The Truth About Saddle Height | MyVeloFit

[@Cycle.every.day.]

For an absolute beginner searching for their saddle height from scratch the old heel method is still the best starting point (yes,later fine tuning will be needed)

[@Klunker1]

Works for me since 1971.

[@myvelofit]

Definitely a good starting point to kick off the process and get you in the ball park.

[@edwardmargot3288]

I’m currently in the process of using your software to dial in my position on the bike. It’s been an absolute eye-opener and progress so far has been good. Still working progress and I hope to be in a much more better calibrated position in the next week or two.

[@myvelofit]

Great to hear! If you ever need any help along the way let us know :)

[@notreally2406]

Yard stick on the pedal center (crank arm down, in line w seat tube) to top of saddle over the middle of the rails...made this up myself years ago. Move saddle all the way fwd or back and still have same reach by adjusting up or down accordingly.

[@myvelofit]

That's awesome! +1 to building at home tools for accuracy.

[@ShadowzKiller]

What you should also do when locating the BRP is measure the distance to the tip of the saddle. This will help you better understand what kind of seat post you may need. For instance, the Bontrager Verse only has a distance of 140mm (nose to 80mm BRP) but a Pro Falcon is 165mm (nose to 80mm BRP). If you set both saddles in the middle of the same seat post at the same height and seat tube angle, there is essentially a 15mm difference in fore-aft because of the location of BRP.

[@myvelofit]

If you set saddle fore-aft based on BRP you don't need to worry about how much nose there is (unless you need your bike to be UCI legal). Using BRP to set for-aft and height gets you to a much closer place when switching between saddles, even with traditional vs short nose shapes.

[@michaelconway8352]

I was led to believe that the BRP should dissect the centre of the seat post to set the correct fore/ aft. On my San Marco it's the 70mm point which when set up, had it bang on the middle of the rails. Worked a treat for me.

[@myvelofit]

@@michaelconway8352 BRP relates to the average width of a riders pelvic structure at the point it interacts with the saddle (many assumptions included), so in theory gives you an idea of what point you'll be interacting with any saddle and therefore a consistent point to measure from across different saddles. There aren't really any "shoulds" with BRP, it's just a point from which to take your measurements. The relationship of the BRP to your seat post will come down to what saddle set back works for you (which is dependant on your body and position).

[@michaelconway8352]

@myvelofit thanks for the explanation. Makes sense.

[@earltnm]

Just worked through my first fit with your software - really liked the process and the data you're able to see. One question, the software is targeting an knee extension angle of between 35 - 40 degrees as optimum, but I'm much more comfortable around 30, and the studies I've read indicate the optimum range for road cycling is between 25 and 35 degrees. I'm sure I'm missing something, can you comment on this for me? Thanks!

[@myvelofit]

This is a common discrepancy that many run into when evaluating knee extension angles and it is typically due to many of the older studies around saddle height being completed using static measurements (rider still with foot at bottom of pedal stroke) rather than dynamic ones (derived from motion capture). Static measurements tend to be 5-10° lower than dynamic measurements for identical positions. 30° measured dynamically could work for some very flexible riders, though typically if you feel more comfortable here it's just because you've been cycling with a much higher saddle height and haven't spent adequate time adapting to a lower one (which can feel quite odd). You can always reach out to our support team if you'd like them to take a quick look at your profile.

[@earltnm]

@@myvelofit Thank you very much for this. Really,. really helpful info. I went back in today and dropped saddle 18mm and got knee angle around 35. Rode for an hour and while it felt very different I was getting used to it in the end. I think this is a good starting point for the next while, then I can consider lowering it some more. Thanks again!

[@Raymond-Farts]

I'm sad. It's raining today and I can't ride my bike.

[@joaoasilva]

Noticed you're using a redshift post with suspension, does it improve the indoor comfort?

[@myvelofit]

It is a redshift post, but not their suspension post... It's their dual position post which allows you to quickly switch the saddle position between a road and TT/Tri position for when we put aero bars on the trainer. Trainers can be pretty unforgiving though, so might not actually be as insane as it sounds to put a suspension post on the trainer...

[@joaoasilva]

@@myvelofit gotcha, thanks for the explanation!! Would love to know if someone had tried one, the only thing I'm afraid is that a suspension post going a bit up and down would mess the fit and the body would be all over the place on high intensity...?