as this affects the overall height of the saddle.
I do wish people would get their head round the fact that bike sizing is not simple and is a factor of not only your individual proportions, but the brand of bike too (an 18 inch frame can be different across manufacturers)
The number of times somebody says "I'm 5ft 10in, what size (insert bike brand/model here) should I get?" is quite astounding, to be honest.
The only real answer is to go and ride the bike(s) that you're interested in, and probably to get a bike fit.
P.S. When 'leaping' onto your bike, try to land on the inside of your thigh, then slide across into the riding position - either that or start a Bee Gees tribute band.
BB height does not effect fit, it'll effect wether you can touch the floor, but once riding it's irrelevant
I've got the same stack, reach, saddle setback and saddle height on road and cross bike, but completely different BB height
Actual size or seat tube length doesn't matter, only aesthetically and wether your frame/seatpost combo works for you
5ft10, 32 and a bit (the bit is important) inside leg. Use 170mm cranks on everything...
Centre of BB to top of saddle is 740mm on road, MTB and anything else I care to sling my leg over (clipped in). I can tell if it's 2mm too high or too low instantly (history of bad knees!)...
Can I slide onto the saddle easily like a pro? Hell no! But then I'm about as flexible as a piece of 2x4, whilst they can all fold themselves in half and chew their front tyre whilst riding along.
Lemond: 0.883 x Inseam = 740 mm (BB to saddle top) works for me with a saddle nose to BB offset of 50 mm. A cm lower on the cross/mtb.
I'd have to drop my saddle more than 20mm if that's correct! My knees would last about far enough to get me to the end of the road and back, if I was lucky! 😕
EDIT: Just re measured my inseam... Smidge under 33", I've got longer legs than I thought, which means Lemond's method is more accurate than I just gave it credit for...