eaglesandcycling

Quite often, when I see other peoples bikes (road, gravel, cyclocross) i notice how often their saddles seem to be super high. If you look from the side, it looks like the saddle is WAY above the handles, whereas my bike (Trek Checkpoint ALR5) the saddle is maybe just slightly above the handles (and i've been fitted twice). Are many of these saddles I'm seeing out there simply too high or maybe it's just a different frame design to my Trek gravel bike? It kinda looks 'cooler' with the saddle all high but obviously this isn't important at all

10 Wheels

Has nothing to do with Handel bars height.
We all have different leg lengths.

biker128pedal

More aero or to look like a pro.

eaglesandcycling

I'm aware of that, of course, but the vast majority of these bikes I see, it's almost always so disproportionate (saddle vs. handle bars)

GhostRider62

Slamming the stem to get the handles down low is the macho thing to do.....says the old rider with 25 mm of spacers and 16 degrees up stem. Younger riders can get low and flat, which can be faster

eaglesandcycling

so i guess it's a cool/macho things to do

hazetguy 

Handel bars

BobbyG

Next thing you know they'll be wearing their pants below their butts.

gpburdell

Different bike geometries / rider positions.

Checkpoint is more of an endurance geometry (related to the Domane) and not as aggressively aero as the geometry of a race/speed oriented bike.

70sSanO

It’s not the saddle height, it’s the bar height.

John

freeranger

Saddle height is set (or should be) for the most efficient position in relation to the pedals. Some road bikes may have a short steerer which may not allow the rider to add spacers under the stem. Assuming the top tube is the correct length for the rider, then the rider is either: finding the handlebar position comfortable, or adapting to the position, or doesn't realize they could go with a shorter stem with more rise.

mstateglfr 

It may be a cool/macho thing for some to do, but I dont think its the motivation for most.

Saddle height should be set for an efficient and comfortable pedal stroke.
Separate from that, bar height should be set for comfort and intended use.

People with more flexibility and with more core strength often have bars lower because they are comfortable in that lower position. Also, taller riders often have a bigger saddle to bar drop than shorter riders due to body proportions and frame geometry.

I think it is pretty absurd for your takeaway to be that so many do it to look cool, especially when posters have taken time to explain the varying reasons.

eaglesandcycling

i was being sarcastic.. relax buddo

Iride01 

If you ride a lot and you ride fairly hard and you compete against yourself to get better times, then you quickly will see that being more aero allows you to go faster for the same effort or farther with less effort.

The bikes don't have unusually high saddles, what they have is a lower frame stack height allowing the bars to be lower.

mstateglfr 

I took your initial post as genuinely looking for information, so I took your subsequent post as a genuine interpretation of the information given.
My bad, I guess.

Rolla

In general, the racier the bike the greater the drop from saddle to bar, but that depends entirely on what kind of bike we're talking about and its intended purpose.

BMX saddles are slammed to the frame with 11" tall handlebars, because riders rarely if ever sit. Observed Trials bikes don't have saddles at all. A time trial bike is designed to flatten the back of the rider as much as possible for aerodynamics. Mountain bike riser handlebars have heights that are all over the map, as well as dropper posts that lower the saddle height to well below the bar height.

I think manufacturers like to photograph their bikes with a lower bar because it gives the bike a more aggressive stance. Some people take that as an indication that their own bike should be configured similarly.

rydabent

I grew up on a farm. With the saddle all jacked up like, and with their heads clear down, it reminds me of and old hen picking corn out of a cow pie.

Rolla

With their legs out front and their ass on the ground, recumbent riders remind me of a dog scooting its butt on the carpet.

eaglesandcycling

i hear ya, no worries.. good ridin'

mcours2006

Riding a frame that a size or two smaller than what you'd normally ride for your height will also give your that big saddle to bar drop. Pros do this all the time as it gives them a much more aero position when on the saddle. Most recreational riders cannot sustain this position for a long time because they are 1. not flexible enough, 2. don't have sufficient core strength, and 3. don't produce enough sustained power in the legs to relieve the pressure off of hands.

indyfabz

My vote for POTD.

indyfabz

Yes. We know. If we are not doing it your way we are doing it the wrong way. You have made that clear umpteen times.

eaglesandcycling

recumbent riders sure an interesting group!

indyfabz

Some bars from Handel.

70sSanO

Not slamming any of Handel's bars.

But I imagine, in some cases, slamming one's bars might make the rider feel like a messiah.

John