“Seat height is the Holy Grail for power ”
Saddle height is considered the most important bicycle-position setting. Changes to the seat-to-pedal distance, most commonly adjusted by moving the seat up or down, involves a complex interaction of angles between your hips, knees, and ankles during the pedal cycle.
This means that even slight adjustments to saddle height alter the movement patterns and activate or “turn muscles on” at different times and duration, throughout the pedal stroke.
Road vs mtb & saddle height differences
Road Saddle Height
- Set to optimize power, pedal efficiency, aerodynamics, and knee health.
Mountain Bike Saddle Height
Set to optimize maneuverability, control and is largely terrain dependent.
- The more technical the terrain, the lower the saddle.
- The smoother and flatter the mtb trails, the higher your seat.
Your MTB seat height will be nearly identical to your road bike when riding easy trails or maybe even a smidgen higher.
Saddle Heights & Mountain Biking Disciplines
With that being said, however, we must distinguish saddle height among the differing forms of mountain biking:
Dirt jumping
Downhilling
Cross-Country (XC)
Enduro
Trail Riding
Free-Ride
Some of these mountain bike subcategories use similar saddle positioning while others do not.
Saddle height: Road & XC-MTB
Endurance based mountain biking, like cross-country MTBing, are going to have the same saddle height as traditional road cycling. This makes sense, as this form of mountain biking is as close to road cycling as you will get and is more akin to off-road cycling than other forms of mountain biking.
Mountain bike saddle height is hugely affected by terrain:
Double-track
Fire & forest roads
Old mining roads/tracks
Wide mountain paths
Interspersed and mostly non-to-less-technical singletrack (generally speaking, but not always the case)
Bicyclists who predominantly ride these types of mtb trails should be using the same saddle height setting as their road bike or using the same formulas that are recommended by BikeFitters for roadie saddle heights.
Road racers and endurance MTB racers will have as close to identical saddle heights as possible between the two bikes. Trying to mimic the same position for both types of riding may reduce injuries when switching between bikes if you spend the majority of time riding one style.
High Saddle: Mountain VS Road Biking
Road Cycling Saddle Height
Once you reach speeds of 9-MPH (15kph), aerodynamic drag becomes the main opposing force, and as go even faster, it accounts for 90% of all forces acting against you. Road cyclists, even unfit ones, can average 13-15 mph (22 kph) fairly easily.
Configuring your seat height to allow for aerodynamic (aero) positioning takes precedence.
Mountain Biking Saddle Height
In theory, mountain biking uphill on a smooth double-track is easier and more efficient with a higher saddle than what is riding with on your road or gravel bike.
The advantages of a lower saddle height are more related to aerodynamics, handling, corning, traction, control, and lack of hamstring flexibility, none of which play a role in uphill climbing on a double-track (maybe except hamstring flexibility).
A Higher Saddle = More Pedal Power: Riding with a saddle higher than your road bike is perfect for climbing smooth and gradual inclines on a wide, non-technical single-track or double-track.
Theoretically, muscles produce the most force just before they reach their fully stretched length. Raising your seat to the highest possible position while maintaining level hips will give you the most power and efficiency.
Road VS MTB: Clipless Pedals & Crankarm Length
Shoe/cleat thickness
Pedal thickness (flat/or clipless)
Length of the crankarm
These are all factors to account for if you are trying to ride with the same saddle height between your road and mountain bikes. Just because your saddle height is the same, that doesn’t mean the actual relative saddle height is identical if your riding with different shoes, pedals, and different sized crankarms.
Technical single-track & saddle height
Riding singletrack or trail riding is one of the most popular forms of mountain biking. Before the dropper-post became standard, many riders climbed with a raised seat and manually lowered the seat before descending.
Riders of technical singletrack ride with a lower saddle compared to road cyclists.
How much lower?? That’s trail and terrain dependent. However, the lower your seat, the more control, maneuverability, balance, and traction you have.
Getting “high” and “forward” on the saddle by mimicking the standing position to propel yourself forward on tough climbs on double-track makes sense.
However, the same level of steepness on narrow, technical, and steep single-track will give you control, traction, and maneuverability issues.
If the majority of your riding takes place on singletrack, having a dropper post is critical to optimizing pedal efficiency, regardless of technical features. Ideally, you want a dropper post with 3 settings:
Highest Position: This is slightly higher than road bike saddle height - - - This is for maximum power and pedal efficiency for non-technical climbing or flat sections
Moderate height: A few centimeters lower than road saddle height - - - Allows for increased control and maneuverability on technical climbing and flat(ish) sections
Bottom position: As low as the seat will go - - - You want the seat out of the way for descending, jumping, drops, and high-speed corning, switch-backs, or banking turns
Downhill mountain biking & saddle height
Saddle height is not-important in gravity-assisted mountain biking as the shuttle, lift, or gondola does the climbing for you.
Gravity-assisted mountain biking
Downhill
Dirt jumping
Slope-style
Freee-ride as the shuttle or lift does the climbing for you.
Downhill mountain bikers don’t have seat adjustments, as the saddle remains at the lowest position. Gravity assisted, downhill biking, like in a bike park at a ski resort, doesn’t consist of much pedaling. The lift takes riders up, followed by bombing down a ski resort at speeds exceeding 50 mph (80kph), riders never sit down.
“Improper height in either direction can lead to injury”
Improper saddle height can result in knee pain/injury, low back pain.
There are 4 primary saddle heights for bicycling
Too low
Too high
Preferred saddle height
Optimal saddle height
Too Low Saddle
A saddle height that is set too low can result in anterior knee pain due to increased compression in the knee joint through the top of the pedal stroke and during the follow-through to the bottom.
Too High Saddle
Too Low: A saddle height that is set too high can lead to posterior knee pain due to over-extension of the knee at the bottom of the stroke.
Saddle too low
If the saddle is too low, excessive stress is placed on the knees. Anterior knee pain is common, due to increased compression of the knee joint as the rider pushes through the top of the pedal stroke.
Saddle Too Low = Knee is more flexed = causes compression of the patella against the underlying surfaces from increased activity of the quads and hamstring.
So what is too Low?
Anything greater than a 44° knee angle places too much compression forces on your knee. Also, it’s very inefficient, so you will tire easily and have minimal power on the pedals.
This "shortness" extenuate hip and knee extension and will aggravate your knee and thighs.
The higher your saddle the less knee flexion angle
- For example, a saddle height with 25° knee flexion means the saddle is higher than a saddle height with 35° knee flexion
Saddle too high
“A saddle that is set too high can lead to anterior knee pain
”
When your saddle is too high, your hips rock back and forth, which causes your legs to rub against the saddle. Besides chafing, posterior knee pain can result from overextension of the knee at the bottom stroke.
Saddle Too High = excessive knee extension = patella is no longer stabilized by the quadriceps muscles and it becomes overstretched, leading to knee pain.
Even though you will have a longer activation of upper leg muscles as the seat is raised, once the seat is raised above optimal, the muscles are overly stretched, which doesn’t allow for force optimal production………..you will produce less power and possibly suffer injuries.
Negative outcomes from riding with too high of a saddle
Chafing and saddle sores
Posterior knee pain (behind the knee)
Usually pain in only one of your knees (your dominant leg)
Hips rocking back and forth = loss of pedal efficiency
Loss of pedal power from overstretched muscles
Waste of energy from hip-rock
Saddle Too High & Mountain Biking
In addition to the negative outcomes listed above, the higher the saddle, the higher your center of gravity. Cornering, descending, rolling over obstacles like roots, and logs all become harder with a high center of gravity.
(Image Source: García-Lópezand & Blanco, 2017)
optimal saddle height
“Most evidence-based studies have supported using saddle heights with 25° knee flexion for beneficial effects in both performance and injury prevention.”
Road Cycling
The theoretical optimal saddle height = 25° knee angle (when the pedal crank is in the 6 o’clock position)
Cross-Country Mountain Biking
30° knee angle = theoretical optimal saddle height
The best combination of power output and endurance (most efficient)
Most power comes from 25-30° knee angle
So what actually makes “optimal” seat height optimal?
When you are riding in your optimal seat height
Your butt muscles and tibialis anterior (shin) have a longer and more forceful activation
Your quads/thigh (vastus muscles + rectus femoris) and hams (bicep femoris) all have a greater activation time.
Your knee and hip are more in-phase
Excessively low or high seat = more out-of-phase the ankle and knees are (such as the ankle leading the hip).
Pedaling Style
A faster cadence is easier with a lower seat
Higher seat for riders who like to push big gears at lower cadences
“When examining the results of the economy trials as a whole, it would appear to support the recommendation of a 25° knee angle for optimal performance”
Preferred saddle height
Average knee angle range of professional road cyclists = 30–40°
Average knee angle of pro-cyclists 38.± 4.5°.
Recreation cyclists have similar seat height to professionals, with the average cyclist in the same 30–40° knee angle range.
For both recreational and professional road cyclists, their preferred saddle height is right around 37-38 degrees.
If the theoretical “optimal” angle is 25°, then why are pro-cyclists riding with a lower seat?
The theoretical optimal seat height is hypothetical since it’s based on data from studies in laboratories. Most of these studies involve cycling on a treadmill or stationary bike.
Cycling, especially elite-level racing, aerodynamics are everything. Losing a little bit of pedal power is okay if the aero gains are greater. Also, road cyclists go upwards of 65 mph (105kph) during downhill descents and average 25 mph (40kph), which means high speed turning and cornering, all of which are easier with a lower saddle and is something that is not accounted for by researchers in the lab.
Limited Hamstring Flexibility
For many cyclists, the limiting factor preventing them from riding in an optimally high saddle position is limited hamstring flexibility. If you have “tight” hammies, even getting lower than a 38 knee angle won’t be possible without developing injuries and discomfort.
Lower Saddle = Lower Center of Gravity = More Control
More control can be maintained with a lower saddle position and provides better traction and control for climbing steep singletrack.
- Mountain Bikers: Keeping the saddle around 35°± 5° provides an ideal combination of balance and control while still allowing for good pedal mechanics and power. This is also a good height when riding with a dropper post, as you don’t want to be continuously pressing the dropper lever.
Proper saddle height & injuries
A knee angle of 25° to 40° is recommended for injury prevention.
Cycling, especially while “clipped in,” is a repetitive motion. A bicyclist riding at 90 rpm will pedal 16,200 revolutions in 3 hours. An incorrect saddle height places a large amount of strain on the knees and can lead to overuse injuries.
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Final Thought
The research looks exclusively at cycling and seat height, and usually conducted in laboratory settings. Extrapolating that data to both cyclists and mountain bikers can be contentious, which is why seat height settings remain the most controversial of all bicycle adjustments.
Raising or lowering your saddle by anything more than a smidgen, in either direction, can have profound effects on both your muscle activity patterns and pedaling mechanics.
Changes in terrain have a huge impact on what your ideal saddle height should be. Why???? Because simply changing the positioning of your pelvis (from hills) alters when and how your muscles activate while spinning the pedals. Also, adjusting your cadence changes mechanics and force relationships on the pedals.
Ideally, while pedaling under 9mph (14 kph), your seat should be at it’s highest setting, since you will be able to generate the most force and efficiency. As you go faster, slightly lowering the seat to allow for:
Increased control/stability
Lower center of gravity
Increased flexibility of the hamstrings, permitting a more aero position
Jesse is the Director of Pedal Chile and lives in Valdivia, Chile. Jesse has a Master of Science in Health & Human Performance, a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, and an Associate of Science in Radio Broadcasting. Hobbies: MTBing, snowboarding, reading, taster of craft beers, researcher, & compression sock wearer.
More articles from Pedal Chile
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