How to Adjust Your Bicycle Seat to the Proper Height

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By Lawrence N
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Adjust Your Bicycle Seat to the Proper Height

In gyms, it is fairly common to see people riding exercise bikes with their seats at the wrong height. In particular, people often have their seats positioned too low. This is also often the case for people riding real bicycles outdoors. This article offers some very simple steps for making sure that your seat is at the proper height to minimize the risk of injury, and to provide you with the greatest riding efficiency.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Step 1

These steps are most easily experimented with on an exercise bike where can you can remain stable while not in motion, but they should also be applied when riding a real bike outdoors. Sit on your bike in the position that you would normally ride it in. Place both feet on the pedals, and rotate them so that one leg is extended straight down. Place the heel of the extended leg on the pedal. In this position, your leg should be perfectly straight.
Step 2

Obviously, if you can't reach the pedal then you are too high. It is much more common, though, to be too low. When your seat is positioned too low, it can result in excessive strain on the knees which can easily be avoided. Raise your seat so that when your leg is extended and your heel is on the pedal, your leg is perfectly straight (no bend in the knee). If you are using an exercise bike at the gym, take note of the number associated with the height. For an outdoor bike, consider marking the height so that you can restore it later if someone else uses your bike.
Step 3

Once the above adjustment is made, perform an additional test by placing the ball of that same foot on the pedal. In this position, your knee should have just a very slight bend in it. If your knee is quite bent while your leg is in the most extended position, then it will be overly bent when your leg is higher up in the pedaling motion. Again, this causes undue stress on the knee, and will result in becoming fatigued sooner than you would have.
Step 4

You should also do these steps on an actual bike, but of course you'll have to stop and dismount and keep adjusting your seat until it is at the correct height. The balls of your feet will be on the pedals as you ride, so just adjust so that you have a very slight bend in your knee when your leg is at its fully extended position.
Step 5

Note that when you are first learning to ride an actual bike, it can be somewhat unnerving to have your seat higher than you are comfortable with. Psychologically it feels better to be a bit lower to the ground. When you are first learning, you're not riding very far or very fast, so it might not be as significant if you are too low. The same might be said if you are doing any type of stunt or special riding on a mountain bike, or similar.
Step 6

These steps apply to those who are riding a bike for an extended period of time, at a fast pace, under normal circumstances. If you are too low, it is the equivalent of squatting down too low, and we all know how that feels on the knees. Making the height adjustment as described will minimize your risk of injury, and allow you to ride faster and further without getting tired out as fast. You will simply be riding more efficiently. Have fun!