Saddle Height - Get It Right

Occasionally I find pedalling more difficult; sometimes it's because the tyre pressures are low, but sometimes it's because the saddle height has dropped over time through riding. A few months ago, the seatpost clamp screw broke, and I had to ride with the saddle at it's lowest, whilst waiting for another to come through the post. This was pretty uncomfortable to the point where I would only ride where I needed to, instead of walking, so I frequently check the saddle height and tyres. I also tighten the seat post clamp to recommended torque pressures using a torque wrench. This seems to work well and the saddle stays put. I take a note of the measurement of how much seat post is left between the frame and the saddle as a guide.

However, observing other cyclists, it seems, around 8/10 have the saddle too low all the time. Given the discomfort I experienced, how could anyone ride their bike all the time with the saddle at the wrong height? I doubt they go long distances. It's more difficult to pedal because of reduced leverage, probably why you sometimes see cyclists with 20+ geared mountain bikes choosing to walk up what is only a mild incline.

I've often thought, no wonder mountain bikes with tens of gears are so popular...because bikes with fewer gears would be too difficult to ride as the saddle would be too low...

Chances are, many adults carry on where they left off as kids when it comes to pushbikes when they were never really shown anything other than how to ride a "two wheeler" replacing the scooter or tricycle, so of course, they've never known anything different. Add to the fact that, many may buy cheap "Bike Shaped Objects" from a supermarket or general store that come in a box with no adjustments being made for the rider, plus no instruction from staff and this could explain it.

If you're reading this, you probably know what the right saddle height should be - roughly high enough for full extension of your leg without locking your knees, with the balls of your feet on the pedals - like they might have showed you at a gym for the stationery cycles. You can get a lot more scientific (and expensive) and ultimately you would have the frame individually made for you, but this is a start for general use.

1st Month

Well, blog's been going a month and I've generally had positive feedback. I'm still learning how to get the best out of the Blogger software, which I'm well impressed with - what to do with photos, links etc. Also working on the content - quality of writing. I plan to improve it incrementally with every post or in between posts. Quite enjoying it, although it can take a bit of time as you chop and change stuff as and when you think of it!

Hope it's informative, whether the posts tell you anything you didn't already know, or the links I've supplied - some of the subject matter can be a bit obscure.

Today, I've added RSS feed and am looking at Flickr as a facility for photos.

Brooks Saddles

Brooks saddles are probably the best known leather, or otherwise, saddles. It also seems people either like or dislike them – there is no middle way. Most people like them.

Made of leather, they are reckoned to be the most comfortable of saddles because you wear them in like a pair of shoes; thing is, it’s the wearing in part that some dislike, as it can take several months or hundreds, maybe thousands of miles before the saddle becomes comfortable.

I must have done about 5,000 miles with mine. I have the widest one, for upright (sit up and beg) town bikes –  the B190. I think it is a masterpiece. Some think them expensive and are surprised when I tell them how much it was - £90, I don’t think so - checking the net you can certainly pay a lot more, up to £500 for other makes that use carbon or titanium in their construction. As to comfort, I found it comfortable from the outset. Maybe I might have needed to wear it in if it had been one of, if not, the most popular – the B17 or B66, shown below:

B17 courtesy of Flickr

B66 courtesy of author :Hannes Grobe/AWI - wikimedia)

B190 -mine- not that good a photo in my opinion - I'm still learning - but it does highlight the Brooks lettering ;-)

The B190 is quite new. Most of their saddles have been around  a lot longer – some back to the 1920s. They are handmade in pretty much the same way they've always been, still in the same place, Birmingham, by people with decades of experience which, to me highlight just how reasonably priced they are - starting from around £70.

Another problem with Brooks is, you have to keep them dry because if they get utterly drenched, they can lose their shape, ergo, ruined. Here in England with the weather we're having right now, I'm having to be vigilant about keeping it dry, usually by putting a plastic carrier bag over the top of it when parking up in the open.

For me, a Brooks adds a touch of class to a quality bike, (no point putting one on a £100 supermarket special) and, it appears many others share this view. Most manufacturers of quality urban bikes seem to fit them, especially the Dutch, German, Danish and Swedish makers. Seems Brooks dominate this market, but there is an alternative, Gilles Berthoud, nowhere near that well known in comparison, but worth considering. They are genuinely different with features that set them apart from the Brooks including grooves for fitting a Klick-Fix system and very easily disassembled. Then again,  for me, not so much an alternative, but an addition to my wish list!