i was just wondering what the right seat height for trials is and what the right seat height for muni
i heard that trials should be near your belly button, but i dont know if that is right, it feels a little low.
any input is appreciated
thx, trey
LOTS OF TRIALS RIDERS HAVE IT LOW… BUT I THNK IT PERSONAL PREFERNCE… damn caps lock…
Chase
never been really muniing, or trials much for that matter I guess. But if you’re hopping, and pulling the saddle in and out often, you’re gonna want it nice and low so you can get better height on seat in hops, and pull teh seat in and out with ease. I know I keep my seat lower than ‘optimal’ (leg almost fully extended with pedal at 6 o’clock position) for freestyle, and when I get my MUni around christmas the plan is to keep the seat nice n’ low.
For trials, watch how high Zack Baldwin and Ryan Atkins ride their seats. You don’t want it low for trials. A low amount of foam, yes. For seat-out skills, which come in heavy quantities for trials, you want the seat higher, creating less pressure on your knees.
It has to do with lateral-stability, and how seat-out your side-to-side stability is less than with the seat in. Your center-of-balance is different in terms of relative position to the axle for each (seatin/out)
Later,
Evan
You don’t want it low. I lowered my seat for street, the other day and then tried to do some trials (seat out) and the seat was repeatedly wripped out of my hand. I was trying to pull up when my weight was still firmly on the pedals. I was thinking if I stood on the pedals at a horizontal position the right height would be where my arm extends down too. Could be totally wrong but I think it would be somewhere around there. I never really looked just did it where it felt comfortable, but higher is better than lower.
David
thx guys, but what about seat under?
Lowering the seat too low makes riding skinnies more difficult.
For muni a lower saddle will make climbing more difficult and spinning fast more difficult.
When the seat is low your legs move through a less efficient range of motion. That makes climbing more difficult and will stress different leg muscles and will put more stress on your knees. It also makes it more difficult to spin fast and ride longer distances.
Eventually you’ll settle on a seat height that suits the style of riding you’re doing. Just don’t set it low for the sake of setting it low. Make sure there is a good reason for riding with the seat low because there are downsides to having it too low.
For muni it can be nice to have a quick release seatpost clamp so you can adjust the seat height to suit the type of riding you’re going to do. For example you might want to set the seat a little bit higher for a long climb up to a trail then lower the seat a bit once you get to the trail.
Changing the seat height by as little as a few millimeters can make a difference.
For Muni (hard rolling) I found the magic heigth and put a wrap of colored electrical tape on my seatpost so I can go to that heigth in a second (with a quick release of course–that’s essential). Once the trail levels off or there’s climbing, I move the seat up an inch or a little less. Too low and you can’t spin. A too-low seat is also MUCH more strenuous on the legs and hard on the knees.
JL