How to Set Your Bicycle Seat Height

hey guys in this lesson i'll be showing you how to properly set your seat height just a heads up that i may use the word seat and saddle interchangeably which both mean the same thing the seat height adjustment changes how far our legs will extend on each pedal stroke one of the most common beginner mistakes i see is people riding with their seat too low which is both uncomfortable and inefficient however it's just as easy for intermediate riders to make the mistake of riding with their seat too high which underutilizes the glutes forcing the quads and the hamstrings to do all the work over time these muscular imbalances can also lead to knee pain and injury so the first step prior to changing anything on the bike is to take an inseam measurement to get a ballpark height for your saddle if you're by yourself you'll want to grab a book with a thick spine and using your thighs hold the book between your legs positioning it as if it was your bicycle seat then find a wall and with your shoes off and feet resting flat on the floor make a mark where the top of the book meets the wall next measure the distance from the floor to the mark that you made with a tape measure taking that measurement will subtract 10 centimeters and you've got a good starting seat height next we'll apply our inseam measurement to make an adjustment on the bike start by loosening the seat post clamp which is commonly held on by a five millimeter hex bolt or a quick release lever if your seat post is rusted and difficult to budge you'll want to lubricate it by using bike grease lube or wd-40 and wipe away any rust or excess oil with a rag and for all bikes new and old it's good to apply a pea-sized portion of grease and spread it around to create a thin layer on the seat post before inserting which prevents it from seizing and makes it easier to adjust in the future with the tape measure starting in the center of the bottom bracket raise the seat to match the inseam measurement you just took re-tighten the seat post clamp and wipe away any excess grease on the exposed portion of the seat post now it's time to jump on your bike and check the result for this you can lean the bike up against the wall and mount it assuming your normal riding posture on your non-leaning side scoot your foot forward until your heels lined up with the back end of the pedal then spin the pedal backwards until the crank arm reaches the 5 o'clock position if your seat height is set properly your legs should be fully extended and locked out at the knee but don't move your hips to try and make your legs straighter as this defeats the purpose of the test if your heel doesn't reach the pedal in this position then your seat is too high and if your leg is bent at the knee then your seat is too low returning your foot to the normal pedaling position with the ball of the foot lined up with the pedal spindle your leg should now have a slight bend at the knee at this point it's also smart to write down your seat height measurement or mark it on your seat post with a piece of electrical tape in case you need to disassemble the bike for travel and you won't have to go through this process again so now that you've set your seat height i'd recommend riding it for a few days and seeing how it feels anytime you change your fit it can feel strange at first but after a few days your body will adjust to the new feeling if you do decide to make any adjustments up or down make them in small increments no greater than a centimeter at a time alright so that does it for this lesson on setting your seat height also keep in mind that over time if you're feeling any sharp or chronic pain especially in your knees it's a good indication that you need to reevaluate and adjust your seat height alright so that does it for this lesson on setting your seat height and if you have any further questions please let me know well i hope you found this tutorial helpful be sure to give it a thumbs up if you liked it leave a comment if you have any questions and subscribe to the channel so you don't miss any new lessons from adventures for you you

Channel: adventuresportu

Views: 2,459,473

Keywords: how to set your seat height, how to set your bicycle seat height, how to set bike seat height, how to set your seat height on a road bike, how to set your seat height on a touring bike, seat height touring bike, touring bike set seat height, seat too low on bike, seat too high on bike, how to set seat height on a bicycle

Id: jh5Zv6Dcn6k

Length: 4min 2sec (242 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 04 2020