Saddle height calculator

Your saddle height — sometimes called seat height — follows from your inseam: multiply it by a factor that depends on how you ride and you get the distance from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the saddle. Two numbers are enough; you do not need a bike for this.

Inseam: Barefoot, back against the wall, a book pulled firmly up into your crotch — then from the floor to the top of the book.

How to measure saddle height on the bike

  1. Stand the bike upright, ideally against a wall or in a workstand.
  2. Turn the crank so that it points down in line with the seat tube.
  3. Measure with a tape from the centre of the bottom bracket axle along the seat tube to the top of the saddle.
  4. If the number is off: loosen the seatpost, move it two to three millimetres, tighten it and ride.

Why there is a range here and not a single number

The formula does not know your shoes, your pedal system, the length of your cranks or how flexible your hips and hamstrings are. It gives a good start, not an end point. If you want to know exactly where your height lies, ride for a few minutes and change it in small steps.

How you notice you are off: if your pelvis rocks from side to side as you pedal, the saddle is more likely too high. If your knee never gets near full extension at the bottom and the stroke feels short, it is more likely too low.

Saddle height by inseam

Guide values in millimetres, from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the saddle, for inseams from 72 to 96 cm.
Inseam Racer / sportyEnthusiast / keenRelaxed / leisure
72 cm 637636626
74 cm 655653644
76 cm 673671661
78 cm 690689679
80 cm 708706696
82 cm 726724713
84 cm 743742731
86 cm 761759748
88 cm 779777766
90 cm 797795783
92 cm 814812800
94 cm 832830818
96 cm 850848835

And then?

Saddle height is one of several places where your position on the bike is decided. The calculator adds your height and frame and shows how knee angle, saddle-to-bar drop and back angle work together.

To the bike fit with all measurements Setting up your road bike position

This is a guide value from a formula, not a made-to-measure suit. If you want it exact, have someone look at you on the bike. This page stores nothing — your input lives only in the address.