How to quickly find the right saddle height

Finding the right saddle height will lay the foundations for a comfortable bike fit, ensuring a pain-free and efficient ride. Conversely, get your saddle height wrong and you're likely to face discomfort, inefficiency and maybe even injury.

Luckily, finding the correct saddle height is easy, and while you can head to a bike shop for some expert tips and a professional fit, there are some quick and easy ways to find the right height at home.

Here’s a selection of the top ways to hone in on the correct saddle height. We find it easiest to follow these steps when a bike is secured in an indoor trainer, so you can jump on and off really easily to test the position. If you don’t have an indoor trainer, find a quiet stretch of road where you can make adjustments and test them out.

Read more: How to choose a road bike saddle

How do you know when you have the right saddle height?

Before we delve into the methods, it’s important to understand what the correct saddle height should feel like, or conversely, tell-tale signs of the incorrect height.

Here’s what the correct saddle height should result in:

• A stable pelvis with your sit bones supported. Any tilting of the pelvis from side to side indicates that the saddle is too high.
• A stable foot. The toes shouldn’t be excessively pointed up or down during the pedal stroke.
• A smooth pedal stroke. If there’s a ‘dead spot’ in your pedal stroke or you feel like you’re losing contact with the pedal at the bottom of the stroke, your saddle may be too high.
• A rear end planted on the saddle. We often move forward or backwards on the saddle but this should only be minimal. If you’re continually having to shift, the saddle height may be wrong.
• Balanced recruitment of muscles with an even load and tension through the muscle groups. One set of muscles shouldn’t be aching more than others.
• Minimal discomfort, particularly in the knees. Don’t ignore any aches or pains as these can develop into something more serious.

Heel method

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The 'heel' method is quick and easy to use

This is the go-to method for many cyclists as it’s simple, although this simplicity doesn’t translate to the right saddle height for everyone. You can easily carry this method out while your bike is locked into a turbo trainer, or you can balance against a wall as you do it.

Simply sit on your bike in your cycling shoes and cycling shorts and pop your heels on the pedals. Pedal slowly. Your hips and legs shouldn’t be overstretching or rocking to reach the pedals. If they are, take an Allen key and lower the saddle slightly, then test again. Keep doing this until you find a comfortable height.

At the other end of the scale, your legs shouldn’t be too bent. You want to achieve the point where your legs are fully extended at the bottom of the pedal stroke, but not so high that you have to rock or stretch to reach the pedal with your heel.

Once you’ve settled on the right height, make sure the seatpost clamp is tightened to the recommended torque limit.

Read more: Why comfort on the bike could be the real key to speed

Inseam measurement

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Use a book to measure your inseam against a wall

The ‘heel’ method will work perfectly for some cyclists, but it might only get others into the general ballpark of where they need to be. If you're not comfortable with your new saddle height, then the heel method might not be right for you. Instead, try the Lemond method, which involves measuring your inseam and doing a quick calculation.

This is easy if you have someone to help but if you don’t, you’ll have to get a little more creative. Take off your shoes and stand up against a wall. Place a book between the top of your legs and lightly mark on the wall where the top of the book is. The measurement from this point to the floor should be your inseam.

Times this measurement by 0.883 to find the correct saddle height. This measurement should be from the bottom bracket to the top of the midline of the saddle.

Again, this won’t work for everyone as there are other variables to consider like crank length, foot size and cleat position.

Saddle comfort: Other things to consider

Sometimes what a cyclist thinks is a problem with their saddle height could actually be linked to other saddle-related problems, particularly fore/aft.

This is the position of the saddle on the rails. We’d recommended starting with your saddle positioned in a central position. If you experience any problems or any particular pressures, try moving the saddle forwards or backwards slightly to counter this. Be warned, you should only move it in small increments. Even a small change can have a big impact on saddle comfort.

Then there is the saddle tilt to consider. Again, we’d recommend a neutral, flat position to start off with, but you can play around with this if required. Try not to go to extremes, though. Any tilt should only be minimal.

Finally, if you’re struggling to find the right height, it’s best to recruit the help of an expert. There’s no point in stubbornly suffering through discomfort, as what starts out as discomfort could develop into more serious issues - saddle sores really are as bad as they sound!

For more help finding the right bike fit, check out our complete guide.

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