Guide on how to correctly adjust the saddle height

Adjust saddle height It is what every cyclist should do when buying a new bicycle, since it is one of the most important and necessary adjustments if we do not want to suffer muscle problems in the short term.

Placing the seatpost a little higher or lower can be much more important than it seems at first glance, and that is if you want to prevent back problems, cervical pain or muscle overloads You must pay special attention to the placement of the saddle.

We did not want to get into the subject without first remembering that the advice and practices discussed in this article are indicative and that to know with complete certainty the measurements that best adapt to your body you should visit a biomechanist who, as a specialist in the sector, can offer you a diagnosis more limited to your measurements.

Consequences of having the saddle height poorly adjusted

If we take the saddle too low We will have less performance, the knee will have very limited movement and we will have an overload of muscle groups.

If the saddle is too high we will have a pedal stroke with one leg that is too stretched which can cause hip oscillations with each pedal stroke. As you can imagine, the result can be a serious injury.

We understand the height of the saddle as distance between the center of the bottom bracket axle of our bike and the upper surface of the saddle. At what point on the top of the saddle? In the intermediate area. . 

How to adjust the saddle

The first thing you should do is measure your crotch in centimeters with specific bicycle footwear. We will do it in the following way:

- We stand against a wall and make sure that our back and legs are completely straight.
- We place a book between the legs, putting light pressure on the perineum.
- We measure the distance between the top of the book and the ground.
- We multiply the distance by 0.85 and we will have the theoretical saddle height.

Another method is knee extension.

In this second method we will not need no additional material. It is more practical although less exact than the previous one.

As a starting point, place the saddle at the height of your hip bone. To carry out the measurement we will have to get on the bicycle and sit on the saddle. In this position we will place the front part of the sole of the foot on the pedal and extend the leg. If you cannot fully extend your leg, you must raise the saddle. If your knee is locked, but you still have to stretch to reach the pedal, you need to lower the saddle. The ideal measurement will be about 30-35 degrees of inclination.

Forward, reverse, tilt and seat distance adjustments

For correct placement of the bike seat, it is not only important to correctly calculate its height. Also It is essential to position the saddle correctly both in its inclination and in its advance. Two fundamental aspects both to guarantee the rider comfort to ensure healthy physical activity without risk of injury.

To calculate the seat back on the bottom bracket axle (which would mean pulling the saddle further forward or further back) it is enough to pull a plumb line with the cranks completely parallel to the ground and try to make the line that comes from our knee cross the center of the pedal as tight as possible. In this way and in a fairly general but practical way we will find a good point to fix our saddle.

In reference to the inclination We must say that as a general rule this should remain completely perpendicular to the ground and that although the saddle It can be tilted depending on certain personal needs. The general rule should be maintained as far as possible.

To calculate the distance between saddle and handlebar It is enough to measure the space that exists between the tip of the saddle and the axis or center of the handlebar. A distance that will be conditioned by the height at which we have placed the saddle.

As a general rule and as a guide we can say that the distance should be between 50 and 60 centimeters so if you decide to place it at 55cm it is very likely that, although it is not your ideal position, you are not doing anything crazy with your position. We take this opportunity to remind you of the importance of visiting a trusted biomechanist who, as a professional in the sector, will adapt your bicycle to the millimeter.