Seat height vs bar height?

[staceysue]

How high is your seat supposed to be, compared with your handlebars?

I just raised the seat an inch yesterday (think it was too low) They're about even now - of course the drops are lower than the seat. Now it seems like maybe I should be tilting the seat forward a little, though - new type of coochie pressure.

I want to get into that super racing position. It looks like a lot of fun. Unfortunately the bars are as low as they'll go and I can't raise the seat any higher. I wonder - could I put platforms on my pedals? Ride with platform shoes? hehehe

I want to ride in that super racing position.

You know what would be really cool? If you had a bike with a really high seat and really low bars, with the pedals way back. It would be like flying.

[Becky]

It's a matter of personal preference. The tops of my bars are an inch or so below my saddle. I can ride with them lower, but not for any length of time. For me, this is a good compromise between efficiency and comfort.

And yes, my saddle is tilted down ever so slightly to help relieve pressure on the girly bits. Not too far though, or I slide forward and put too much weight on my hands.

[Cataboo]

staceysue, you can drop the handlebars by putting a different stem on your bike - either one with a lower rise, or 0 rise. You may be able to just flip the stem over that you have on it to give it a negative rise... Are you riding in your drops or on your hoods? riding in the drops will make you a little bit lower.

My bikes all have my saddle even or slightly higher than my handlebars... It's nicer on my wrists not having it lower.

My handlebars sort of have an dip to them at the sides where the drops are - and I've found that I can kinda lay/stretch myself forward, rest my forarms in that little dip and get in a fairly aero tuck without using aerobars. It's more comfortable than when I had aerobars on my bikes. So I do that going downhills or if I'm really trying to crank.

[staceysue]

Thanks for the quick responses!

I'm always switching around. I switch between the clip-on aerobars and the hood mostly. There's something uncomfortable about the angle of my drops. As soon as I go into my aerobars from my hood, my speed increases by 2-3 mph without any extra effort on my part, and it makes it easy to put in the extra effort so I really end up giving myself a good workout.

I wonder if I could post a picture of my stem on here and you could tell me if it's possible to get it any lower.

[Cataboo]

Thanks for the quick responses!

I'm always switching around. I switch between the clip-on aerobars and the hood mostly. There's something uncomfortable about the angle of my drops. As soon as I go into my aerobars from my hood, my speed increases by 2-3 mph without any extra effort on my part, and it makes it easy to put in the extra effort so I really end up giving myself a good workout.

I wonder if I could post a picture of my stem on here and you could tell me if it's possible to get it any lower.

Post a pic, so we can see your bike anyways

[staceysue]

Post a pic, so we can see your bike anyways

OK - I'll go see if I can find my camera battery recharger and get out there and get a picture of my lovely Lexi.

[jusdooit]

Your seat height should not be determined by it's relationship to handlebar height. You could be setting yourself up for knee problems. Your seat height should be such that your legs are almost fully extended at the bottom of your pedal stroke. To get a more aggressive riding position go for a negative rise stem. I recommend consulting your LBS for these adjustments so youdon't compromise overall fit and comfort.