How to install and adjust your seat

Every bicyclist wants a comfortable seat. But what is not so obvious is what constitutes a comfortable bike seat. Everyone wants more comfort to get out of their bike seat but only few know how to properly install it despite the fact that installing a bicycle seat is one of the simplest procedures that you can do on your bike. And don't think that you have to pay to a bike shop to perform this simple task for you. It is really easy and here is how it’s done.

Firstly, you will need to find your seat clamp (remember every seat has a clamp and every seat post has a seat post clamp - they are not the same, they are two different things) and you can find the seat clamp at the very top of the seat post. If you’re replacing your old seat, it will be holding the current seat in place by the rails. It should have one bolt holding it shut.

Loosen the large, vertical bolt on the seat clamp with a hex wrench. This loosens a clamp that secures the seat rails. Loosen it until you can spin the top of the clamp. Spin it 90 degrees and you'll be able to insert/remove the seat. Now insert the rails of your seat into the grooves on the bottom of the seat clamp. Adjust the top of the clamp onto the rails and tighten the bolt slightly so that the hardware is in place.

Now it’s time to set your seat position. This is accomplished by sliding the seat rails closer or farther from the front of the bike to provide a comfortable seating position. If you're not sure about the exact correct position, it's easy to go back and adjust it so don't be too concerned at the moment.

Adjust the seat by angling it up or down and tighten the bolt. If you ride the bike and feel pressure forward, the nose of the seat is too high. If you're sliding forward, the nose is too low. Stop the bike. Tilt the nose of the seat up or down to level it, or angle it up or down as needed. Ride the bike again and adjust as needed until comfortable. Make sure you tighten the nut securely and continue riding, testing and adjusting as needed.

You should know that almost everything about our seat adjustment is very subjective so you should make adjustments as needed for your body, type of your bike, riding style and your preference. It can take quite a few days to find the right position. That is completely normal. So feel free to take a hex wrench with you when you ride, and adjust the seat as needed.

You also need to learn how to adjust the height of your saddle. Saddle height and getting it right is also important when it comes to comfort, performance and injury prevention.

Open the seat post clamp, choose your saddle height so that you could get on the bike and ride, and close the seat post clamp safely. Here is a tip for you. Normally for a comfortable ride your knees should have a bend not more than 10 degrees at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Keep that in mind!

Now its time to take your bike around the block on a smooth, flat surface out of traffic. Test it with your chosen seat height and see how it feels. If you don’t feel comfortable, stop your bike, open the seat post clamp. Grasp the seat with both hands, and swivel it to lower or raise it as needed. Now ride the bike and adjust as needed until you feel comfortable. Continue riding, testing and adjusting as needed.

Here is another tip for you. As a general rule every cyclist should know that if you go for a long ride and you feel pain at the front of the knee, this pain usually means the saddle height is too low while the pain at the lower back means that your saddle is probably too high. After adjustments have been made, if you still haven’t found true comfort, keep moving things around and you’ll work this out.

So don’t give up, test, test, test, and you’ll definitely find your balance which will finally lead to happy body and happy you!

Now get out there and enjoy the ride!