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New to biking

altagirl

Moderator
Staff member
What's the rule of thumb when determining how high your seat should go? Do I stand over the bike with both feet on then ground and the raise the seat just under me?

You want it high enough that your knees are almost straight at the bottom of your pedal stroke. I'll see if I can find a good bike fitting guide to link to with pictures/angles/etc.
 

ski&bfree

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Okay..that makes sense! I think I have it set high enough, based on what you wrote. I thought it might have to be lowered because when I stop at a light, the seat is too high for me to be able to put my feet on the ground while still sitting. I have to get off my seat and then slide back on when it's time to pedal.
 

volklgirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Sounds just about right then.

A good place to begin in setting seat height is to find the pointy part of your hip bone and set the middle of your seat level with that. It may not be perfect, but it'll quickly get you in the right general area.
 

altagirl

Moderator
Staff member
Okay..that makes sense! I think I have it set high enough, based on what you wrote. I thought it might have to be lowered because when I stop at a light, the seat is too high for me to be able to put my feet on the ground while still sitting. I have to get off my seat and then slide back on when it's time to pedal.

Nope - that should happen on a road bike. If you could comfortably get both feet on the ground with your butt in the saddle, I'd say it's definitely too low (and that will hurt your knees in the long run). You just get used to moving your butt off the saddle in combination with unclipping and leaning to one side and all of that. It will be second nature before you know it. :smile:
 

geargrrl

Angel Diva
You want it high enough that your knees are almost straight at the bottom of your pedal stroke. I'll see if I can find a good bike fitting guide to link to with pictures/angles/etc.

yep - leg extended but not locked. I do the fit check with the heel on the pedal.
 

abc

Banned
Okay..that makes sense! I think I have it set high enough, based on what you wrote. I thought it might have to be lowered because when I stop at a light, the seat is too high for me to be able to put my feet on the ground while still sitting. I have to get off my seat and then slide back on when it's time to pedal.
When stopping at the light, just straddle the top tube.

When the seat is set up right, I have to stand on the pedal to get back on the seat, if you know what I'm talking about...
 

ski&bfree

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I'm looking into upgrading to a Specialized. My brother just bought one and I'm in love with his. I can't believe how light it is; I'm amazed!

Thanks for all the great info :smile:
 

altagirl

Moderator
Staff member
I'm looking into upgrading to a Specialized. My brother just bought one and I'm in love with his. I can't believe how light it is; I'm amazed!

Thanks for all the great info :smile:

Try out a bunch of different bikes. EVERY decent manufacturer makes lightweight/high end bikes. But the fit and feel varies brand to brand. You may end up finding that Specialized suits you the best, but there are a lot of options beyond the big manufacturers. :smile: (Plus I like supporting smaller bike companies when I can...)
 

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