seat post height question-how high?

my impression is that the higher you can put your seatpost, the more
efficient your pedal stroke will be, since you get better extension.
obviously at some point you can get into hyper-extension pain at the
back of your knee if it's too high. is that the correct thinking, or
is there some other height that works better? i raise mine up little
by little until it starts to hurt behind my knees after a ride, then
lower it a few mm. i see people riding who effectively have much lower
seat heights but since they're riding with me i don't make any
suggestions....all thoughts and experiences appreciated. thanks


--
anerobic

A shy person write:

My impression is that the higher you can put your seatpost, the more
efficient your pedal stroke will be, since you get better extension.
Obviously at some point you can get into hyper-extension pain at the
back of your knee if it's too high. Is that the correct thinking, or
is there some other height that works better? I raise mine up little
by little until it starts to hurt behind my knees after a ride, then
lower it a few mm. I see people riding who effectively have much lower
seat heights but since they're riding with me I don't make any
suggestions... all thoughts and experiences appreciated.

From what I see when out riding is that your idea is prevalent among
riders. There is a fairly simple test, even if the person making the
fit is not practiced in the art. If the hips swivel while pedaling,
seen from behind, then the saddle is too high. Of course there are
exceptions for people who have some physical handicap but the hip
swivel test is a good one for physically adept people.

Often, too low a position comes from fear of falling or not being able
to reach the road with the feet. The best fit can easily be gotten by
having a person skilled in the art watch while the person rides, even
at a slow pace. "Fit Kit" tries to quantify that so this does not
need a field test that may not give useful results. An observer must
know what to look for. Swiveling hips and too long a reach to the
bars are sure indicators.

Jobst Brandt

RE/
my impression is that the higher you can put your seatpost, the more
efficient your pedal stroke will be, since you get better extension...
......all thoughts and experiences appreciated. thanks

Start with a height that lets you sit on the saddle, heel on the pedal, knee
locked. That will give you a little bend in the knee when you're actually
pedaling with ball of foot on pedal.

Then go up/down from there as suites you.

Personally, I find 1/4" differences tb significant....maybe even 1/8"...so we're
not talking about a lot of deviation from the heel-on-pedal-knee-locked starting
point.

For rough ground, I might drop it a quarter or even a half inch. Raise it
upwards at your own risk. What feels better for a few minutes can have
negative consequences on your plumbing over the long run.

--
PeteCresswell

Wrote:
A shy person write:

My impression is that the higher you can put your seatpost, the more
efficient your pedal stroke will be, since you get better extension.
Obviously at some point you can get into hyper-extension pain at the
back of your knee if it's too high. Is that the correct thinking,
or
is there some other height that works better? I raise mine up
little
by little until it starts to hurt behind my knees after a ride, then
lower it a few mm. I see people riding who effectively have much
lower
seat heights but since they're riding with me I don't make any
suggestions... all thoughts and experiences appreciated.

From what I see when out riding is that your idea is prevalent among
riders. There is a fairly simple test, even if the person making the
fit is not practiced in the art. If the hips swivel while pedaling,
seen from behind, then the saddle is too high. Of course there are
exceptions for people who have some physical handicap but the hip
swivel test is a good one for physically adept people.

Often, too low a position comes from fear of falling or not being able
to reach the road with the feet. The best fit can easily be gotten by
having a person skilled in the art watch while the person rides, even
at a slow pace. "Fit Kit" tries to quantify that so this does not
need a field test that may not give useful results. An observer must
know what to look for. Swiveling hips and too long a reach to the
bars are sure indicators.

Jobst Brandt


An recent article on cyclingnews.com might help:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/fitness/?...4/letters12-20

Ritch


--
ritcho

Get off your butt and ride. The seat is only there to protect the seat
post from dissappearing when you go over a bump in the road.


--
peet9471

On Thu, 23 Dec 2004 01:33:54 GMT,
wrote:

From what I see when out riding is that your idea is prevalent among
riders. There is a fairly simple test, even if the person making the
fit is not practiced in the art. If the hips swivel while pedaling,
seen from behind, then the saddle is too high. Of course there are
exceptions for people who have some physical handicap but the hip
swivel test is a good one for physically adept people.

I find that you saddle can be too high even though your hips don't
swivel. If the seat is a bit too high, you get pulled more toward the
point of the saddle to make the distance to the pedals shorter.

I find the when my leg is extended and I can just drop my heal below
the pedal axel by hyperextenting my leg, the seat is at proper height.
Said simply, my leg is slightly bent at bottom of stroke.

On Thu, 23 Dec 2004 12:02:56 +1100, anerobic
wrote:


my impression is that the higher you can put your seatpost, the more
efficient your pedal stroke will be, since you get better extension.
obviously at some point you can get into hyper-extension pain at the
back of your knee if it's too high. is that the correct thinking, or
is there some other height that works better? i raise mine up little
by little until it starts to hurt behind my knees after a ride, then
lower it a few mm. i see people riding who effectively have much lower
seat heights but since they're riding with me i don't make any
suggestions....all thoughts and experiences appreciated.

Greg Lemond(with Kent Gordis) writes on this subject in Complete Book of
Bicycling. He notes what you you have written and makes similar suggestions.

Ritch O? writes:

My impression is that the higher you can put your seatpost, the
more efficient your pedal stroke will be, since you get better
extension. Obviously at some point you can get into
hyper-extension pain at the back of your knee if it's too high.
Is that the correct thinking, or is there some other height that
works better? I raise mine up little by little until it starts to
hurt behind my knees after a ride, then lower it a few mm. I see
people riding who effectively have much lower seat heights but
since they're riding with me I don't make any suggestions... all
thoughts and experiences appreciated.

From what I see when out riding is that your idea is prevalent
among riders. There is a fairly simple test, even if the person
making the fit is not practiced in the art. If the hips swivel
while pedaling, seen from behind, then the saddle is too high. Of
course there are exceptions for people who have some physical
handicap but the hip swivel test is a good one for physically adept
people.

Often, too low a position comes from fear of falling or not being
able to reach the road with the feet. The best fit can easily be
gotten by having a person skilled in the art watch while the person
rides, even at a slow pace. "Fit Kit" tries to quantify that so
this does not need a field test that may not give useful results.
An observer must know what to look for. Swiveling hips and too
long a reach to the bars are sure indicators.

An recent article on cyclingnews.com might help:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/fitness/?...4/letters12-20

What in this article did you find interesting enough to recommend that
we read the thread? To me it seems to beat around the bush and dodge
the real issues.

Jobst Brandt

Paul Kopit writes:

From what I see when out riding is that your idea is prevalent
among riders. There is a fairly simple test, even if the person
making the fit is not practiced in the art. If the hips swivel
while pedaling, seen from behind, then the saddle is too high. Of
course there are exceptions for people who have some physical
handicap but the hip swivel test is a good one for physically adept
people.

I find that you saddle can be too high even though your hips don't
swivel. If the seat is a bit too high, you get pulled more toward
the point of the saddle to make the distance to the pedals shorter.

I think you'll find that these folks have swiveling hips when they
ride on the ideal spot on the saddle and that they will probably
adjust their position more often if they slide forward, which is
usually a sign of a forward tilting saddle rather than height
adjustment.

I find the when my leg is extended and I can just drop my heal below
the pedal axle by hyperextending my leg, the seat is at proper
height. Said simply, my leg is slightly bent at bottom of stroke.

This rule of thumb doesn't work because riders differ in their foot
size and angle to the horizontal which would make that measure
invalid. I was fortunate to have an expert adjust my bicycle merely
from riding around the parking lot slowly and it has suited me well.

Jobst Brandt

a écrit dans le message de :
...
Paul Kopit writes:

I find the when my leg is extended and I can just drop my heal below
the pedal axle by hyperextending my leg, the seat is at proper
height. Said simply, my leg is slightly bent at bottom of stroke.

This rule of thumb doesn't work because riders differ in their foot
size and angle to the horizontal which would make that measure
invalid. I was fortunate to have an expert adjust my bicycle merely
from riding around the parking lot slowly and it has suited me well.

Jobst Brandt

What's up - your way or wrong ?
If you read and paid attention, you'd see Paul offered a general idea, not
precise millimetric formulae, then offered a personal observation on his own
geometry. He didn't offer a rule of thumb, and even if you take it that
way, it is a supplement to your own personal anecdote of how to do it. Get
over it - "The Book" doesn't mean you always have insight. Certainly you
lack the ability to engage in two-way communication with anything less than
gruff arrogance.
--
Bonne route,

Sandy
Verneuil-sur-Seine FR