Saddles: Notes on Saddle Adjustment

 

 

Notes on saddle adjustment, taken from an old Raleigh Industries manual. In italics are my own notes/comments.

-The seat post can be adjusted up and down using the seat post clamp bolt. At least 2.5 inches of seat pillar must remain inside the frame.  (Note: 2.5 inches is the bare minimum, in my book. I like more in the frame because I'm conservative on this, but some posts are shorter than others. Get a longer post if you need it. This is a safety issue and strains the seat cluster frame joints if too little is in the frame.)

-The saddle is adjusted fore/aft by loosening the saddle clamp and sliding the rails forward/backward. Standard position of the clamp faces forward, with the saddle in front of the seat post. However, if the saddle is still too far forward, the clamp can be used in the "reverse" position so that the clamp faces backward and the saddle is behind the seat post. Either position is acceptable. (Note: I've seen this come up many, many times. People ask if the normal position of the saddle is ahead or behind the seat post because the clamp can be used either way. The answer is to use whichever fits you best. I'll add that your results will differ if you have a particularly old bike with a "7"-shaped gallows seat post because that has a much broader adjustment fore/aft).

-Correct saddle height is determined by the rider placing his or her heels on the pedals when the pedals are at their lowest position, with the leg fully extended. There should be a slight bend in the rider's knee when this heel-low position is reached. (Note: this isn't a bad description. The "rule of thumb" has long been there should be a slight bend in the leg at the lowest point of pedal travel.)

-Correct saddle position fore/aft is determined when the nose of the saddle is about two inches behind a vertical line cutting through the center of the bottom bracket. It is expected that the nose of the saddle will tilt slightly upward (Note: which is dissimilar to modern saddles, which tend to be level or actually tilt downard usually the nose) (Second Note: the "about two inches" measurement is not exact at all. Rider, handlebar sweep-back, and frame angles appear to have some effect on this. I don't put much stock in the manual's advice on this point).

-Comparison of saddle to bar height: the handlebar grips approximately should be about the same height as the top of the saddle. In this position the rider should feel balanced and not be straining the hands, arms, legs, or feet. A sound "general rule" is to disburse the rider's body weight evenly on three points: (1) handlebars, saddle, and pedals. (Note: I've also never found bar height-to-saddle height to be universal as the manual would suggest. Some riders and some frames do better with the bars a little higher and some a little lower. I don't put much stock in this section, other than the basic statement of comfortable balance and weight distribution. Don't get hung up if your saddle and bar height area exactly as the manual describes, as long as you are comfortable with your own set up.) 

 (Final Note: Riders and bicycles come in such varied sizes and shapes that comfort and balance come first. Treat these kinds of manuals as guidelines to get started and then adapt the fit to what works for you.)