Adjusting Your Bicycle Seat Properly

Level and center the seat:

The first step to adjuting the fit of your bicycle seat is to place the bicycle on a level surface and making sure the seat is level.  The best way I have found to do this is to use a carpenters level and check for level.  If you don't have this kind of tool then you can try referencing it against a straight line but this isn't ideal for sure.  A level would be a good investment.

Notes

• A level seat will support your full body weight and not place undue pressure on your wrists and hands or on your perineum area.  It will allow for the most efficient pedaling and definitely makes it easier to move around on the saddle as necessary.  Many people make the mistake of tilting the nose downwards when they get a sore butt thinking it will relieve pressure but this simply shifts pressure onto the wrists and hands and is usually also quite painful.

• Your typical rider will do just fine with a perfectly level seat but if you do experience discomfort then you can try adjusting your seat up or down but no more than 3 degrees of adjustment.   Women will typically adjust the nose down slightly while men tend to find more comfort tipping the nose up.

Adjust seat height:

Another critical part of making sure that you are comfortable on the seat is to make sure that the seat height is set correctly.  It is easiest to perform this adjustment on a trainer like shown but you can do it sitting in a doorway for support or against a wall if you must.  It definitely helps to have someone there to help you with the adjustment.

First put on your cycling duds, at least the shorts and shoes and mount your bike in the trainer.To find the best seat height, place your heels on the pedals and pedal backwards.  When your leg is completely extended at the bottom of the pedal stroke with your HEEL on the pedal, then you are very close.

You want to be on the lookout for rocking hips as you pedal as this is a dead giveaway that you have the seat set too high.  You may need to make slight adjustments for comfort from here but this should get you very close.

Notes

• Again, this is not the end point but should get you close.  If this feels wrong, then adjust up or down as necessary until you find what is right for you.  Make very small adjustments as a fraction of an inch can feel quite different when you are riding.

• A tip for your sanity, once you've found the perfect position, mark it on the seat saddle or write it down iif you have one of those stems that are numbered.   Some people wrap electrical tape around the seat post to mark the position.