Do you "Flintstone" or have the seat higher ... ????

[CodyDog]

My knee's yell at me if they are in the bent position. For comfort I need to have my seat in a high position.

 

[Jerry LM]

Slight bend in knee when fully extended...

 

[MarkF]

I set my bike up with full extension. After a couple of weeks my knees started to hurt a little. I then lowered my seat, which gave a flat foot to the ground and now my knees don't hurt as much. I tried going back to the raised seat position and my knees started to hurt again. So now I have accepted that I need to keep my seat in the flinstone position.

 

[Curious George]

Same seat height I use for my regular bikes. Slight bend in the knee when fully extended.

 

[Ken M]

My dilemma, too. At the moment, my cycling is from home - almost all on the unpaved rail trail or on rough country roads. The dropper post on my Trek Powerfly 5 hardtail has been replaced with the Thudbuster ST which takes up about the same space as the dropper. The dropper will find a more permanent home in 2019 on my R&M Homage which has comfort-oriented full suspension. Such are my plans, anyway.

I recently added a Bodyfloat seat post and like the Thudbuster it certainly provides improved ride comfort. I think they could be better than rear suspensions for street riding but not sure how that could be verified. I'm still thinking that robust street tires in the 2.4-3.0" wide range provide good ride quality without any need for front or rear suspension. That will allow me to try the dropper seatpost for staying in the saddle when stopping but still having an efficient let extension when riding (I just don't understand how anyone finds that riding with significant bent legs is comfortable or efficient but based on the response to this post it's quite common).

 

[Mr. Coffee]

This is just for me, but I have found that if the saddle is too low I tend to get sore knees and a very sore butt. So I tend to adjust the saddle about as high as I can get away with.

I have found the above to be true across many years and quite a few different bikes, so it isn't something e-bike specific or specific to a particular brand of saddle.

 

[AHicks]

I get a sore butt, sooner or later (usually sooner), no matter where my seat is.

I generally have it adjusted so I can touch tippy tippy toe (just barely) if I need to stop quickly. The problem here is over irregular ground. The toes may not be able to touch if stopped over an irregularity, causing much trouble.... Thankfully that doesn't happen often.

A while back somebody was looking at a Magnum Cruiser which is built with the pedals just slightly forward when compared to a conventional built bike. This allows the rider to ride "Flinstone" style, AND stretch his legs out when underway. Sounds like a great compromise for somebody getting ready to buy or replace a bike.

http://www.intheholegolf.com/Mercha...MI6-SCvbiy3wIV3brACh2uDAvLEAQYASABEgIjG_D_BwE

 

[JRA]

I was watching an EMBN utube video the other day and the two presenters on there ride with their saddles quite a bit lower than I am comfortable with.

Perhaps with e assist especially it is more about what you are comfortable with and your body gets used to.

 

[christob]

I rode mine for some time set lower than "allow a nearly full, straight leg extension on the down-pedal". When the LBS noticed, they pointed out I should be a good 3-4 inches higher for "proper form". I took their advice, and have ridden higher since then. Puts me in the tippy-toe-at-a-stop position. (During which, I just stand flat footed on my left, usually, and allow the bike to lean left under me as needed. May not be easily feasible for all riders, I realize.)
What I've observed in my case, at the higher setting is a general sense of less leg fatigue pedaling (particularly on my longer rides, like 30-40 miles) than before. No throttle here, and I aim for lowest PAS I can get away with, so every ride is pedaling (other than coasting bits or downhills.) But, I want to pedal more than not pedal anyway, on most of my rides.
But at the same time, I've noticed more fatigue (or really, more "discomfort" of a sort) in my wrists, as the higher seat naturally means I tilt (upper body) forward more than before, putting more weight on the handlebars... I'm considering a small stem riser as my next gear update, to return my position a little closer to "upright cruiser"; I don't mind some degree of leaning forward posture (I was not in a true straight-upright position before I changed seat height) and since I'm rarely concerned about the aerodynamic "cost" of a more upright position (and for me, that position is a little more comfortable) I'll take the little extra comfort

 

[6zfshdb]

I rode mine for some time set lower than "allow a nearly full, straight leg extension on the down-pedal". When the LBS noticed, they pointed out I should be a good 3-4 inches higher for "proper form". I took their advice, and have ridden higher since then. Puts me in the tippy-toe-at-a-stop position. (During which, I just stand flat footed on my left, usually, and allow the bike to lean left under me as needed. May not be easily feasible for all riders, I realize.)
What I've observed in my case, at the higher setting is a general sense of less leg fatigue pedaling (particularly on my longer rides, like 30-40 miles) than before. No throttle here, and I aim for lowest PAS I can get away with, so every ride is pedaling (other than coasting bits or downhills.) But, I want to pedal more than not pedal anyway, on most of my rides.
But at the same time, I've noticed more fatigue (or really, more "discomfort" of a sort) in my wrists, as the higher seat naturally means I tilt (upper body) forward more than before, putting more weight on the handlebars... I'm considering a small stem riser as my next gear update, to return my position a little closer to "upright cruiser"; I don't mind some degree of leaning forward posture (I was not in a true straight-upright position before I changed seat height) and since I'm rarely concerned about the aerodynamic "cost" of a more upright position (and for me, that position is a little more comfortable) I'll take the little extra comfort

My LBS also gave me the "what for" about not having full leg extension. For me, it's a safety issue. I frequently ride on uneven ground and I like the ability to put both feet flat on the ground when stopping. I've taken too many minor spills by stopping on tip toe in the past.

In my case, a stem riser made a big difference in wrist comfort.

 

[Over50]

...I allowed someone about my height test ride my ebike and he almost fell over when he came to a stop because he tried to stay seated. I explained to him he needed to step off from the pedals when he stopped but he had no clue how to do that because he grew up riding with a low seat height and significantly bent knees while riding. He didn't even consider that it was not efficient use of leg power to ride like that...

This fits perfectly with my riding experience with my wife. We have to set her seat at the lowest possible position because she wants to sit on the seat and have her feet on the ground. I've tried to convince her to practice coming off the seat at a stop and straddling the top tube. And then use a pedal for leverage at start up to push herself back on the seat. No prior experience with this growing up so its been difficult to change her habits. I've finally given up and I let her ride as she wants. She has still fallen over twice at a near stop when we've been out riding. I ride at almost full extension so my tip-toes can touch the ground at a stop if I stretch. But for me it is just natural and without thinking that I can get on and off the seat. At stop lights I'm usually standing straight up straddling the top tube.

 

[AHicks]

I rode mine for some time set lower than "allow a nearly full, straight leg extension on the down-pedal". When the LBS noticed, they pointed out I should be a good 3-4 inches higher for "proper form". I took their advice, and have ridden higher since then. Puts me in the tippy-toe-at-a-stop position. (During which, I just stand flat footed on my left, usually, and allow the bike to lean left under me as needed. May not be easily feasible for all riders, I realize.)
What I've observed in my case, at the higher setting is a general sense of less leg fatigue pedaling (particularly on my longer rides, like 30-40 miles) than before. No throttle here, and I aim for lowest PAS I can get away with, so every ride is pedaling (other than coasting bits or downhills.) But, I want to pedal more than not pedal anyway, on most of my rides.
But at the same time, I've noticed more fatigue (or really, more "discomfort" of a sort) in my wrists, as the higher seat naturally means I tilt (upper body) forward more than before, putting more weight on the handlebars... I'm considering a small stem riser as my next gear update, to return my position a little closer to "upright cruiser"; I don't mind some degree of leaning forward posture (I was not in a true straight-upright position before I changed seat height) and since I'm rarely concerned about the aerodynamic "cost" of a more upright position (and for me, that position is a little more comfortable) I'll take the little extra comfort

Going off topic here for just a second regarding wrist comfort, I recently read something that made a lot of sense to me, regarding most handlebars being straight across (or nearly) and comparing those to handlebars that are angled back - beach cruiser style. The writer was suggesting that the straight set often led to wrist pain and hand numbness for the same reasons one might expect to lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. Since, I've been on a couple of rides with this thought in mind. Now looking for something with the ends swept back. Nothing as drastic as a beach cruiser, but maybe a compromise. -Al

 

[6zfshdb]

Going off topic here for just a second regarding wrist comfort, I recently read something that made a lot of sense to me, regarding most handlebars being straight across (or nearly) and comparing those to handlebars that are angled back - beach cruiser style. The writer was suggesting that the straight set often led to wrist pain and hand numbness for the same reasons one might expect to lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. Since, I've been on a couple of rides with this thought in mind. Now looking for something with the ends swept back. Nothing as drastic as a beach cruiser, but maybe a compromise. -Al

From personal experience, I found this to be true. My Pedego Interceptor came with cruiser style bars. I noticed a definite improvement in wrist comfort over the straight bars on my Trek MTB. I don't care for the cruiser style though so I swapped them for a BMX type which are swept back 15 degrees. The wrist comfort was not as good as the cruiser but significantly better than the straight bars. Adding a stem riser also helped.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Going off topic here for just a second regarding wrist comfort, I recently read something that made a lot of sense to me, regarding most handlebars being straight across (or nearly) and comparing those to handlebars that are angled back - beach cruiser style. The writer was suggesting that the straight set often led to wrist pain and hand numbness for the same reasons one might expect to lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. Since, I've been on a couple of rides with this thought in mind. Now looking for something with the ends swept back. Nothing as drastic as a beach cruiser, but maybe a compromise. -Al

My own experience is the exact opposite.

Cruiser-style handlebars only give you one hand position and because I have relatively broad shoulders on most of them it puts my wrist in an awkward position that isn't comfortable for very long. Flats, especially with bull horns that give me another hand position, are much more comfortable. Drop bars or Jones bars are more comfortable still.

This circles back to an observation I made about a year ago -- because you can ride further and longer on an e-bike, ergonomics matters much more than you would think. A properly adjusted and fitted bicycle is much more comfortable and you can ride further and faster, whether it is an electric bike or an acoustic bike. And saddle height matters as well -- because you sit on a bike saddle, not a bike seat. A seat would be supporting 100 percent of your weight while a saddle would be supporting much less than that, and since a higher saddle position implies a lower percentage of your body weight is supported by the saddle that will increase comfort, which is always a plus.

 

[Ken M]

I think the comments about the importance of comfort and ergonomics on an ebike being very important is spot on. Without a doubt a more upright position is more comfortable that and aggressive riding position that puts a lot of body weight onto your arms & wrists (of coarse racing requires aggressive positions to be aerodynamic but that is not so important on an ebike and we should never forget about the dramatic improvement in visibility and safety of being more upright). I think some ebike companies are getting the designs right with platforms that allow for full leg extensions while riding, more upright body positions with sweep back bars for improved ergonomics, etc.

As good as the Trek Super Commuter and Specialized Turbo Vado are they still seem to prioritize putting the rider in an aggressive riding position. Why not at least leave the steer tube uncut so the buyer can decide to leave the bars higher for comfort (anyone can still tuck down to get more aero as desired) or cut the steer tube down for a more aggressive riding position. I think the bike designers tend to be old school cyclists that have always prioritized aerodynamics which is far less important on ebikes.