How do pros sit?
Four bikes from just over fifty years, a rider on each. Move the slider and see where saddle and handlebar have moved.
Pros are no model to copy: they are more flexible than most and tune their position with the team. What counts for you is your measurements. With your measurements: enter them in the calculator
And you?
Enter your measurements: the figure takes the position of Remco Evenepoel or Tadej Pogačar, and the picture shows where your handlebar would then be.
Pogačar 2025
Tadej Pogačar · Colnago Y1Rs, size M
Similarly steep angles as in 2022, but a taller frame, a longer stem and the shortest cranks of the four bikes. The saddle height has not been published for this bike.
The four bikes in millimetres and degrees. Percent means: share of body height.
| around 1972 | around 1997 | Evenepoel 2022 | Pogačar 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body height | 180 cm assumed | 180 cm assumed | 171 cm documented3 | 176 cm documented6 |
| Inseam | 83.3 cm calculated | 83.3 cm calculated | 79.2 cm calculated | 81.5 cm calculated |
| Seat angle | 72.0° documented1 | 73.0° assumed | 74.0° documented4 | 74.0° documented7 |
| Head angle | 73.0° assumed | 73.0° assumed | 72.5° documented4 | 73.0° documented7 |
| Wheelbase | 997 mm calculated | 998 mm calculated | 975 mm calculated | 978 mm calculated |
| Reach (length at the front) | 391 mm calculated21.7 % | 387 mm calculated21.5 % | 383 mm documented422.4 % | 386 mm documented721.9 % |
| Stack (height at the front) | 591 mm calculated32.8 % | 599 mm calculated33.3 % | 517 mm documented430.2 % | 540 mm documented730.7 % |
| Saddle height | 743 mm calculated41.3 % | 739 mm calculated41.1 % | 710 mm documented341.5 % | 720 mm assumed40.9 % |
| Seatpost setback | 25 mm assumed | 25 mm assumed | 0 mm documented5 | 15 mm assumed |
| Saddle setback | 120 mm calculated6.7 % | 106 mm calculated5.9 % | 61 mm calculated3.6 % | 78 mm calculated4.4 % |
| Saddle-to-bar drop | 57 mm calculated3.2 % | 49 mm calculated2.7 % | 85 mm calculated5.0 % | 69 mm calculated3.9 % |
| Stem, length | 110 mm assumed | 140 mm documented2 | 110 mm documented3 | 125 mm documented89 |
| Crank | 170 mm assumed | 172.5 mm assumed | 170 mm assumed | 165 mm documented10 |
| Set only for the picture | ||||
| Spacers under the stem | 10 mm assumed | 10 mm assumed | 10 mm assumed | 10 mm assumed |
| Stem angle | −17.0° assumed | −17.0° assumed | −6.0° assumed | −6.0° assumed |
| Tyre radius | 334 mm assumed | 334 mm assumed | 339 mm assumed | 341 mm assumed |
Sourced: stated in a source. Assumed: not published, set by us. Calculated: follows from the numbers above.
Where each number comes from
Road bike around 1972
- Body height: 180 cm (assumed)
- example rider, not a particular person
- Inseam: 83.3 cm (calculated)
- inseam estimated from body height (0.463 × body height); nobody has published it
- Seat angle: 72.0° (documented)
- 1
- Head angle: 73.0° (assumed)
- the head angle of these frames is not published; 73° was usual
- Wheelbase: 997 mm (calculated)
- from stack, reach, head angle, fork offset, bottom bracket drop and chainstay
- Reach (length at the front): 391 mm (calculated)
- from a seat tube of 620 mm (size 60, estimated to the top), top tube 583 mm, seat angle 72° and head angle 73° (the head angle assumed); head tube and seat tube each stand 25 mm above the top tube (assumed)
- Stack (height at the front): 591 mm (calculated)
- from a seat tube of 620 mm (size 60, estimated to the top), top tube 583 mm, seat angle 72° and head angle 73° (the head angle assumed); head tube and seat tube each stand 25 mm above the top tube (assumed)
- Saddle height: 743 mm (calculated)
- middle of the saddle heights the calculator recommends for the example rider (knee angle 145 to 155°)
- Seatpost setback: 25 mm (assumed)
- not published; 25 mm was the usual road-bike post
- Saddle setback: 120 mm (calculated)
- saddle nose behind the bottom bracket, from saddle height, seat angle and post (saddle in the middle of its rails)
- Saddle-to-bar drop: 57 mm (calculated)
- top of the saddle minus top of the handlebar, from stack, spacers, stem and saddle height
- Stem, length: 110 mm (assumed)
- not published; 110 mm was usual
- Crank: 170 mm (assumed)
- not published; 170 mm was usual
- Spacers under the stem: 10 mm (assumed)
- there were no spacers back then; the 10 mm stand for the quill of the stem above the headset
- Stem angle: −17.0° (assumed)
- stem horizontal: an assumption, not measured
- Tyre radius: 334 mm (assumed)
- tubular tyres of about 22 mm on 622 rims
Road bike around 1997
- Body height: 180 cm (assumed)
- example rider, not a particular person
- Inseam: 83.3 cm (calculated)
- inseam estimated from body height (0.463 × body height); nobody has published it
- Seat angle: 73.0° (assumed)
- not published; 73° was usual
- Head angle: 73.0° (assumed)
- not published; 73° was usual
- Wheelbase: 998 mm (calculated)
- from stack, reach, head angle, fork offset, bottom bracket drop and chainstay
- Reach (length at the front): 387 mm (calculated)
- from a seat tube of 625 mm and a top tube of 570 mm as well as seat and head angles of 73° (assumed); head tube and seat tube each stand 25 mm above the top tube (assumed)
- Stack (height at the front): 599 mm (calculated)
- from a seat tube of 625 mm and a top tube of 570 mm as well as seat and head angles of 73° (assumed); head tube and seat tube each stand 25 mm above the top tube (assumed)
- Saddle height: 739 mm (calculated)
- middle of the saddle heights the calculator recommends for the example rider (knee angle 145 to 155°)
- Seatpost setback: 25 mm (assumed)
- not published; 25 mm was the usual road-bike post
- Saddle setback: 106 mm (calculated)
- saddle nose behind the bottom bracket, from saddle height, seat angle and post (saddle in the middle of its rails)
- Saddle-to-bar drop: 49 mm (calculated)
- top of the saddle minus top of the handlebar, from stack, spacers, stem and saddle height
- Stem, length: 140 mm (documented)
- on a bike from 1999 · 2
- Crank: 172.5 mm (assumed)
- not published; 172.5 mm was usual
- Spacers under the stem: 10 mm (assumed)
- there were no spacers back then; the 10 mm stand for the quill of the stem above the headset
- Stem angle: −17.0° (assumed)
- stem horizontal: an assumption, not measured
- Tyre radius: 334 mm (assumed)
- tyres of about 23 mm on 622 rims
Evenepoel 2022
- Body height: 171 cm (documented)
- BikeRadar gives 183 cm · 3
- Inseam: 79.2 cm (calculated)
- inseam estimated from body height (0.463 × body height); nobody has published it
- Seat angle: 74.0° (documented)
- 4
- Head angle: 72.5° (documented)
- 4
- Wheelbase: 975 mm (calculated)
- from stack, reach, head angle, fork offset, bottom bracket drop and chainstay
- Reach (length at the front): 383 mm (documented)
- 4
- Stack (height at the front): 517 mm (documented)
- 4
- Saddle height: 710 mm (documented)
- centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the saddle · 3
- Seatpost setback: 0 mm (documented)
- post without offset · 5
- Saddle setback: 61 mm (calculated)
- saddle nose behind the bottom bracket, from saddle height, seat angle and post (saddle in the middle of its rails)
- Saddle-to-bar drop: 85 mm (calculated)
- top of the saddle minus top of the handlebar, from stack, spacers, stem and saddle height
- Stem, length: 110 mm (documented)
- 3
- Crank: 170 mm (assumed)
- not published for this bike; 170 mm on his bike in the same year
- Spacers under the stem: 10 mm (assumed)
- spacers not published; the calculator's default (2 × 5 mm)
- Stem angle: −6.0° (assumed)
- stem angle not published; the calculator's default
- Tyre radius: 339 mm (assumed)
- tyres of about 28 mm on 622 rims
Pogačar 2025
- Body height: 176 cm (documented)
- Cyclingnews gives 177 cm · 6
- Inseam: 81.5 cm (calculated)
- inseam estimated from body height (0.463 × body height); nobody has published it
- Seat angle: 74.0° (documented)
- 7
- Head angle: 73.0° (documented)
- 7
- Wheelbase: 978 mm (calculated)
- from stack, reach, head angle, fork offset, bottom bracket drop and chainstay
- Reach (length at the front): 386 mm (documented)
- 7
- Stack (height at the front): 540 mm (documented)
- 7
- Saddle height: 720 mm (assumed)
- not published for the Y1Rs; the mechanics gave 72 cm on the V4Rs in 2024
- Seatpost setback: 15 mm (assumed)
- not published; he rode a post with offset (Cyclingnews, 2023), for the Y1Rs there is one with 15 mm
- Saddle setback: 78 mm (calculated)
- saddle nose behind the bottom bracket, from saddle height, seat angle and post (saddle in the middle of its rails)
- Saddle-to-bar drop: 69 mm (calculated)
- top of the saddle minus top of the handlebar, from stack, spacers, stem and saddle height
- Stem, length: 125 mm (documented)
- Cyclingnews estimates size 485 with a 145 mm stem; the statements contradict each other · 8 9
- Crank: 165 mm (documented)
- 10
- Spacers under the stem: 10 mm (assumed)
- spacers not published; the calculator's default (2 × 5 mm)
- Stem angle: −6.0° (assumed)
- stem angle not published; the calculator's default
- Tyre radius: 341 mm (assumed)
- tyres of 30 mm on 622 rims (Cyclist)
Sources
- Velocipede Salon (forum): measurements for a frame after a 1970 Colnago – size 60, top tube 58.3 cm, seat angle 72°, fork offset 43 mm, bottom bracket drop 75 mm; another size-60 model of the time gives 73.1°
- Dealer listing of a Pinarello Paris frame: seat tube 62.5 cm (centre to top), top tube 57 cm; stem 140 mm on a bike from 1999; listing could not be found again when this was built
- Pro-bike reports on the 2022 bike (saddle height 710 mm, stem 110 mm, bars 380 mm, height 171 cm according to Cyclingnews; BikeRadar gives 183 cm); pages not reachable when this was built
- BikeInsights: Specialized Tarmac SL7, size 52, the manufacturer’s numbers
- Rouleur: Pro bike – Remco Evenepoel’s S-Works Tarmac SL7 (size 52 estimated, post without offset)
- DMCX: Pogačar’s Y1Rs 2025 (176 cm; page not reachable when this was built, figure from a search excerpt)
- BikeInsights: Colnago Y1Rs 2025, size M, the manufacturer’s numbers
- Colnago: “The Yellow Y” – the yellow bike of the 2025 Tour, Colnago Y1Rs in size M, cockpit CC.Y1 125-37
- Cyclingnews: Pogačar’s yellow Y1Rs – estimates size 485 with a 145 mm stem, from the print on the bike
- Cyclist: Pro bike – Tadej Pogačar’s 2025 Tour de France bike (165 mm cranks)
No photos, only our own drawing. Numbers from dealer listings, forums and press reports are single statements; where sources disagree, both are shown.