TonyAnd

Hi!

First post but hopefully not the last 😊.

Wondering a bit about averages; They're a wonderful means of putting you in the region you're supposed to be, but they are averages and not a rule and one might differ quite a lot. But how much is too much and you have to question other factors in the bike fit?

I have a surly troll 16". I'm using ordinary platform pedals.

My own dimension are as follows: height/170 cm(5'7), inseam 80 cm(31.5"). With this data and the 109% method I should have a seat height around 87 cm(34").

But in order for me to avoid knee pain in my left leg (medial) I'll have to sport a 90 cm seat height. That's 3 cm more than the "suggested" seat height. Is this possible? As you can imagine there's quite a lot of toe dipping. Might look strange but I don't seem to suffer any ill effects. My pedal stroke feels fluent enough and my endurance is much better since the raising of the seat.

So I guess my question is:How much out of the norm can you be before yo have to look at other solutions?

jyl

You and I have almost the same inseam, assuming you are measuring "bike inseam", and the distance from my pedal upper surface to the top of the center part of my saddle is typically 34.5" to 35". And I use bike shoes and clipless pedals. If I wear, say, Vans then my saddle has to be lower. I feel my legs are quite well extended and my toes are a bit dipped.

So, yes, your saddle does seem a bit high. Are your hips stable, or rocking?

I wonder if there is something more going on with your knee. Do you have the same pain if you spin at a higher cadence in a higher gear?

cale

First off, welcome to the forum! I'd be concerned about throwing my leg over the saddle. If you're wondering about the impact of riding "higher", you'll have to accept that your center of gravity has moved up which can negatively impact your ability to corner and brake.

In general, a lower center of gravity feels best when you're going fast.

KJK

I'd say that if the seat feels better where it's at then leave it there. That seat doesn't know where the "numbers" say it should be.

TonyAnd

Thanks for the reply!

I've been spinning at a high cadence (80 rpm:ish) so I don't think that's the problem. No rocking hips, strangely enough. Wonder if it has something to do with my job and tight hamstrings. I work as a ground handling agent at an airport and therefore spend quite some time on my knees loading bags into planes. This forces the upside of my foot to lay parallel with the ground; So I have great flexibility in that direction. Not so much the other way though; Can't reach my toes, standing up, bent forward.

TonyAnd

I guess that's the reasonable thing to do. However I'm gonna do some recording while i'm on the trainer. So you guys might be able determine if it looks alright!

jyl

Interesting explanation about your hamstring tightness and ankle flexibility. That could explain why the toe down style feels good for you.

The tendency to knee pain worries me. Is your job hard on your knees?. Is there anything you can do about it - pads, position?Was that knee injured once?

For more information about knee pain caused by cycling, see here

KNEE PAIN » Bike Fit » Steve Hogg's Bike Fitting Website

Note point 5.

fietsbob

I just use the heel over the pedal spindle leg straight , ball of foot over same spindle , it's OK ..

with My Folding bike its quick release is easy enough to open and change it if it doesn't feel right

40+ years of riding I know when its not right & I change it. never really a racer wannabe, so a lot of the really technical analyses are wasted on me.

TonyAnd

My job is hard on the knees because of the additional weight that gets put on the body overall I guess. I'm not the biggest guy in the world (60kg) so a bag that weighs 25kg obviously pits more stress on the knees. But I've never had any problems before. I feel it in the knee the day after cycling at work though.

But I'M gonna try Steves method of going up a hill several times and adjusting thereafter.

On the note of previous injury: have fractured the right foot about 4 years ago and walked on crutches for a month. Guess that might have done some number on the left knee. Hurt the same foot about 6 months ago during paragliding. Had a limp for a about a month and it's good now. Note that the problematic knee is the left one. Thanks for all your help!

Astrozombie

Go higher, I was fine with my saddle where it was for a long time because i did the KOTS technique. Then I read somewhere to take it too high, then lower it to find the sweet spot, I ended up higher than I was when doing it from the bottom up.

TonyAnd

Do you guys think clipless could be a solution? I tried for a while some time ago but I suspect the float wasn't sufficient and/or wrong general setup. The cleats was some cheap ones from a hardware store. Non brand nothings...

fietsbob

SpeedPlay "frogs" are all about Float . if that is what you want.. Idk what they will solve, just by themselves ..

I expect they wont undo your past injuries ..

its a SPD type so the cleat is recessed in the shoe sole.

berner

The whole issue of average measurements is tricky because there can be so much variability even with people of similar dimensions. We are of the same heigth and inseam but our saddles might be at quite different heigths. Some people may have very long or very short feet and some peddle toe down or with feet parallel to ground. These differences would result in two or three cm difference in height. When I began cycling and fiddling with bike setup, I marked the seat post and rails with a white dot from a white-out pen. This allowed me to make changes during a ride and get back to the previous setting easily. Eventually I arrived at a setting that was comfortable and kind on knees.

Road Fan

Usually tight hamstrings make it hard to straighten your knee to extend your legs.

Chucka

I read a site someplace that describes kneed acceleration. If the speed of your knee accelerates at the bottom of your stroke your seat is too high. Thinking of it that way worked for me, I was too high. For me the perfect spot is someplace above knee pain and below knee acceleration.