How to Choose Bicycle Seats

Video Transcript

"Hi! This is Eric from Spin City Cycling in Austin, Texas and I am talking to you on behalf of Expert Village. Today I am going to talk to you a little bit about seat height and seats in general. When you are looking at a bike and trying to figure out where to put your seat height, one quick rule of thumb is to stand up next to it and put the seat at about your hip height. That is going to be a good estimation of where it would be. When you hop on the bike, what you are going to find and most people don't like this but a properly adjusted seat should put you on your tippy toes on your bike. You shouldn't really be able to put your feet flat on the ground. What that does is makes it so that when you are pedaling get a nice full extension on your legs. You want a slight knee bend but not anything more than about 10 or 15 degrees. So it is important to have your seat adjusted properly so that you get good efficiency when you are pedaling and you keep your knee in a good healthy position. Now another important thing to think about in terms of seat posts and seats is the saddle. Serious bikers don't call them seats. They call them saddles, so that is one thing to keep in mind but saddle is a very personal issue and something that many people struggle with because they want to find a seat or saddle that is comfortable. So it is important to know what goes into a good saddle design. One is that it gives you support where you need it on your sit bones and it gives you relief where you need it which is where your nerves run through your crotch and it is very important that you have both of those elements. There are also saddles that are designed for men and women. In general, women saddles are a little shorter and a little wider at the base and that just reflects differences in the physiology of men and women. So go to your bike shop and talk to somebody about seats and saddles and find one that feels good and fits your body. "