Seat height

Morning all,

A friendly chap pulled up beside me on my way to work and told me that my
seat was too high. Apparently my hips were really wobbling which is a
'classic sign'.

I was surprised to hear this, as (a) it's set following the age-hold
advice that each leg should be almost fully extended when its pedal is at
its nadir - if i fully extend a leg while keeping the foot flat, i clear
the saddle by a matter of millimetres - and (b) i rather like the height
of my seat - it's comfortable, and if i have it much lower, my knees start
hurting.

So, is there any truth to this idea about hip-wobbling? And is my
understanding of the height-setting rule correct? What are the
disadvantages of having your seat too high?

Thanks,
tom

--
Glass of water, glass of orange juice, cup of coffee, a spell on the
toilet (Guinness hangovers only), back to bed for a good cry. Fried
breakfast later. -- susumu, on curing hangovers

Tom Anderson wrote:
Morning all,

A friendly chap pulled up beside me on my way to work and told me that
my seat was too high. Apparently my hips were really wobbling which is a
'classic sign'.

I was surprised to hear this, as (a) it's set following the age-hold
advice that each leg should be almost fully extended when its pedal is
at its nadir - if i fully extend a leg while keeping the foot flat, i
clear the saddle by a matter of millimetres - and (b) i rather like the
height of my seat - it's comfortable, and if i have it much lower, my
knees start hurting.

So, is there any truth to this idea about hip-wobbling? And is my
understanding of the height-setting rule correct? What are the
disadvantages of having your seat too high?

Thanks,
tom

It's fine judgement. 5mm will make a lot of difference ( qv Bernard
Hinault's /crise de genoux/)and of course you can still manage to wobble
you hips on a seat that's too low.
I suppose that you might be well advised to try to acquire a smooth
style and then you'll get a better idea of the right height.
I assume that:
There's no suspension between your saddle and bb
You're riding on the balls of your feet.
and
You're not wearing high heels when you set the height.

The government has been running a scheme for a few years now where young
unemployed people are paid to travel in the passenger seat of a white
van to pass out useful tips on pedalling style, seat height, gear
selection and tyre inflation to cyclists they pass. It's such a shame
that this information shouted through the window is so often misunderstood.

Roger Thorpe

"Tom Anderson" wrote in message
rth.li...
Morning all,

A friendly chap pulled up beside me on my way to work and told me that my
seat was too high. Apparently my hips were really wobbling which is a
'classic sign'.

I was surprised to hear this, as (a) it's set following the age-hold
advice that each leg should be almost fully extended when its pedal is at
its nadir - if i fully extend a leg while keeping the foot flat, i clear
the saddle by a matter of millimetres - and (b) i rather like the height
of my seat - it's comfortable, and if i have it much lower, my knees start
hurting.

So, is there any truth to this idea about hip-wobbling? And is my
understanding of the height-setting rule correct? What are the
disadvantages of having your seat too high?

Thanks,
tom

--
Glass of water, glass of orange juice, cup of coffee, a spell on the
toilet (Guinness hangovers only), back to bed for a good cry. Fried
breakfast later. -- susumu, on curing hangovers

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html

Fred

Tom Anderson wrote:

I was surprised to hear this, as (a) it's set following the age-hold
advice that each leg should be almost fully extended when its pedal is
at its nadir - if i fully extend a leg while keeping the foot flat, i
clear the saddle by a matter of millimetres - and (b) i rather like the
height of my seat - it's comfortable, and if i have it much lower, my
knees start hurting.

is my understanding of the height-setting rule correct?

Up to a point: IME it's a great place to start, but once you've got that
as a start then fiddle with it up and down a little by little and see
how it feels. If your knees are hurting with it lower that sounds like
a pretty good reason not to lower it.

What works for one doesn't necessarily work for another: Roos has longer
legs than me but I have my saddle if anything a little higher: we both
seem to get about okay so it's not really cast in stone that there is A
Magic Height Rule that is generally applicable.

What are the
disadvantages of having your seat too high?

In my case it's clearly uncomfortable if I put it up higher than I
usually like it. But like you my knees feel it if it's too low. I seem
to be quite sensitive to it, others seem to have a wider operating band.
But the bottom line is comfort: if yours is comfy as is it's probably
okay for you.

Perhaps try a smidge lower and see if you can tell the difference. I
don't know about the physiology of "hip wobbling" but a guess is that
you'd use more energy than if it wasn't happening if all else was equal.
But if it's less comfortable being lower then I'd personally be
inclined to keep it high.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Quoting Tom Anderson :
the saddle by a matter of millimetres - and (b) i rather like the height
of my seat - it's comfortable, and if i have it much lower, my knees start
hurting.

If you _like_ it, I wouldn't go changing it. Who cares if your hips
wobble, as long as your knees don't hurt?
--
David Damerell Kill the tomato!
Today is First Friday, May.

On May 6, 3:16*am, Tom Anderson wrote:
Morning all,

A friendly chap pulled up beside me on my way to work and told me that my
seat was too high. Apparently my hips were really wobbling which is a
'classic sign'.

I was surprised to hear this, as (a) it's set following the age-hold
advice that each leg should be almost fully extended when its pedal is at
its nadir - if i fully extend a leg while keeping the foot flat, i clear
the saddle by a matter of millimetres - and (b) i rather like the height
of my seat - it's comfortable, and if i have it much lower, my knees start
hurting.

So, is there any truth to this idea about hip-wobbling? And is my
understanding of the height-setting rule correct? What are the
disadvantages of having your seat too high?

Thanks,
tom

--
Glass of water, glass of orange juice, cup of coffee, a spell on the
toilet (Guinness hangovers only), back to bed for a good cry. Fried
breakfast later. -- susumu, on curing hangovers

I've always set my seat height by fully extending my leg with my heel
on the pedal when at its nadir (is it sad that I had to look nadir
up). I've found this allows for maximum comfort and power with no
rocking in the hips. But I also dip my heel lower than the pedal as I
pedal through bottom of the stroke. I've tried a slightly higher seat
and while it did seem slightly easier to pedal, there was some
movement, wobbling, at the hip which led to some major pain after 30
miles. Aside from the pain, I also find it more difficult to pedal at
high cadence (+120) when my legs were fully extended in every pedal
cycle.

If you're comfortable with where your seat is then leave it there.
Finding the sweet spot of saddle height is for me the critical part of
a bike's fit and why I etch the seat post once I've found it.

Tom Anderson writes:

A friendly chap pulled up beside me on my way to work and told me
that my seat was too high. Apparently my hips were really wobbling
which is a 'classic sign'.

[...]

So, is there any truth to this idea about hip-wobbling?

Almost certainly, but it's not the only cause. The saddle that came
with my ten-speed has too convex a shape at the aft which caused me to
slide from side-to-side (pivoting on the soft tissue, probably) at any
reasonable saddle height.

What are the disadvantages of having your seat too high?

Apart from having to climb up the side of the frame whilst running
alongside it in order to mount, a gentle application of the front
brake causes the little wheel at the back to lift and ultimately face
plant the rider into the Macadamised road surface :-)...

--
Mark

Tom Anderson wrote:
Morning all,

A friendly chap pulled up beside me on my way to work and told me that
my seat was too high. Apparently my hips were really wobbling which is a
'classic sign'.

I was surprised to hear this, as (a) it's set following the age-hold
advice that each leg should be almost fully extended when its pedal is
at its nadir - if i fully extend a leg while keeping the foot flat, i
clear the saddle by a matter of millimetres - and (b) i rather like the
height of my seat - it's comfortable, and if i have it much lower, my
knees start hurting.

So, is there any truth to this idea about hip-wobbling? And is my
understanding of the height-setting rule correct? What are the
disadvantages of having your seat too high?

Thanks,
tom


It may simply be your own style of riding, you could have been doing it
that way all of your life, if your bottom doesn't protest and there's no
pain I'd leave it alone. It might even be beneficial to your lower
back, giving the muscles a gentle workout.
I know when I'm backpacking (walking), from time to time throughout the
day I roll my hips in an exaggerated manner (much like those people you
see in a walking race) in order to relief the aching back syndrome that
would otherwise come at the end of a long day (it works for me).

On Wed, 6 May 2009 09:16:08 +0100
Tom Anderson wrote:

So, is there any truth to this idea about hip-wobbling?

It's normally referred to as rocking rather than wobbling. I think
it's important.

And is my understanding of the height-setting rule correct?

A rule like this is just a starting point that's hopefully not too far
out. I'd advocate setting the saddle so that your leg is dead straight
with your heel on the pedal - I expect some people think that's too
low, but it works for me. A rule that only considers the pedal at
its lowest position is extremely simplistic anyway, as it doesn't take
account of differences in physiology or technique, or other ergonomic
factors.

What are the
disadvantages of having your seat too high?

Among other things, you can't reach the pedals properly without rocking
or sliding in the saddle, which costs efficiency and comfort. I think
it's quite likely that your saddle is wrong and that you're taking more
weight on your legs (easier the straighter they are) to avoid sitting
firmly on the saddle.