Saddle height? Inseam minus 10cm?

just went and saw the nice guys at cyclefit who can't get me in till janurary

gave me a tip where he said to get the roughly correct saddle height, measure your inseam and minus 10cm or multiply by 0.9 and that shoul dbe height form bottom bracket to saddle.

said my saddle looked a bit low.

got back to work did the measurements and my saddle is higher than that figure! and it has been feeling a bit low but i've been to lazy to change...

Saddle height = inseam x 0.885

Here is saddle height = BB centre - top of saddle

Of course it can be different for each person and for different conditions, but it's a rough guideline.

but what about crank length?

look, the easiest way to measure saddle height is to make sure you can drop your heel at the bottom of the pedal stroke, if your leg is locked out and you foot is only just level or pointing down, then your saddle is too high. Knee too bent and it's too low.

70% of the people reading this thread now have their saddles too high,

I'm an expert on such matters, and would like to misguide as many of you as I can.

What I've found on my bikes, is that if the saddle height is exactly at the height of my navel, when I'm standing in normal shoes, the bike will be perfect for me. Of course this is ridiculous, but its how I roll. Or sizes 21-22inches, or 52-54cms, if one is Cherman, eats Le Pain, or any other such malarkey.

so that doesn't take into account BB height, crank length or type of shoes/pedals.
i use my tumescent member as a guide. this has to be done totally naked at sea level and with a heamacrit level between 55 and 60.

If your leg is straight with your heel on the pedal with crank arm in line with seat tube then it should be close.

so that doesn't take into account BB height, crank length or type of shoes/pedals.
i use my tumescent member as a guide. this has to be done totally naked at sea level and with a heamacrit level between 55 and 60.

What about atmospheric pressure?

about 1000 mb give or take 50 mb is o.k.

saddle height should be 76.5 using Dutch's equation. Actual height is 78cms which is most comfy for me.

about 1000 mb give or take 50 mb is o.k.

Thanks. I'll wait until spring to set the correct seat hight.

so that doesn't take into account BB height, crank length or type of shoes/pedals.
i use my tumescent member as a guide. this has to be done totally naked at sea level and with a heamacrit level between 55 and 60.

being that the equation is based on inseam measurement, as gives you the height from the bb, bb heigh is irrelevant. given that crank length will only vary by about 10mm, and that is it only a guide, crank length doesn't really matter.

it is not meant as a perfect "make sure your saddle is this high to the nanometre" just as a starting point.

thread reading/quote fail
bb height is relevant if you are using standing next to the bike and the position of your navel as a way to determine saddle height.

thread reading/quote fail
bb height is relevant if you are using standing next to the bike and the position of your navel as a way to determine saddle height.

But what about navel height?
Mines quite high (relativly speaking). Should I line my 'pleasure trail' up with the seat post?

No formulas for me, just as high as I can get it without my leg locking up on the downward stroke fnarr

Does it matter if you have an "in-y" or an "out-y"?

i find kneeling on the ground next to the bike and placing the tip of the saddle level with my right eye and an outstretched arm touching the rear of the stem means the bike is perfect.
much better than getting a decent fit by a trained professional in a bike shop

Seriously though the inside leg x 0.885 thing, gives you a great starting point. But the best position will vary. In fact, for me, it varies from bike to bike.
Some people might want to lower their saddle slightly riding fixed, as it can help with spinning.

I say do the math, and go for a ride carrying the appropriate allen key, to fine tune*.

(*totally not riped off from a previous Hippy post, honest)

saddle height should be 76.5 using Dutch's equation. Actual height is 78cms which is most comfy for me.

Thus You didnt measure Your inseam correctly. Apparently You were too lenient on Your balls.. lolz Most framebuilders would tell You to measure Your inseam with a stick that is firmly pulled up against Your crotch, as if Youre trying to lift yourself with the stick. Agreed, its somewhat uncomfortable. But its used because it really shouldnt matter how well You`re hung when choosing saddle height

Then the maths would have made sense and You`d have Your 78 cm.

i find kneeling on the ground next to the bike and placing the tip of the saddle level with my right eye and an outstretched arm touching the rear of the stem means the bike is perfect.
much better than getting a decent fit by a trained professional in a bike shop

Yeah, and if the bike makes a nice solid noise, when held by stem and saddle, and dropped 1". It is a good bike. Test rides pfffft.

(I also purchase stereo systems based solely on the smothness of the CD eject mechanism)

hmmm, ok thanks... i think... will try RPM's method...

Take your inside leg measurement (without shoes) multiply by 1.09 and then use this to set the distance between your saddle and pedals.
Adjust as necessary.

The cyclefit guys said the optimum saddle height is one that gives a 35-40 degree bend in the knee at the very bottom of the pedal downstroke.

For 4-Cross, DH and BMX ?

Saddle height = inseam x 0.885

Here is saddle height = BB centre - top of saddle

Of course it can be different for each person and for different conditions, but it's a rough guideline.

Been feeling like perhaps my saddle is a bit low... so had a quick trawl through past posts and found this.

My slightly dumb question is... is the height calculated on the perpendicular? IE measure from centre of BB straight up at an angle of 0 degrees, to the top of the saddle? Or, should I measure along the tube, which looks like it runs at 5-10 degrees? There's a 4cm difference by my calculation.

Been feeling like perhaps my saddle is a bit low... so had a quick trawl through past posts and found this.

My slightly dumb question is... is the height calculated on the perpendicular? IE measure from centre of BB straight up at an angle of 0 degrees, to the top of the saddle? Or, should I measure along the tube, which looks like it runs at 5-10 degrees? There's a 4cm difference by my calculation.

Work out your length. Then measure in a striaght line from the BB centre to the 'sit-bones' area of the saddle.

So no, not perpendicular. But not always in line with the seat tube either.

I find being able to extend my heel ~1cm lower than the pedal axis. With the pedal at its lowest point, and with my botty central on the saddle. Is a decent guide for road ridng.