After purchasing the correct size bike, a factor not taken for granted, here we are at the most difficult part: getting into the saddle.
The ideal saddle height for a cyclist is essential and often overlooked: you buy a bike for thousands of euros but then you don't go to a biomechanic. A COUNTERSENSE! Having had a competitive background, for me it is essential to go to a biomechanic because it prevents any injuries (think of knees that work badly with each pedaling lap) and, of course, to improve performance without spending hundreds of euros on a component for save a few grams.
ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASURES
For a ride, but in some cases also the decision of the most correct and professional size, it is advisable to calculate in detail our anthropometric measurements, more precisely the size of the horse. Subsequently, the size of the arms and trunk are also important, but in this case I refer to the visit to a biomechanical rather than a DIY botched.
How is the height of the horse measured?
To measure it, simply get barefoot with your legs slightly apart and with your shoulders and body close to the wall. With the help of another person, or with a mark on the wall, mark the height of your groin. The ground clearance represents your horse.
saddle height = horse height x 0,883
We specify that it is a formula and, as such, it represents an indication of departure. Those who make performance (or well-being) their goal, it is essential to go to a biomechanist, who will put you in the saddle with precision.
PURELY THEORETICAL METHODS
Haushalter method
This method defines the ideal saddle height simply by establishing that height which allows the heel to always remain resting on the pedal, pedaling backwards, with the leg fully extended in the bottom dead center (pedal down). Of course it is not very precise but it gives a rough value for the first time in the saddle.
Hinault method
This is probably the most famous method used to determine the ideal saddle height with a theoretical method. It establishes the saddle height using a mathematical formula:
crotch height * 0.885= correct saddle height.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BIOMECHANICS
The biomechanical is the one who, starting from anthropometric measurements, not only applies formulas to the letter but also tries to understand more complex aspects: such as particular incorrect postures / attitudes or particular non-symmetries of the body. Yes, you got it right, we can be different from the right side or the left side
Its goal? Help cyclists, professionals or amateurs, to identify the most correct posture to maintain on the saddle. In this way, postural problems are avoided and the risk of injury is minimized. To go deeper on this aspect I refer you to an article that explains precisely the importance of this aspect.
