marzjennings
Legendary Member
- Location
- Houston, Texas, USA
Depends on the bike: Mountain bike saddle is 1 inch higher than the bars, road bike saddle about 8 inches higher, cruiser saddle is about 2 feet lower than the bars.
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SkipdiverJohn
Deplorable Brexiteer
- Location
- London
3 speed roadster - bars level with saddle
Raleigh Hybrids - bars also level
MTB's - bars about one inch lower than saddle.
Dawes drop bar - top of bars one inch lower.
I like to ride in comfort and want to be able to look around easily both for safety reasons and to view the scenery. I have no intention of crippling myself by riding around with my arse stuck up in the air just to "look pro". For a non-racing cyclist aerodynamics are a complete irrelevance.
Raleigh Hybrids - bars also level
MTB's - bars about one inch lower than saddle.
Dawes drop bar - top of bars one inch lower.
I like to ride in comfort and want to be able to look around easily both for safety reasons and to view the scenery. I have no intention of crippling myself by riding around with my arse stuck up in the air just to "look pro". For a non-racing cyclist aerodynamics are a complete irrelevance.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
It varies on my fleet between the different types of bike.
booze and cake
probably out cycling
Aerodynamics may mean nothing to you dawdling around 5 mile rides in your double denim, but you consistently fail to comprehend that there are literally millions of cyclists out there that cycle differently to you.
I am not pro nor have ever raced, but I do long rides, and I Iike going fast, so aerodynamics do matter to me. Not all the time, but to say it is a complete irrelevance is just nonsense.
Have you never ridden into a headwind? I have. The hardest ride I ever did was a 120 mile over the Brecon Beacons into a 20mph headwind all the way. Being more aero mattered then I can assure you. I've done rides over 200 miles in a day that were easier than that. If you are just going to the shop to get some milk this doesn't matter, but on long rides it can make a significant difference. Taking less time on rides leaves more time to do other stuff, I see this as a bonus. So aerodynamics is not an irrelevance, it is just irrelevant to YOU.
This is just like your daft sweeping generalisations that nobody need spend more than 20 quid on a gas pipe tank of a bike. Yes I'm sure they are fine for what you use them for, and no doubt that bike could do long rides, but for riders that may want to do long rides in good time, other better bikes are available
Richard A Thackeray
Legendary Member
Not measured my 3 Ribbles
But, my 'blue' is about an inch lower, at the bars, than the CGR, even with all 3 spacers in place!
(CGR has two)
Years ago, I ran the 'bars this low
Odd bar-ends, but they were an experiment (as I used it a fair bit on the road too, with slicks)
Tong Woods
(south-eastern outskirts of Bradford)
Yorkshire Mountain Bike Club event
1993 (the file states)
I later, foolishly, decided to have it revamped
Possibly 1995?
I settled on X-Lite bar ends & Pace 130 (?) 'bars a while before
But, my 'blue' is about an inch lower, at the bars, than the CGR, even with all 3 spacers in place!
(CGR has two)
Years ago, I ran the 'bars this low
Odd bar-ends, but they were an experiment (as I used it a fair bit on the road too, with slicks)
Tong Woods
(south-eastern outskirts of Bradford)
Yorkshire Mountain Bike Club event
1993 (the file states)
I later, foolishly, decided to have it revamped
Possibly 1995?
I settled on X-Lite bar ends & Pace 130 (?) 'bars a while before
rugby bloke
Veteran
- Location
- Northamptonshire
Not the clearest due to the angle of the bike and the clutter on my top tube, but the seat is a few inches higher than the bars. The gap was less until I had my bike fit when one of the key adjustment was to raise my seat an inch or so. It certainly fixed the knee pain problem and is just as comfortable on the drops as before.
Threevok
Growing old disgracefully
- Location
- South Wales
The seat appears to be slightly higher than the bars, although the rise on the bars - makes the grips about the same height
It looks like a lot of seat post sticking is out, but that's mainly down to the sloping top tube, plus that double clamp helps with this illusion.
The seat post is actually uncut at 350mm, with nearly half of it still inside the frame
- Location
- London
I trust you wear your golden earings when riding that.
Threevok
Growing old disgracefully
- Location
- South Wales
Jenkins
Legendary Member
- Location
- Felixstowe
Remarkably consistant - 5 bikes are 28cm from the ground to the centre of the crank, the other is 30cm. The worst saddle to bar drop is on the Planet X pro-Carbon simply down to the short 165mm headtube on the large sized bike where all the others are 175mm or 185mm on the Spa
byegad
Legendary Member
- Location
- NE England
My bars are 8" above the seat, and the bottom bracket is 4" above the seat.
No prizes, but what do I ride?
No prizes, but what do I ride?
vickster
Squire
A 2008 Kettwiesel AL 27 or 2011 Catrike Trail?
Shearwater Missile
Veteran
Both bikes less than an inch (2cm, 1.5cm) If I go any lower I get neck pain after about 10-15 miles,most of my rides are 20-25 miles anyway. I don`t have a flexible back, never have. It may be due to all the miles of running I have done but I do have an upright posture (mostly). We are all different regardless of age. I read the other day that Dame Judy Dench does`nt watch herself in films as in her mind she is still a young 39 year old. By the same notion, when I look at the pro riders on their bikes I feel like them and envy them, the reality is different. Perhaps I could ride with a big drop, but after a few miles the novelty would wear off as the pain in my neck increased. I think it is fair so say that ride as low ( for wind resistance) as possible with over straining. Just enjoy the ride. The pros get paid and have rub downs, we don`t.
