Saddle height and bar position

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Leemi1982

Active Member
Hi I’m trying to setup my saddle and bars on my new bike, any idea if saddles to high or low and bar position
 

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mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
Hard to be sure from pictures, but it looks like saddle is a bit high (leg very close to straight in one photo - if you hit a bump at that point in your stroke, you might pull a hamstring) and something not right with the bars because you look very upright and your arms look straight (should be slightly bent even sat up)... but I'm more used to classic bikes with horizontal top tubes so maybe my expectations are outdated.

Try working through https://www.wheel-easy.org.uk/bike-set-up/ but ultimately, it's how it feels to you and whether you can ride all day without injury.
 

roubaixtuesday

self serving virtue signaller
Saddle height looks ok to me, and that's the most important thing.

By "bar position", what exactly do you mean? Height?

You look quite upright on the bike, will the saddle go back a bit on the rails?
 

T4tomo

Guru
looks pretty decent as a starting point, bars look fine from photo 3 -looks fairly flat onto the hoods... when you ride try to have a bit of bend in your elbows - natural shock absorption, which will make it easier on writs and shoulders
 

si_c

Guru
Location
Wirral
Looks like a good starting point as the others have mentioned above.

If you can get a video from behind watch to see if your hips roll side to side - if they do then it could be a sign that your saddle is a touch too high. Conversely if you feel like your legs never get straight at the bottom of the pedal stroke then it could be too low. Adjust in increments of no more than about 5mm to start with, then as you dial it in use smaller increments.

I find I'm usually tweaking my position on a bike every couple of hundred miles for up to 5000mi or so after getting it. Ride for a bit, tweak it, ride for a bit, tweak it.
 

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
Set the saddle height using the Lemond or Richard's formulae. Both will give very similar numbers, and the result is pretty idiot-proof. It might not be absolutely optimal for every rider, but it's close enough for a starting point. The set-up pictured looks to have the saddle too far forward, riding position looks cramped. Move it back first then set the height.
 

Sharky

Guru
Location
Kent
You could be a little cramped up. The baggy jacket you are wearing could be giving an illusion.

Re feet/pedals - Is the "ball of your foot" over the pedal axle? Looks a bit forward?
Also at 6 O'clock, you have the heel down, rather than toe down. If that's how you ride, then fine, but a lot of riders would be pointing their toes down at that position. Could indicate that the saddle could be raised a bit.

Another "rule of thumb", when on the hoods, can you see the front hub? Opinions vary, but usually the hub should be hidden from view.
Make small changes and test changes one at a time.

Good luck.
And remember to take the tools you used to make adjustments with you on the next few rides.
 

Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
Saddle height and fore / aft is about getting the pedalling position right. So make small changes till the pedalling seems just right. Then once set you adjust the bars reach / height around that. Don’t try and do both at once.
 

Twilkes

Guru
Another "rule of thumb", when on the hoods, can you see the front hub? Opinions vary, but usually the hub should be hidden from view.

This one is a pretty useless rule of thumb as it can be affected by something which has no effect on bike fit, the size of the neck and head. People with longer necks and bigger heads might be thinking their fit is wrong when actually their shoulders are exactly where they should be. I've always been able to see the hub on any bike I've ridden.
 
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