I’ve been thinking about the ST mantra, “Your seat is too high!”, for a while after my seat was raised during my retul fit.
It feels really really great, but presumably people riding with a too-high seat aren’t aware of the issue else they’d change it …
How do you know if your seat is too high (other than having someone very knowledgeable tell you)? What are the implications/effects?
I did a search on ST: all I could find was an article that said leg muscles tighten with use, so what starts out ok could be too high on a long ride.
This sounds like you would start rocking your hips on long rides if your saddle was too high - something you would probably notice.
I’ve gone long and haven’t noticed any issues. Not that I’m the most observant, but still…
I suppose my worry is that it isn’t something you would necessarily notice on the bike, rather it would materialize during your run.
What are the implications/effects of too high a seat?
Having your seat too high can potentially lead to knee problems (usually the back of the knee). It can also reduce comfort and pedaling efficiency.
Given how a Retul fit is done, it’s unlikely your seat is overly high since they would notice an irregular knee angle, or hip wobble and correct that in the fit.
If you are comfortable and injury free I wouldn’t sweat it.
atc can measure your knee angle at full extension and check ya for sure.
but if you have to rock your hips on the saddle, or point your toes way down to avoid rocking your hips - too high!
Wouldn’t it depend which way your hips were rocking…? If you go towards the downstroke, you’re trying to effectively decrease your saddleheight, if away from it, you’re trying to increase your saddleheight (and hip angle)
This is probably a question that cannot be answered. I have been riding for about 3 years and the seat always felt like it was adjusted perfectly. I already have the seat back as far as it will go and moving it down is going to move it forward a little. When I put the ball of my running shoes on the pedal to ride, the knee will be slightly bent at full pedal stroke.
you will feel it in the back of your knee and you will notice fast. sometimes to make up for a high saddle you will point your feet down to compensate as well which can cause achilles issues.
