How To Adjust A Bike Seat (9 Basic Steps)

Cycling is about comfort just as much as it is about performance. One cannot achieve peak performance if you are not comfortable with your bike. Once you understand how to adjust a bike seat, you should be able to find the right height. While it will for mountain bikes to help you reduce the strain on your legs, it should work with any bike.

Numerous guides will allow you to adjust the mountain bike seat height and many of them might be vague. In the following article, we aim to address some of the vagueness and provide you with a clear guide that will help you understand how to adjust a bike seat in the most effective way possible.

Benefits of The Right Seat Height

If you have never had your seat perfectly adjusted, the benefits from the right seat height might help you improve your pace and comfort. There are numerous benefits to having the right seat height and all of them will ensure you have maximum comfort. Now, you can understand the difference the right riding height will make:

• Reduces Leg Tension: When you don’t have the right height, you might find that there is a lot of tension on your legs. While you generally have tension from cycling, this is increased to different parts of your body to compensate for the wrong height.
• Smoother Pedaling: One of the most important things about cycling is having the most comfort, especially with a top mountain bike. The right seat height will reduce the strain and ensure you have smoother pedaling.
• Better Control: As a beginner, it can be easy to lose control when you don’t have the best position. It is important that you feel comfortable on any of the tough trails to ensure your mountain bike is easy to control.
• Improves the Experience: Finally, the right seat position will be attractive to beginners and allow them to improve the cycling experience. Once your maintenance is on point, the bike should be comfortable and fluid to ride.

While there might be many more benefits to having the right seat position, these are some of the most common and should ensure that you have an enjoyable experience. It should only take a couple of minutes to adjust the seat and you will find that the muscles used when cycling take slightly less strain than they need to.

How To Adjust A Bike Seat Height In 9 Steps

Now for the meaty part of the article, it is time to look at how you can adjust the seat height to make it more comfortable. We have isolated some of the steps in the hopes of helping you see how they could be beneficial. With the following guide, you should not need to endure any unnecessary pain when you are on a mountain bike:

1.      Understand The Details

To ensure you have the right pedaling style of motion, you must know some of the details. When setting up your correct ride height, you need to understand that the knee will need to bend at an angle of 25-degrees. The knee should not exceed 25-degrees when pedaling at the lowest point, especially on a trail bike.

2.      Measure Your Pubic Bone Height

Next, you will want to measure the pubic bone height when you are standing. To do this you will need a measuring tape and ask one of your friends to assist you. You will measure from the crotch down to your feet and you can make marks every 10-inches to ensure accuracy. It is important to do this as accurately as possible.

3.      Do The Calculations

Now, it is time to break out the calculator and do some calculations. Once you have the height of your pubic bone concerning the floor, you will want to subtract around 3-4 inches to get the saddle height correct. Should your pubic bone height by 33-inches, the saddle will be in the range of 29-inches for the perfect angle to be created.

4.      Understanding How The Seat Adjusts

Once you have all the measurements, you would need to go to the bike and look at the seat set up. You must understand how the seat will adjust. Either you can have the quick-release function or the bike will need tools. However, you must have a basic understanding of how the process should work.

5.      Adjusting The Seat

Once you have your measurements and you have figured out how the seat should move. You can easily release the tension from the seat and start adjusting. While there might be indicators on the seat, you can also use a measuring tape. The measuring tape will ensure accuracy to keep the seat in the right position.

6.      Fasten The Seat

Once you have found the perfect seat height, you should consider fastening the seat to lock it into position. While this sounds easy, it can be dangerous if the seat is not fixed and secure in the correct position. We recommend that you fasten the seat with the lever or use the tools and test to see if it will remain in place under pressure.

7.      Adjusting The Seat Angle

Before you finish up, it is important to understand the effect of the seat angle. If the bike has the right angle, it will alleviate some of the strain and tension on your pelvis. You will need to spend some time experimenting to find the right angle. We recommend that you run a few tests and adjust the seat angle as you proceed.

8.      Test And Repeat

You might not always find the correct seat height with every ride. However, the correct seat height can make a big difference. You must spend some time testing the bike. Whilst testing, you will notice niggles and anything that feels uncomfortable, which should be addressed. However, you must secure the seat before each test.

Expert Advice

If you don’t feel like you have the skills or know-how to adjust the seat, you can visit your local bike shop. Most of these shops will have specialized tools for measurement and these will allow you to measure the ride height correctly. However, it could cost you a couple of bucks but should be a good learning experience.

Wrap-Up

Once you have the right bike height, you should be ready to use your bike and you will see some improvements on your riding experience. It is important to adjust the height frequently if you notice any discomfort. Let us know if you have adjusted your bike seat successfully and if we have missed any important steps on how to adjust a bike seat.

Below is a Pinterest friendly photo… so you can pin it to your Mountain Bike Board!