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Getting your saddle height right before you get out on the bike

It’s absolutely crucial to get this right.

A PERFECTLY-POSITIONED saddle puts you in the optimal position to pedal efficiently and allows you to put the most power into the pedals.

It sounds simple but very few get it right and Leon Whelton, an expert in the area of bike fitting, says it’s absolutely crucial to get it right.

“If your saddle is at the correct height – it allows your glutes and quads (the most important cycling muscles) to produce power and transfer this power down through the lower leg and the pedals.

“It helps to avoid short-term discomfort and long-term injury. Flexibility can also have a big factor on saddle height. For example, a rider with poor hamstring flexibility may need to ride with a slightly lower saddle than a rider with good hamstring flexibility.

“Also, saddle height may vary between your road bike and time trial bike, as generally we ride with a slightly higher (5-8mm higher approx) saddle during a short time trial, because we tend to sit on the front of the saddle more and the front of the saddle is closer to the pedals i.e lower saddle height,” he continued.

The good news is that saddle height is the simplest of adjustments you can make to your bike with probably the greatest benefit.

Trying to find the correct height can be a frustrating – but it’s not impossible and Whelton, who owns www.munsterbikefitstudio.com has this step-by-step advice.

Step One

Saddle before/after: Set the saddle in the middle of the rails, but remember as your saddle rises the saddle also gets further away (because the seat tube is at an angle and not plumb) from the handlebars and this changes your KOPS (knee over pedal spindle – more rearwards) and vice versa, if you lower the saddle.

Step Two

Adjust the saddle angle so that the saddle is level to the ground as measured from the front two-thirds of the saddle. For shaped or anatomical saddles, the rear of the saddle will rise above the front of the saddle for proper sit bone support and provide relief to the anterior soft tissue. Saddle angle is subject to personal preference and variability between saddle brands.

Step Three

Mount the bike and sit squarely on the saddle. Hang both feet straight downward with knees fully extended.

Step Four

Adjust saddle height higher until your heels barely scrape the pedals at the bottom of the pedal stroke with the knee fully extended – wearing your cycling shoes, but not clipped in.

Pain, he says, can be caused by an incorrect position and here are some of the most common causes of pain – and the possible solutions.

If you have pain at the front of the knee?

  • Saddle may be too low – raise saddle to optimal knee extension angle
  • Saddle too far forward – move backwards (away from handlebars)
  • Cranks too long – Shorten (new crankset!)
  • Cleats on shoes too far forward – move cleats rearwards on shoes

And if you have pain at the back of the knee?

  • Saddle too high – raise saddle to optimal knee extension angle
  • Saddle too far back – move forwards (toward the handlebars)
  • Reach from saddle to handlebars is too far – Shorten reach – stem length
  • Saddle shape – some saddles can block pelvic rotation – change to allow.

Whelton, who has fitted bikes to a number of the country’s top riders says; “There are many other areas that can be affected with an incorrect saddle height such as, hip issues, lower back pain but there are generally a combination of factors with your overall bike position that cause pain and discomfort and saddle height is just one component of this.”

The latest technology in the area of bike fitting is a dynamic bike fitting system called the retul system www.retul.com and Whelton is a big advocate of its benefits. He also believes that bike shops have a big role to play in ensuring they don’t sell a bike too big or too small to the growing number of ‘newbie’ cyclists.

“I feel that all bike shops should be able to set the saddle height to within an inch or so of the correct height, through standard static methods/2D methods (Retul is a 3D system). It’s amazing how many clients come to me a few months after they have purchased a bike and they are suffering from minor or major discomfort on the bike.

“I had a client the other day, who was 6ft 5inches tall and the shop had given him a bike with the saddle 200mm too low! That’s just not good enough. You don’t expect that bike shops need to have 3D Dynamic bike fit systems, as that’s just not practical, but at least one staff member should be trained with basic bike fit knowledge.”

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