Im a bit insecure about my saddle height. Which is non-sense since I find it very comfortable to ride. It seems like most people have their saddles higher than i do. Do you think this looks weird?
Im insecure beacause im a bit of a bigger person and also i think i have comparetivly shorter legs. Also this is an entry level gravel bike, so would it be fair to say that maybe it is also meant to have more of a beginner-friendly geometry?
Im sorry if all this is weird and doesnt make any sense
by Kona_minroid
19 Comments
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I hate what GCN has done to the average modern cyclist.
I’ve always used the heel method to determine saddle height: position one pedal down and in line with the seat tube, sit on the saddle and put the heel of your foot on that pedal. If your leg is straight, your saddle is about at the right height, and if your leg is bent, your saddle is too low.
Edit: and honestly, that saddle height looks fine to me. I have my gravel bike set up similarly.
Honestly the best thing to do if your not sure is just put it up a bit and see if it feels better or worse. But don’t worry about what other people do, to be honest most people I see don’t have the massive saddle to bar drop you see on pros bikes.
This looks like my bike setup.
Ride what is comfortable and won’t cause you ergonomic issues. I have my gravel bike set up suuuuper comfortable compared to my road bike (saddle and bars pretty close in height) and I don’t care what people think of how it looks!
If you’re fit/flexible enough you can try lowering the stack height of your bars to give a more aesthetically pleasing saddle:bar ratio. But again, nobody’s gonna judge you, ESPECIALLY a gravel crowd.
Ride your bike and stop worrying about it. Is the stack and reach comfortable and efficient? That’s all the matters. Slack doesn’t equal beginner geometry either.
Bike looks right sized to me. Stack height looks perfect. Ride it like you stole it and don’t worry about a thing.
About the “heel method” put both heels on your pedals. You want the highest saddle position that you can pedal with your heels, without your hips rocking.
Stand on a flat surface with top tube under your crotch. Measure the distance between them. If it’s less than ~10cm, that frame is too big for you.
It doesn’t mean you cannot ride it, it means, if you find yourself on uneven surface and have to get off fast, you risk hitting yourself quite badly.
Also larger frames are longer as well, so it might not be as comfortable as it could be with smaller one.
Setting up saddle hight is as other mentioned. Heel on the pedal in the lowest position while seated properly. Leg should be loosely straight.
Raising the saddle height beyond your range will cause all kinds of problems. Don’t worry about the aesthetic, just ride low and long and embrace the speed!
Everyone’s proportions/flexibility are different. It’s fine if your stem isn’t slammed and saddle miles up as long as you’re comfortable.
I am all torso and no legs! in 5’11 and have a 28” inside leg, which is like 4” plus shorter than the average. So my saddle is probably lower than yours!
most people have their saddles too high. every fitter will tell you that.
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your setup doesn’t look weird to me
I’m 5’7 with a 31.5″ inseam, I either run a small with a sky high saddle and some spacers on the stem or I run a smedium with the saddle still pretty damn high and the the bars slammed. just about proportions, I have a buddy who’s just a hair under 5’11 and we have the same saddle height.
I like the rear mud guard, what brand/type is this one? ( I have the same bike;)
If you compare it with a roadbike setup, yes that’s might be too low. However for gravel and endurance bikes your setup is common. Even some factory uses setup like yours for their ads
So you’re saying:
– your body is different from the others
– your bike has to fit a different body than the others
– your bike fits your body
– your bike looks wrong because others look different?
Nah man you’re good. Ride on.
nice fender, which one is it?
multiple your measured inseam by .883 = using a tape measure this is the distance from the center of the BB shell to the mid point height of the saddle. It provides a starting point from there you can make micro adjustments based on your comfort/needs