Seat post height

[Johnymak]

Correct seat post height on classic vintage racers?

Ok before I ask I know it really depends on personal height and reach ect but do we have a rule of thumb in regards to how much seat post should show

I've seen some ridiculous slammed saddles and some
Seat posts reaching for the sky

 

[Cycleops]

I think the ridiculous seat heights you've seen are on modern bikes where there is a current fashion for 'arse in the air' aero position. Many current bikes have sloping top tubes which makes more seat post nessecary.
Just have it comfortable for you.

 

[midlife]

60's and early 70's machines were about the size of an iphone 5 tall (looking at my iphone lol), we sold bikes to kids with the seat post all the way down and the seat clip reversed so they would "grow into it". There again we fitted wooden blocks to pedals for kids too

Mid 70's the frame geometry for road / TT bikes got tighter and tighter with the frames getting smaller and smaller with more seat post showing.......

 

[T4tomo]

If a classic racer fits you properly, then then 0-6 inches of seat post showing. Note it can't be expressed in cms.

 

[Johnymak]

If a classic racer fits you properly, then then 0-6 inches of seat post showing. Note it can't be expressed in cms.

Or even mms

 

[midlife]

Or even mms

Are cubits allowed

 

[fossyant]

On both my old bikes it's about 5-6" of post - I have a Dura Ace Aero post and the aero bi starts about an inch off the seat tube. It's a fair few inches less than my modern bike.

 

[Drago]

6 fathoms.

 

[biggs682]

Just short of a horse hand measurement

 

[Drago]

Maximum seat height should be no more than 2 acres and a league.

 

[Illaveago]

On both my old bikes it's about 5-6" of post - I have a Dura Ace Aero post and the aero bi starts about an inch off the seat tube. It's a fair few inches less than my modern bike.

Ooops! I read that as 5' 6''.

 

[biggs682]

Ooops! I read that as 5' 6''.

that's a lot of post

 

[Johnymak]

For safety how much would you recommend being inside the seat stem .

 

[nonowt]

if you look at pictures from the 50s there seems to be very little seat post showing (2" or so) by the 60's the trend seems to have risen to around 6". Now it's about 3 foot.

Most seatposts have a minimum insertion mark - I would guess it's usually around 6" from the (bottom) end of the post.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

if you look at pictures from the 50s there seems to be very little seat post showing (2" or so) by the 60's the trend seems to have risen to around 6". Now it's about 3 foot..

If you look at old cine films of club rides from those days, they tended to ride fairly decent sized frames considering the average height of a man was a bit less back then. I think people just tended to grow a bit quicker than the bikes through the 60's and 70's, resulting in higher saddles for a given frame size.
Sanity generally prevailed though until the advent of modern-style road bikes with "compact geometry" and frankly weird looking frames in many cases. That combined with the idiotic fashion for stem slamming, which requires a short head tube, therefore an undersize frame, has made the appearance of many modern bike and rider combinations look like the rider has borrowed a kid's bike and taken that out for a ride rather than riding a bike built for a grown up!
My rule of thumb is spread your hand out and touch the crossbar in front of the nose of your saddle with the tip of your thumb. The top of the nose of your saddle should not be any higher than the tip of your little finger sticking upwards..