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Saddle height calculator
Your seat height from your inseam, using the LeMond method properly, adjusted for crank length, flexibility and pedals, and cross-checked against the 109% method. Two formulas agreeing beats one formula guessing.
Book against the wall, spine up, firm pressure. Measure floor to top of spine. Full instructions below.
Stamped on the back of the crank arm, in mm. Not sure? 172.5 is the most common.
Can't touch your toes? You're tight, and most desk workers are.
The shaded band is your experimentation window (±5 mm). Measure along the seat tube to the point on the saddle where you actually sit.
A formula is a starting point, not a bike fit. Persistent knee, hip or back pain is a reason to see a professional fitter or physio, not to keep adjusting.
How this calculator works
The core is the LeMond method: cycling inseam × 0.883 gives your saddle height, measured from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the saddle along the seat tube. It was popularised by Greg LeMond and his coach Cyrille Guimard in the 1980s and it remains the most reliable formula starting point in cycling. Used raw, though, it ignores three things that move the correct answer by up to a centimetre. This calculator puts them back.
Crank length changes how far your foot travels: longer cranks reach further at the bottom of the stroke, so the saddle comes down by the difference. Flexibility sets how much extension your hamstrings can actually deliver; tight riders sit lower or rock their hips trying to reach the formula number. Pedal and shoe stack matters because thick-soled trainers on flat pedals effectively lengthen your leg, lowering the saddle versus a stiff cycling shoe on clipless pedals.
As a cross-check we also show the 109% method (inseam × 1.09, measured from the pedal axle at the bottom of the stroke), developed from research at Loughborough by Hamley and Thomas. When two independent formulas land within a few millimetres of each other, you can trust the band.
How to measure your inseam
Stand against a wall in socks, feet about 15 cm apart. Pull a hardback book up between your legs, spine upward, with firm pressure, because you're simulating a saddle rather than checking a trouser length. Mark where the top of the spine meets the wall and measure floor to mark. Do it twice; if the numbers differ, measure a third time and take the middle value. It's the same measurement our bike size calculator uses, so one session with the book covers both.
How to measure and set saddle height on the bike
Run a tape measure from the centre of the bottom bracket axle up the line of the seat tube to the top of the saddle, at the point where your sit bones actually rest, usually 2–3 cm forward of the rear edge. Before changing anything, wrap tape around the seatpost at the collar so you can always get back to where you started. Adjust in 3–5 mm steps, torque the collar properly, and ride at least once between changes, because your legs need a ride to give an honest verdict.
Reading the symptoms
Too high: hips rocking side to side, pain behind the knee, pointing your toes to complete the stroke, sliding forward onto the saddle nose. Too low: pain at the front of the knee, a cramped feeling, knees bowing outward at the top of the stroke, less power than usual. The formula band from this calculator plus a couple of weeks of small adjustments will land almost everyone in the right place.
The fine print
Saddle height interacts with saddle setback (fore-aft) and saddle tilt. Change those and your effective height changes too. If you swap saddles, re-measure: padding thickness and rail height differ between models. And once the contact points are sorted, the cheapest speed left on the table is rolling resistance, and our tyre pressure calculator handles that.
Frequently asked questions
How do I measure my saddle height?
Saddle height is measured from the centre of the bottom bracket axle to the top of the saddle, following the line of the seat tube. Use a tape measure and take the reading at the point where you actually sit, not the saddle's nose or tail.
What is the LeMond method for saddle height?
Multiply your cycling inseam by 0.883 to get your saddle height from bottom bracket centre to saddle top. It was popularised by Greg LeMond and his coach Cyrille Guimard, and remains the most widely used starting formula. Modern fitters adjust it for crank length, shoe and pedal stack, and flexibility, which is what this calculator does.
How do I know if my saddle is too high?
Classic signs: your hips rock side to side when pedalling, you feel pain behind the knee, your toes point down to reach the bottom of the stroke, or you slide forward onto the saddle nose. If you see these, drop the saddle 3–5 mm and reassess after a ride or two.
How do I know if my saddle is too low?
Pain at the front of the knee is the classic symptom, along with feeling cramped, generating less power than usual, and your knees tracking outward at the top of the stroke. Raise the saddle in 3–5 mm steps until it clears.
Should my leg be fully straight at the bottom of the pedal stroke?
No. With your foot in its normal pedalling position you want a slight bend at the knee; around 30 degrees from straight is the range most professional fitters target. A fully straight leg means the saddle is too high; you'll rock your hips and strain the back of the knee.