A Simple Approach to Correct Saddle Height (for road cyclists) 

its 12 am and i'm adjusting my saddle height......

I love this dude. He just explained my issues over the last 3yrs in 5 minutes...true bike fitters are VERY hard to come by

The best saddle height video I’ve ever seen. All of his tips are incredible for every part of the bike fit.

Every time i see this guy on a video thumbnail i have to click. Easily the most knowledgeable person ive ever heard, with proof to back it up!

As a Physical Therapist and a competitive cyclist for 37 years,,,,, You are spot on!

Thank you, you really saved my life. I was really desperate because of cramps in my calf and persistent pain in my lower back. I did workouts, stretching Quigong (which are all good things to do), but nothing really helped. Then i measured my saddle height after watching this and it was at least 2cm too high. I corrected it, rode my bike and it's like heaven, the pain has gone and i`ve even more control over my bike. Thank you!!!

From an anatomy / physiology perspective this is the best explanation of saddle height that I have seen.

Generous of you guys to share this. Practical, easy to implement, this is gold.

Best tip was to ride at threshold. Everything can seem comfortable when you’re just lightly spinning

Wow, I totally needed this video. Been fiddling with my saddle height for a year. Felt too high. Dropped it down. But then brought it back up. Now, listening to all the symptoms of having the seat be too high, I can tell my saddle is still too high. Definitely going to be making some adjustments. And also some of the best tips on how to test out those adjustments. Great video. Thank you so much!

Love listening to this fella, great information eloquently delivered. Neill is the MVP!

You and Neill provide so much value through these videos! I had a bike fit here in Norway a few weeks ago and we spent half the session experimenting with the saddle. I experienced just what Neill is talking about - loosing control when its too high and feeling fluid when its right.

I feel so lucky to have stumbled upon this video. Having just started with the sport a couple of weeks ago, this exactly the advice I needed. It made me realize that my saddle was way too high.

This is one of those videos that I wish I could give a ❤ instead of a 👍. Great explanation by Neil that even us lowly layman can understand. I got fit for my first bike at the LBS, but found that as my fitness improved, my saddle height needed adjusting until I'd find a sweet spot. Putting in mega miles and riding with an Allen wrench and noticing how I'd feel every few miles with tweaks up & down really helped me nail down the right position. But as Neil put it, that has to be a ride where one is fully paying attention to what their body is telling them with each adjustment. Thanks for posting Cam. Your channel is undeniably one of the absolute best resources for cyclists.

Neill is very knowledgeable and has an incredible ability to communicate information. Great show Cam!

Remember to push your saddle back when lowering your saddle. It's around 3:1 ratio so for every 3mm dropped you want 1mm more setback.

Neill is a master at explaining technical information that is so easy to grasp.

Neill Stanbury is so well informed on anatomy and exercise physiology. It's amazing how many little insights he has. The part about compensation, starting around 7:00, is brilliant. Thanks very much for this, Cam.

Hay, thanks so much for this video! I'm returning to cycling after a couple of yrs break and this series was by far the clearest in understanding what was happening. I've never felt so fresh, and so comfortable on my bike. You are a wizard.

Hi Cam and Neil. Just wanna say thanks again for the great advice. After watching the video I immediately noticed after a ride what Neil was referring to with excessive strain on quads and almost no pain at all elsewhere. Decided to drop my saddle slightly and immediately noticed after this morning’s ride a better spread of strain across the hamstring and calves. Quads are still burning but at least I can notice burning elsewhere as well. Great stuff guys👍🏼

Really excellent video. Been struggling with this for a while and listening to Neil explain how he goes about it is so helpful. Keep the collab going! 💪

This is what I have been waiting for. Cam, you are the man. Thanks, mate.

I’m a Physio and a cyclist as well...absolutely brilliant and helpful. Thanks for sharing!!!

Cheers Cam and Neil! This content has been a game changer for me. To be honest I’ve never had a bike fit and I’ve just relied on calculations to determine my saddle height. Having followed the advice from Neil I’ve ended up lowering my saddle height by a total of 27mm from where I was. I’ve noticed an immediate difference in overall comfort and I feel much better after the couple of rides I’ve done since making the adjustments! I appreciate that there will be other things I’ll have to consider to further refine my riding position but I can’t thank you both enough for the advice!! Cheers!!

Great vids Cam, thanks (and thanks Neil). My experience - I've had a Steve Hogg bike fit six months ago + been through lots of tweaking and learning about fitting. Diagnosed twisted hips from an old injury. Since then I've corrected it and removed the cleat wedges Steve installed as my twisted hip is now fixed. All that Neil is saying is spot on, can't fault it. To add another 'check' for saddle height after you've done what Neil has said, while decending and cornering say left, right foot should be in the 6 o'clock position, weight loaded to the right foot, you shouldn't feel that you are stretching or shifting in the saddle to reach the pedal. If you are, saddle too high, lower it bit by bit until you are no longer reaching. You should be nice and neutral on the saddle for both sides when cornering. Initially, you will feel too low, but trust me, it's the correct height, stick with it. Also check both sides, if you feel like you are reaching with one side, but not the other, you may have a leg length discrepancy / twisted hips / cleat position / stack height needs checking. Also, when doing bike fit, it is imperative to warm up for at least 10 minutes. Quite often I start riding and my quads start complaining / position feels crap, but my hammi's and glutes take longer to warm up so the quads carry the load until everything is warmed up, then the position is perfect.

This is hands down the best explanation of WHY I want a proper seat height I've ever seen.

It feels inadequate to just give a single like/thumbs up to Neil videos, should be able to superlike! Great stuff again 👍👍

Thanks so much guys. This series has been super super helpful. After running through the "drop 15mm go up 3 at a time" my long term seat position is now set 11mm lower and... just like he said I'm putting less weight on the bars.

The description of a chopping motion at the bottom of the pedal stroke is spot on!

Your videos towards bikefitting helped a lot in adjusting my bike! Turned out I was way to high with my saddle and had a lot of the symptoms Neill mentiones in some of the videos. Thank you for sharing these insights and all the best from the Black Forest in southern Germany!

wow. by far the best discussion on this topic i’ve seen. thank you!

Wow! After a few years of riding at the set height, I just lowered it 2-3 mm mid-ride yesterday and definitely noticed a difference. Incredible!! Thanks!!

A lifesaver! I'm getting lots of attention though because other riders think my saddle is too low, but I'm very comfortable!

The best and most detailed video on saddle height I have ever seen. Absolutely brilliant. I am now going back to my bike and following the information to make sure I am at the correct height. Thank you.

omg finally an explanation that makes sense. can't wait to try this!

Good viewing stats on this vlog! Keep up the good work Cam

It's just fantastic, I have had an injury for a long time and after a lot of readings and videos (and also physiotherapy), but specially putting attention to my sensations on the bike I started to understand the problem, and this video helps me to clarify all of that amount of information I've been collecting. Thanks a lot, great video, keep going on this way

Unbelievably helpful video. Thanks for putting this out there.

Absolutely spot on! Lots of similar references drawn from Steve Hogg whom I learnt from. Good video and I urge everyone to stop using formulas if you've tried it and it doesn't work. Learn to feel for your bike fit and let comfort be your guide. Very important mention that the fatigue in your legs is meant to be evenly distributed and not localized. Love the bit when you mentioned how a too high saddle tend to load your hands as this is how I've resolved hand pain and numbness - by lowering my saddle sufficiently so that i am well balanced. To those who are curious, I've experimented with almost every available stem length and handlebar width and these didn't resolve the issue with my hands due to having a saddle that was too high.

Many many thanks for this vid, guys! Excellent, intuitive discussion of the topic. Love your work!

Really good info and description. Will try some of the advice here, cheers 👍🏻

Very informative series of Vlogs. I have thoroughly enjoyed following your discussions with Neil. Due to your videos, I have gradually and significantly improved my comfort on the saddle to a point where the tingling sensation on my fingers have dissipated. cheers!

Good one Cam. I found I fiddled with my cleat position on the bottom of my shoes just as much as my saddle height. As the man said.....just kept going until everything felt right. Cheers

This is great! What a deep understanding of the cycling process!

Yup, wish this guy was in my neighborhood. Most comprehensive explanations I've ever heard.

One of the very best bike fitting podcast out there! I was really impressed with all the video's in bike fitting. Especially when they talked about the majority of people have one leg longer than the other and different cranks lengths very impressive!

Really enjoy listening to Neill - great info, cheers guys

Simply the best video on the topic out there! This guy is a genius.

All of these videos Neil is so generous to share are pure gold... I tuned up my saddle height with this video back in August and the results have been remarkable, and yes, I dropped my saddle... so subtle but truly proved to be very effective over the past couple of months.. Thank you guys!

This is one of the most important videos I’ve watched on RU-vid and the best explanation of this I’ve ever heard. Thanks!

I love learning stuff when the topic is fully explained with examples and common sense... thank you!! 🙃

What an excellent video on this topic!

Brilliant words explaining saddle height. Can't be said better from Neil.

Really good Cam - if I was in Noosa I would go & see the bike fitter. Love the quality content.

I love this stuff, really explaining the fundamentals of the processes and mechanisms, no magic formulae.

Very informative. Thanks Cam & Neill

Just watched this. You sir are a genius! I've been riding a vintage Cannondale Team Comp for YEARS. I was given the bike so it wasnt purchased/sized for me but the giftor is an avid cyclist and helped set it up for me as best we could. It was never perfectly comfortable but thought it was as good as it was going to get. Well after seeing this video and a couple others, I decided to experiment - Seat height, Seat fore or aft adjustment or Bar height? After watching a few of your videos, I tried what seems the most wrong- I lowered the seat about 4-5mm. Wow! I really couldnt believe the difference. My morning ride today I felt I had more power, better power transfer to the pedals and instead of aches and pains at the end , I was tired but no specific pain just as you described. My legs were evenly tired front to back top to bottom - NOT sore. And maybe just the power of suggestion but I felt better after this ride than I have in a long time. I wouldnt believe it if I didnt experience it. Now, I started realizing this well before the end of the ride and so was thinking "what else"? After a few more miles of experimenting I decided that my seat was too far forward so I tried sitting back on it and it felt more "right. When I got home and looked - sure enough the seat is almost all the way forward on the rails. Sunday is my next ride and Ill move the seat back a bit - maybe a cm or 2 and see how that feels. Thank you for making me re-evaluate this! This was a true revelation for me - Thank you!

Greetings from AVL, NC, USA! As a fitter who threw out the calculator and plumb-bob long ago, this is spot on! Thank you, Cam, Neil, (and Hogg) for getting this out with a proper explanation! Something I will share with plenty of folks! KEEP IT GOING!

Brilliant, explained so well. I'm off to my trainer to try some of those suggestions out. Thanks for making such an informative video.

Great tips with very practical/applicable key takeaways, thanks for this content!

Been really enjoying these videos with Neil

By far the very best and most useful video i have ever seen about Saddle height! Thank you so much!

Thank you for this video!!! I’m tired of bike fitters saying that the best angles are 25-35!! Definitely going to drop my saddle!!!

Visually speaking, I have to admit having difficulty distinguishing between his examples...For instance, the "too high" setting seemed fine to me since I didn't notice the negative knee flick he spoke of. Enjoyed his explanations though..

What a great advice towards seat hight without all the theoretical calculations that never would fit for me!

Neil...you are a genius mate!!! Best bike fitting talk I’ve ever heard and this is my 50th year road biking. I’ve been struggling with knee issues and thanks to your information I’ve learned that my bike fit is wrong. I have it close now and looking for more tweaks to get it just right. Helping the knees greatly...Thank you 🙏

Having spent thousands of dollars on bike fitting and not getting much as far as positive results, your series with Neill’s have done wonders on my fit in a matter of weeks. And now I’m considering the shorter cranks!!! Thanks to you and Neill for sharing all the advise. Keep it coming!!

I’m a physical therapist who cycles and this is the best info I’ve ever seen on seat height.

I have struggled with bike position for the last few years after a surgery. Prior to it, I was a little too high but could get away with it, after I couldn't. Your description helped a lot in what to focus on and the point between too high and not was more apperiente. For me it was being able to put power down evenly throughout the majority of the stroke and something that has not been touched on is my balance on the bike was improved. Riding hands off required little effort/concentration at all. Too high and that oneness with the bike starts to go away. Thanks Neil and Cam!!

I’m so glad I saw this. A couple of months ago I was working with knee angles for correct saddle height and within the recommended range, it felt too high so this has just been verified. I did lower my saddle beforehand anyhow but was good to have this confirmed.

Been Checking out your channel for a while and like the content but this is the video that made me click to "subscribe" button.

Good discussion, well worth the time to watch the entire video. Most riders and bike fitters seem to think that only a slight bend in the knee is all that is needed at the bottom of the stroke; very wrong.

Another brammer of a video Cam thank you. Thanks to you and Neil I fell more comfortable on my bike (even after having professional bike fitting), cadence is up, speeds are up. I am starting to enjoy my cycling again after feeling like my performance had stagnated. So a huge thanks from this 50 year old pom.👍😉

+1 ....would really love to see you cover saddle fore/aft in a follow-up video. Thanks for this!

Really good info. I recently set my saddle on my touring bike as recommended... all sweetness and light. I changed the saddle and checked the measurement, was pretty close. Dong a long ride (200km) last week, by 140km my left leg was developing "niggles", discomfort in muscles that weren't normal and of the "do something about this" nature. I figured I would try dropping the seat, as that was the only real change. Took it down maybe 3 to 5mm, all sorted. Finished the ride then did a century back with no issues. Very happy with that! Thanks for the good info.

Dropped the seat 2 mill , with 165 mill cranks. Boom problem solved everything from saddle sores and left knee pain . You two are so brilliant . I love the channel 🤘🏼

This video is gold, mate...! Thank you !

Wow , tried the method today . He’s a genius!!!!

these are the best tips, I used the quad burn/hammy burn feedback to adjust my height. Now my whole leg feels it and not just a small part. thx!

Omg - I had exactly this issue - the clipping and just couldn’t figure the right seat height- and same issue - I really couldn’t tell. This video explained all the issues I was having and why. Superb.

Great video again, guys!

This is an amazing video. I thought my saddle was in the correct position, however, I quickly realized it was to high. I lowered it by just 2 mm and rode 60 kilometers. I immediately noticed several things. 1. My left pinky no longer goes numb when I am climbing. 2. I definitely noticed a smoother pedal cadence. 3. My right foot is less likely to pivot "in" when I ride which it has historically done in the previous seat position. I am going to take it down another 1-2 mm and see if my power meter will show a more even pedal stroke since it currently is indicating that I favor my right leg. Thanks for this Cam!

Great video yet again. I need to book an apppointment with neil once borders reopen.

Finally, someone competent talking about bike fit 👍🏼

This is the same as Steve Hogg's explanation of saddle height watching for the acceleration of knee extension at bottom of pedal stroke. But this guy explains it so much clearer by detailing the mechanics of how saddle height and pedal stroke is affected by the quads and hamstrings, and lists symptoms of being too high which finally makes sense.

What a video. The first half describes years of my riding exactly. Been through bike fits as well.

This is good stuff. Too many fitters do not understand the importance of hamstring contribution to smooth power transfer from 5 o'clock to 7 o'clock. This is why I start with seat height at 35 degree knee angle when lower limb fully extended. This however is dependent on knee injuries/degeneration and relative strength of hams. Many less experienced riders are not used to using hams significantly for pedalling, and need to adapt to doing so. Finally, higher cadences are critically dependent on knee extension (hams:quad length) and power contribution.....which is why one criteria for determining ideal saddle height is maximal cadence, without bouncing.

Great video this. Learnt so much from it as well.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Sore quads every day after short rides. Adjusted as per your advice and wow - my hamstrings are working too and my quads are not sore tonight.

Great explanations in this one. Really informative. 👍

Your videos and explanations are amazing. Thanks for doing it só greatfully

This is really well explained than just taking measurements Feel the pedal stroke Thank you for this video

Arrrrgh!! Just when I thought I'd nailed my saddle height, I see this and start asking myself questions!!! Damn you!

I adjusted my seat post about 3/4mm thinking it was too low. Within 24 hours I could feel it in my right (dominant) knee. Now I know why! Dropped it back down and hoping it will correct that. Thanks very much for this (whether it works or not, very interesting vid) 👍🏻

Real helpful video, thanks guys.

Excellent information! Thanks!

Wow, this guy is amazing. Great video 🤟🏻

Excellent series. I finally have no pain from my saddle! Paid $350 for a bike fit, and still had pain in my as@$. Come to find out my saddle was to high and back. After watching your video I kept asking myself when I ride what I needed to feel better. When I hit a bump and came back down I had to push myself back. So I moved seat ahead 3mm. Was better but still had pain issues. So I lowered seat a little. Not really any difference. Lowered it little more, and wow, everything is perfect! Ended up about 5mm. Can't believe what a difference having everything correctly positioned! And I've been riding bikes since 1998, and had pain. I bet I tried 10 different saddles. Thank you for giving me the info I needed to fix it myself!!

It's been a day watching all Neil bike fitting tips. Now im opening bike fitting business

I had been planning on booking with Neill for ages but kept putting it off, until he moved away from Melb! Fantastic vid!