Why Are Bike Seats So High?
If you’re a bike enthusiast or a new cyclist, you may be wondering why bike seats are high? Bike seats or saddles are set in a higher position because they increase pedaling power and efficiency. Extending your legs almost all the way when you pedal prevents knee injuries and strengthens your muscles.
For mountain bikers, a higher riding position also increases cycling efficiency. In this article, we’ll discuss why bike seats are elevated.
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Why Are Bicycle Seats So High?
The height of the bicycle seat is closely related to the rider’s abilities. If the saddle isn’t high enough, you won’t be able to ride comfortably. Let’s look at all the factors that play an essential role in this.
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Better Performance When Cycling
When your bike seat is higher, your legs can fully extend. They can barely touch the ground. This creates the perfect amount of force to move the pedals smoothly. It’s also scientifically proven to generate the highest amount of force when your legs are extended at a 25-30 degree angle.
So a higher saddle controls the rider’s leg position and movement to maximize pedaling efficiency. This increases the overall effectiveness of cycling.
If you’re a novice cyclist, this may seem dangerous. But with proper technique and practice, you’ll get used to the high saddle position.
If you’re a mountain biker, you’ll enjoy riding on challenging traiYou’llu’ll see how high mountain bike saddles if you pay attention are. This helps achieve maximum movement on the pedal, which means that riders can pedal with more power. This results in riders having more control over acceleration and safe pedaling.
Comfortable Position While Riding
If you’ve ever ridden a child’s bike as an adult, you may know how important it’s to extend your leg. You can’t push through the pedal if your legs stay pressed together for a long time.
So for a comfortable seat riding position, you need a high bike seat. Imagine getting up from a shallow sofa. It takes more energy to lift your weight or move your body. Likewise, a low seated saddle position restricts body movement.
So if you sit on a low bike seat, your body weight is considered dead weight. So, it can be said that a higher bike saddle allows for a more comfortable leg position and improves the bike’s handling.
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High Pedal Power Output
While cycling, when you cannot stretch your leg properly, your leg muscles work harder to run the pedal. This makes you tired faster. Having a higher seat enables you to extend your pedal power on each downward pedal stroke.
You will need to put less effort and pressure on your knees, which means it provides maximum power at minimum drag.
Better Speed Control on Difficult Trails
Rugged trails are certainly your passion if you’re a mountain bike rider. In this case, you need to shift your body to keep your balance. You also need a high level of control over your speed.
If you choose a higher saddle for your bike, you can control your bike better on challenging trails. So if you’re riding a road with lots of twists and turns, you’ll need to keep your bike saddle high to ride effortlessly. The higher the saddle height, the less force you need to apply.
However, remember to adjust your saddle height to be high but comfortable for you. Otherwise, it can reduce pedaling efficiency and cause pain in your lower back and knees.
Related reading: Why Does My Bike Seat Keep Moving Side to Side?
Health Benefits
First, cycling in itself is a healthy daily activity. When you raise your saddle, the tension is released from your muscles. Your blood can flow freely when your knee gets fully extended while riding. Restricted blood flow during exercise, on the other hand, causes discomfort and muscle pain.
In addition, your knee joints are put under a lot of stress while cycling. But constantly moving your knees on a high bike seat prevents all kinds of knee injuries and joint pain.
Related reading: Why are Bike Seats So Uncomfortable?
How To Adjust The Bike Seat To The Right Height?
A significant change in saddle height makes a big difference in cycling performance. Therefore, adjusting the saddle height to the correct position is important. The saddle height usually depends on the rider’s size, weight, and leg length.
Depending on your height, you need to place your heel on the pedal for the correct saddle position and the pedal needs to be in a six o’clock position. Then keep your knee completely straight. If your knee doesn’t bend, your saddle is at the correct height, and if your knees are still bent, you need to increase the saddle height.
If you set your saddle too high or too low, it’ll be uncomfortable when riding, cause knee and back pain, and reduce the performance of the bike.
Related reading: Why are Bike Seats so Hard?
Final Words
The saddle position keeps the rider comfortable while riding. To ride your bike effectively, your saddle needs to be in the proper position.
In this article, we’ve looked at how important it’s to raise your bike’s saddle. We hope our guide will help you better understand what a high bike saddle is all about.
