Ok, when your IT band bothers you on the bike it is usually cuz you have an off fit. What angle would you want? Saddle up or down? I have heard both so I am lost…help
There’s too much to this to try and hit it all - but I can offer this: if you’re in the midst of an IT issue and you wanted your seat height to error in a way that would do the least amount of damage (as in back off the IT a bit) then you’d rather error on seat height being too low than too high. The thinking here is that a fully extended leg will cause more activation of the ITB than a leg with some bend still in it.
This is a gross generalization but IT issues are rarely attributed to just one thing - like a bad fit. The IT Band gets stressed from both bike and run and if you’re run gait is funky that can be add pressure as well. Also, if your fit were perfect and your gait were perfect but you didn’t stretch enough then the ITB might flare too - It’s a rare triathlete that maintains a health IT Band with dedication: stretching, self massage, rolling, icing if it starts to act up, etc.
Heal quickly!
Ian
From my experience, low seats give me runner’s knee, and high seats give me ITB pain. Have to find the “just right” height. But of course, just my n=1
Jodi
I had an ITB flare up at the hip (not the knee) last year and it was due to my seat being about 0.3 cm too high–this was a new bike that initially was set-up wrong. when I changed it and did all the stretching i was fine!
rc