As a child, you probably didn’t think any more about the settings on your bicycle saddle (seat) than you did about the ingredients in a hot dog. As long as it didn’t feel bad and your knees didn’t run into your arms while you were pedaling-you were good to go!
There are a wide variety of saddles to choose from depending on your riding style, how many miles you put on, gender, and many other considerations. For example, a man who will be doing downhill mountain bike races regularly will need a much different saddle than a woman who rides occasionally on a beach comber. Thankfully, the bicycle industry has evolved to meet needs of all riders. Here are a few settings to pay attention to with your saddle to help get the most out of your rides:
Most people ride with their saddle too low. This is especially important to fix for people with injuries or pain in the low back, hips, knees or ankles. People with these concerns often turn to biking for low-impact exercise, only to find their aches and pains float to different places instead of go away! Two tips to know if your saddle is at the right height: you should not be able to touch the ground with your feet while coasting; and when the pedal is at it’s lowest, your leg should be almost straight, about a 30 degree bend in the knee. For most people: if you feel like the saddle is just a little too high, it’s probably just right. This will give you the most power per push and help maintain proper posture in the rest of your body while you ride.
Most saddles can adjust forward or backward, and while this doesn’t make much of a difference for casual riders, this is a good thing to check if you are experiencing knee pain. Pain in the back of the knee may indicate your saddle is too far back, and pain in the front may indicate the saddle is too far forward. Many competitive road cyclists set their saddles back to aid in power on flat roads, and many mountain bikers set their saddles forward to help center body weight over the pedals and help climb. One easy way to check for proper positioning is while coasting with the pedals at the 9 and 3 positions. The knee you can see should be even with the front of the pedal. This is easiest to check if you have a stationary bike trainer you can hook your bike into and a friend to look at you from the side.
Most saddles also tip up or down. I don’t suggest adjusting these settings unless you are experiencing discomfort. It should be completely horizontal, but if the saddle is putting pressure on places it shouldn’t, some men find it more comfortable to ride with the front tipped up a little, and some women prefer the front to be tipped down a little. The saddle angle is a good thing to check if you are experiencing low back or wrist pain. A saddle tipped too far up can increase pressure in the low back, while a saddle tipped too far forward can force you to learn forward-adding pressure to the wrists.