[yadadada]

how high should my seat be? I generally ride easy-intermediate cross country trails... nothing overly technical or anything, but when i'm on technical stuff i feel like i want to be lower. is that just a normal feeling since i'm still fairly new? or is it a sign that i should be a little lower than i am?

thanks

 

[TreeSaw]

I think it's all about comfort at this point. When I am riding trails that aren't that technical and have a fair amount of climbing, I tend to ride with my seat higher than if I were on really techy trails. If you feel like it should be slightly lower for a techy section, by all means lower it so that you feel comfortable. I think, over time, this uneasyness will subside and you'll feel fine.

 

[mohshee]

I tend to keep my cross country seat pretty high. I have back pain when it is too low. I think ideally, when you sit on the saddle, and rest your feet on the pedals, you want your knee slightly bent when your leg is completely vertical. I don't know if this is a real rule. I can also touch my toes on the ground when on the saddle.

For DH and fast, technical riding, my seat is super low (like down almost on the rails of the seat).

 

[dhchix]

For XC, I ride with my seat high. Just like Mohshee mentioned you want a slight bend in the knee while your leg is extended. This will allow you to put more power into your pedal stroke. Your feelings of wanting to be lower will not be as much of an issue the more you ride. Sometimes, I will stop and lower my seat if the tech section is long (going down hill). I have found it helpful to mark my seat post with two lines, first one for XC and the second one is when I need to lower my seat. This way I get the seat position where I need it without having to guess. Have a good day and Happy Trails.:biggrin:

 

[yadadada]

thanks for the info... i had a pretty good idea of ball park, and I had heard that your leg is supposed to be just slightly bent when extended...

I'm tall, and so my seat is up pretty high when I set it so my leg is almost fully extended... and I find that sometimes I can barely touch the ground with my tiptoes if I'm on the seat. I ride a GF Tass... when I got it they were telling me all about the genesis geometry, and all that... including that the bottom braket/crank is set to be higher than on a traditional XC/Trail bike. Do you think that is why it's so hard to touch the ground when I adjust the seat according to my leg extension? Shoudl I lower it a bit and err on the side of caution so I can set my foot down when necessary, sacrificing some of my pedaling power for a less efficient stroke?

-Di

 

[sanjuro]

The old fashion way to get the seat height is called heels-on-pedals. In a pair of sneakers, put your heels on your pedals and pedal backwards. A good estimation for seat height is when the crank arm is perpendicular to the floor (ie the pedal is down all the way), your leg should be fully extended, or slightly less.

So you pedal normally, ie balls of your feet over the pedal axle, your leg will be almost, but not quite, extended.

You should be able to get maximum pedalling power that way, which is the biggest consideration for saddle height. You might lower your seat a half inch for better off road handling, and don't be afraid to lower it all the way on technical descents.

As for reaching the ground from your saddle, just lean over more before you touch the ground, or come off the saddle first (like over the top tube)

Frankly, reaching the ground from your saddle will less of an issue as you ride more. You will be able ride over technical sections without touching the ground.