Why Your Saddle Height Is Wrong & How You Can Fix It

Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned professional, getting your bike to fit correctly is key to making cycling easier. Conor and Hank take you through some of the most obvious signs that you are riding with your saddle either too high or too low, and how to get that bike fitting just right.

Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
1:06 - Saddle Too High
3:19 - Muscle Soreness
3:49 - Setting Saddle Hight

Useful Links:

Have you got any tips on setting up your saddle height correctly? Let us know in the comments below!

Watch more on GCN...

🎵 Music - licensed by Epidemic Sound 🎵
Diluted - Aiyo
Cold Midnight - Squiid
Comparison - dreem

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[gcn]

Have you got any tips on setting up your saddle height correctly? Let us know in the comments below!

[raybradley]

I am amazed that the video didn't suggest the classic rule of thumb guide and having scrolled through dozens of comments nobody appears to have mentioned it. Sit on the bike (lean against a wall if necessary or get someone to hold you upright. Line up the right crank with the line of the seat tube, place the heel of your right foot on the pedal. The saddle height should mean that your right leg now feels fully extended. Lock the saddle in position. Now when you pedal with the ball of your foot over the pedal axle your legs should feel slightly bent at the knee without any rocking in your hips. I have used this method for over 40 years and it's a very good starting point.

[keithbowen]

How about two follow up vids: saddle set back and Saddle angle then perhaps a final one bringing all 3 together?

[russstarke]

Let's harness that power from the right seat height by getting out of the saddle to sprint.

[JackOfAllApocalypses]

Honestly, great video. When I listened to you describing symptoms of having your saddle too high it occurred to me that a LOT of them applied to me so I took a few moments to double check my saddle before my morning ride. What a difference. I felt so much better, especially at the end of the ride. It wouldn't have even occurred to me to check it if not for the video describing the symptoms. Thanks a bunch!

[giovannifacci]

When I used to commute cycling in London, in the morning I was always bumping into this guy riding a fixed gear chrome specialized, he had the seat high he’s entire body was rocking left to right to reach the pedals. He clearly couldn’t stop at the traffic lights first cause of the fixed gear and second he just couldn’t put his feet on the ground

[williamlivingstone]

I've typically sat on my seat and fully extended my leg to see how high the saddle needs to be but measure with your heel. That way when you clip in, you have a slight bend to your leg. Feels decent for the most part. Will be looking for any of those too high or too low signs on my next ride. Thanks guys!

[AlFrEDo-EllIs]

I just purchased a used Masi road bike from a gentleman, and the seat post came with numbered markings on the back of it. It’s so much easier to gauge the hight of my saddle now as opposed to the old bike.

[xotoxpv]

I used to ride a bike with the seat being too low. I didn't realize this as I didn't know better. Not only all my friends were much faster than me, I always had horrible butt pain, even after only 20km. Few years ago, I went onto a long trip where we planned about 60km a day for a week. I took the time on the first day, to set up the seat properly, based on GCN video, not only I was flying fast, I had absolutely no pain whatsoever. Thanks guys, amazing content 😁😁

[BeanCounter]

I ran with my seat to high for ages, until i finally hit a really bad pedal stroke where my knee totally locked out while i was adjusting, and the next pedal stroke put the torque through my knee, pushing the joint the wrong way back. I can still feel that knee after a long ride or hard exercise, maybe 3 years later

[mrrodriguezHLP]

If you are using a carbon seatpost, please use carbon grip paste. I thought I was going insane that my post was too low. It turned out it had slipped a few millimeters over a year of riding.

[glennrebillard]

I find there's about a 1 cm range where your saddle height is "acceptable", and that for me personally, I prefer the lower part of that range. Reason being that I find it easier to maintain an aero position, as there's slightly less bend in the back. I find you also have to adjust the seat angle whenever you adjust the height if you ride aero... the higher the seat, the more down-slope in the angle.

[hsman]

Don’t forget to raise your saddle if you move it forwards as well. I bumped my saddle up about a centimeter & it feels so much better power wise. I couldn’t even tell that my saddle was too low but I felt like I had more power to give. Hip angle matters!

[stevennorth]

When I started riding in my early teens I had my saddle as high as I could & my bars as low as possible. But when I joined a club I was advised to alter it, gradually as I've gotten older my saddle height has come down by about 2 inches!
I based it on the Hinault/Gensling(?) method, seems OK to me now, in my 50 years of being a cyclist.

[DrDirt-fkls]

Tip 1: have a pro ride behind you and evaluate? Brilliant!

[dafyddgiddins]

Hank talking about getting the saddle height right so that he can access all the power, then proceeds to ride out the of the saddle to get all that power. Classic

[timgreenhalgh]

Seriously beautiful bikes. Upped my saddle height by a cm. See how it rides over next couple of weeks. Thank you and keep ‘em coming!

[miltonstewart]

Hey Guys. Great video. I started riding about 1 yr ago and everything I have learned about my road bike was from watching your videos. The last video I watched was from Si about: "How To Brake Like A Pro". So informative. Thanks guys. Please continue to put out excellent videos.

[SDA]

I had a professional fitting done. Adjusted everything that needed adjusting on the bike along with my shoe cleats.Best thing I could have done!

[tefltoulouse]

I've tried all the methods, Hinault's .885 of inseam, Lemond's .883, Lance's 5mm gap between heel and pedal....had about 5 bike fits... all of these always put me too high by about 1cm . The only one that works for me is the old skool "heel on pedal and pedal backwards without hips rocking but with legs straight". Most people say this is too low but works great for me and always puts me within about 3mm of a height that feels right. Any height that "needs some time to get used to" (what, every time you go for a month without riding?) must be too high. I'd also say beware of setting saddle height on a home trainer. All that matters is how you feel on the road. The first symptom of a "too high saddle" is a sense of uneven-ness when pedalling, usually saddle pain or sores on the left side and outside of left knee pain. If you want to get deeper into this then google Steve Hogg RIght SIde Bias.