How To Set Up My Mountain Bike

Getting your bike ready up so y'all get the best from it and that you have years of comfortable riding is key to enjoying your cycling. We talked to the expert bicycle fitters at gebioMized to find out how to go your seat elevation dialled.

There are now so many shiny upgrades you tin can purchase for your bike to make information technology amend or faster or lighter, in the excitement many of us forget to spend some time on getting the engine ticking over nicely. Getting your saddle height spot on is a free way to get more out of your cycle and the outcomes are so extraordinarily beneficial that information technology's just crazy to retrieve that we might take been getting it wrong for so long.

With the introduction to the market place of the well-nigh brilliant of all devices, the dropper seat mail, a lot of people have forgotten most seat tiptop adjustments. When the height of your seat is adjustable and the push button of a push, is information technology really important? Yep It IS! On climbs and flats when you need the ability, that's when you need your seat in the right place.

So What if my Saddle isn't at the Correct Height?

A saddle that is too low not only makes pedalling more difficult but can cause genu and back pain which tin last longer than your ride.

1. Saddle Discomfort – the one That you'll Notice Right Away

As well high and information technology'due south going to hurt, you're going to jerk about on your saddle trying to compensate. Lab research at gebioMized has shown that a reduction of 5mm in the seat height tin reduce the maximum pressure on the saddle by xv-20%.

2. Knee Problems – the Long Lasting one

Sitting as well low or besides loftier tin strain the genu, especially in the patella (knee cap) area, the stresses and strains caused by the activeness of pushing the pedals is increased and focused on the knee joint.

A saddle that is likewise high can crusade you to rock on the saddle and to over extend your talocrural joint to brand up for the lack of achieve.

3. Lower Back Pain – the one That Makes you lot Groan Similar Your Grandad

An wrong saddle height makes left-right movements of the hip more likely, leading to straining the spinal discs in the lumbar region.

iv. Hamstrings – the one That Will Have you Waddling Like a Duck.

Especially if you have short hamstrings, a high saddle tin cause muscular tension and even cramps.

A saddle that is too high can cause y'all to rock on the saddle and to over extend your ankle to make up for the lack of reach.

At the optimal saddle height the tension on that all important Gluteus maximus provides 20-thirty% of your force on the down stroke – if your seatpost is a few millimeters out on set-upwardly, the muscle firing patterns and tensioning are all thrown out of kilter and you lose power.

I Think the Message is Becoming clear – so how do we go This Sorted?

The best, exist all and end all manner of getting your saddle at the right height is to see a professional bike fitter who'll use a dynamic knee joint measurement to align you lot – but, that's probably non what yous wanted to hear. We accept you through some like shooting fish in a barrel means to make up one's mind if y'all saddle is optimised.

After a few hours in the saddle with your seat too low, you'll be causing yourself unnecessary discomfort in your talocrural joint, knees, hips and back – time to get information technology sorted.

Visual Clues

There are a number of visual indicators that will give you an thought of whether your saddle is manner out. Yous'll need to ask someone else to check out your riding way!

Rocking in your saddle – Either your saddle is too high or WAY likewise depression
Ankle extension – are y'all pointing your toes to keep the pedals going round? – your saddle is likewise high
A lot of the back part of the saddle is visible from backside – your saddle is too loftier and yous're compensating for the pain past sitting on the nose of your saddle.

The Famous 'Heel Rule'

The heel rule volition get you in the right brawl park, it volition get yous playing the game and away from the wall just it isn't the be all and finish all!

What you need:

Your wheel
Allen keys
Your normal shoes and pedals
A stationary/turbo trainer OR a wall to lean against

Put your regular shoes on, bound on your regular bike and put your feet on your regular pedals. Place the heel of your foot on the pedal and spin the cranks backwards for a couple of turns. You are aiming for your knee to be almost locked out when your foot is at the bottom of the turn (vi o'clock). Conform the saddle then y'all are 'just' sitting on it with your heel most losing contact with the pedal at the bottom of each stroke.

Now, put your pes on the pedal normally, yous should accept a nice curve in your genu equally you lot spin the pedals. You lot must brand certain that you are never rocking your pelvis, get someone to ride behind you on your first ride with your new saddle superlative and brand sure you lot aren't wiggling. If you are, reduce your saddle pinnacle immediately.

Place your foot on the pedal as normal and you should encounter a gentle bend in your genu – brand sure it's comfy and you aren't rocking.

The 'Heel method' is fantabulous for it's accessibility to all but the correct saddle meridian is a lot more intricate than this and information technology doesn't accept into account flexibility or variations in tibia, femur or foot length.

The Holmes Method – Now nosotros're Getting Serious

There are a couple of formulas you tin can apply to work out your saddle height based on your inseam just nosotros recall this i is the most effective.

The kit you lot'll need to use the Holmes method to set your saddle tiptop and position.

What yous need:

A stationary/turbo trainer OR a apartment area to ride around and a wall to lean against
A goniometer – (amazon practice i for £5.99)
Coloured sticky dots/any non-clear record
A good friend

Set your bike upwards on the Turbo Trainer and spin for a couple of minutes until y'all feel similar you're in the right position on the pedals and saddle (or ride around and come to a halt by your wall). Finish up with one of your anxiety in the downwards, vi o'clock position. Identify mucilaginous dots on one). The bony lump on the outside of your ankle, 2). The outside of your articulatio genus where it protrudes the most and 3). The lump at the top of your femur where it meets your pelvis. Someone volition have to feel for them hence the need for a expert friend.

Place the goniometer on your knee joint and so the centre aligns with the coloured dot there and line the arms of the device up with the coloured dots on your talocrural joint and hip. Take your reading from the goniometer with your leg extended on the pedal.
You want your reading to be between 25 and xxx degrees for optimum ability and comfort. Movement the saddle up or downwardly until you get information technology right. It will feel weird for a while if it's a big change from where yous ordinarily take it, but stick it out and y'all'll start to feel an increase in output and performance.

For this article, we've working in conjunction with Lotte Kraus, a Physiotherapist and a biomechanical skilful at gebioMized, a cycle fitting and analysis provider. At gebioMized Lotte is in accuse of the International School on Cycling Optimisation (ISCO), where they are educating fitters from Us, Europe and Asia. As a cycling analyst Lotte is currently working with the Earth Tour Team Cervelo Bigla and top athletes like Andre Greipel so she knows her stuff.

For more than information from gebioMized check out these blog posts on saddle height estimates and saddle acme and force transmission relationships.

Words: Catherine Smith, Lotte Kraus Photos: Trevor Worsey