If you’re new to biking or just a casual rider, you might wonder why bike seats are so high. Given how high these seats are, you may be wondering how passengers ever get on. There is, however, a very good reason why some of these chairs appear to be so high, and it has to do with efficacy and injury prevention. To know more about why are bike seats so high, keep reading.
What’s The Most Sophisticated Approach to Determine My Seat Height?
You may find your ideal seat height in one of two ways:
1. Mount the bike to measure or set the height.
2. Using the formula, calculate your inseam.
Fi-((Fi-Si)/2)
Where:
Fi = Full inseam length (crotch to floor)
Si = (The medial malleolus is a bony ball that protrudes from the inside of your ankle or your groin to your ankle.)
Subtracting the sewing inseam from the overall inseam yields the height of your ankle. Add two to your ankle height and subtract that amount from your overall inseam length. Now you might be wondering why are mountain bike seats so high? The reason is kind of similar.
Although your knee is still slightly bent, this measurement approximates the length of your extended leg. In other words, measuring your mountain bike seat height saves you from having to fight to balance on your bike while measuring, changing, or tightening your seat to the proper height.
What If The Bike Seats Are Kept Too Low?
A high seat post serves functions other than increasing power. A seat that is too low may potentially cause knee issues in the future. If you often get knee pain when riding, consider elevating the seat. As a general guideline, your seat should be high enough that your feet barely touch the floor. This may look hazardous to less experienced riders, but with the appropriate tactics and practice, it will make a lot more sense.
Is It Always Effective to Have a Seat High?
Let’s see some more reasons why are road bike seats so high. A high bike seat is not suitable for everyone. To begin with, even when the seat is set for maximum power, it will most likely be a little lower. The primary reason for this is because not everyone’s hamstrings can extend to their optimal range. While a 30-25-degree angle is acceptable for most people, a 40-35 degree tilt is more practical. It is vital to evaluate the flexibility of the rider.
The second reason for a lower bike seat is the type of bike you ride. Lower-set seats are more common on BMX and mountain bikes. A lower mountain bike seat allows you to ride more aggressively and provides you more freedom to move about. A seat that is too high may hit your bottom and lift your thigh while leaning into corners or launching off jumps. Although some BMX bikes have high seats, a lower seat is preferable for doing certain feats.
Another advantage of a lower bike seat is that it is easier to get on and off the bike. If you commute or ride a bike for exercise, you generally don’t get on and off your bike very often. However, if you regularly get off and back on your bike, having your seat lower may be advantageous. Long rides, on the other hand, should not be taken in this manner since riding with a lower seat may eventually induce knee discomfort.
Elevating The Seat VS The Balance
Some claim that elevating the seat will make your bike handle better since the center of gravity will be higher. Though it might not necessarily be the case.
Consider a sports automobile, for instance. The equilibrium is more stable the lower the center of gravity. Ask anyone who has ever tried to use stilts; the higher the center of gravity, the harder it is to balance.
Why would we increase the seat if it throws off our balance? Let’s examine two key ideas: First, the abovementioned four advantages outweigh any potential benefit of having a lower center of gravity. Second, the correlation between your inseam length and the seat height is far more crucial than the maybe negligible additional balance that comes from having a slightly lower center of gravity.
Because you don’t normally trip over yourself when walking, standing height is a natural height for people to maintain their center of gravity. Mountain biking merely minimally raises the height between the ground and the pedal (or your foot) at the lowest point of the pedaling cycle’s downstroke.
Because of its lower height, a lower bike, such as a recumbent, will have a lower center of gravity. But I’m quite sure I wouldn’t try a mountain bike trail on a recumbent.
Overall, when appropriately set in line with the aforementioned requirements, the bike seat’s height is the most effective, most comfortable, and least harmful height for a mountain bike seat.
Conclusion
Even while leg extension is beneficial and bike seats look to be high, you don’t want too much of a good thing. If a leisure cyclist’s hips bounce back and forth when cycling, this is a good sign. If this happens, lower the saddle half an inch at a time until the sensation goes away.
(If you don’t, you’ll get persistent back and hip discomfort as well as extreme exhaustion.) Hopefully, now you know why are bike seats so high.
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