# How tall are you and what is your saddle-bar reach?



## MIN in PDX (Nov 29, 2007)

I am curious to see how much variability there is with this measurement.

Me 5'10.5" with 32.25" inseam and 54 cm saddle to bar.


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## Treker (Nov 7, 2007)

MIN in PDX said:


> I am curious to see how much variability there is with this measurement.
> 
> Me 5'10.5" with 32.25" inseam and 54 cm saddle to bar.


What is the customary measurement for the saddle to bar length? Is it measured from the center of the saddle to the center of the bar or stem, or is it measured from the tip of the saddle to the center of the bar or stem? I just want to give make sure I am making the measurement correctly.

Later,


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## MIN in PDX (Nov 29, 2007)

Tip to center is the general usage but it is better to specify since there is no "standard" per se. An analogy is the c-t and c-c convention on frame sizing.


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## Juanmoretime (Nov 24, 2001)

6', 34.5 inseam, 57 centimeters center of the bars to the tip of the saddle.


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## backinthesaddle (Nov 22, 2006)

6'1"
34" inseam
56cm cockpit with Deda deep Newtons (big reach)


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

6', 35.5" cycling inseam, 56.5cm saddle tip to center of bars.

Its wierd how we mix units- I think of riding distances and climbing in miles and feet, body measurements in inches, but bike measurements always in cm or mm.


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## cdhbrad (Feb 18, 2003)

I'm 6'. I don't know my inseam but I know my bikes are set up with 77cm from Ctr of BB to top of saddle and 56.5 cm from saddle tip to center of stem clamp.


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## MIN in PDX (Nov 29, 2007)

ericm979 said:


> Its wierd how we mix units- I think of riding distances and climbing in miles and feet, body measurements in inches, but bike measurements always in cm or mm.


Yes! I don't know my height in cm however I couldn't tell you what my reach is in inches.


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## ghammer (May 21, 2003)

6'/ 72 inches/ 183cm

tip of saddle to mid bars: 61cm. Long legs, short torso, long arms.


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## MR_GRUMPY (Aug 21, 2002)

6' 2"
61cm
plus my new bars have 9mm more reach than the old Richey ones.


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## MIN in PDX (Nov 29, 2007)

What is the more important measurement: 

Saddle to bar 
OR 
saddle to hood? 

Most times, the measurement cited is saddle to bar, however in practice most of us spend 90% of the time in the hoods. 

There is so much variability in handlebar reach (75mm like the FSA shallow compact and 115mm for the Syntace Racelite bar.) Anyone care to shed some light on this?


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

*Langster (fixed)*
5 foot 5 inches
inseam (stand-over) = 80 cm
tip of seat to ctr. bars = 50.5 cm
tip of saddle to ctr hoods = 63.5 cm
ctr bb to top of seat (measured along seat tube) = 70 cm

*Bianchi (road)*
tip of seat to ctr bars = 47cm
tip of saddle to ctr hoods = 62.25 cm
ctr bb to top of seat (measured along seat tube) = 70

road bike is a bit more relaxed


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## logansites (Jan 4, 2007)

MR_GRUMPY said:


> 6' 2"
> 61cm
> plus my new bars have 9mm more reach than the old Richey ones.



gorilla arms?


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

6'2"
32" pants inseam
64.3 cm tip of saddle to center of bars.


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## 007david (Dec 24, 2007)

5'6"/169 cm tall
28.5"/72 cm inseam
18.5"/47 cm tip to center


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## running_farmer (Feb 20, 2005)

6ft 1/2 inch
tip of seat to center of bars 56cm
bb center to top of seat 78 cm


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## kjmunc (Sep 19, 2005)

6'3"
36" inseam
60.5 saddle to bars


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## Squintageous (Dec 6, 2006)

5'6.5" (169cm)
31.5" (80cm) inseam
51cm tip of saddle to ctr. of bars
71cm bb to top of saddle


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## Len J (Jan 28, 2004)

Juanmoretime said:


> 6', 34.5 inseam, 57 centimeters center of the bars to the tip of the saddle.


6', 34.6 inch (88cm) inseam, 57 centimeters center of the bars to tip of saddle.

Len


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## RobbieTunes (Jan 21, 2008)

5'5.5"
30" inseam
48.26" tip of saddle to ctr of bars
on one bike

Set a year newer model of same bike up the same way, felt different.
Looked in old Bicycle Guide, they changed geometry that year.
Go figure. Or go with what ya know.......


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## MR_GRUMPY (Aug 21, 2002)

I don't like being bunched up.
With my hands on the hoods, I'm pretty low
In the drops, my back is pretty flat.
I use a 130mm stem. I could use a 140, but it was cheaper to get the new bars.


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## Slartibartfast (Jul 22, 2007)

Height: 5'10"
Center BB to top of saddle: 76 cm
Drop from top of saddle to center of bar: 8.9 cm

I consider the "top of saddle" to be the point where the centerline of the seat tube intersects the upper contour of the saddle. On my bikes this is usually a bit lower than the saddle tip.


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## Ronman (Feb 12, 2007)

6' 5" with 36" inseam. 59.5cm from center of bar to tip of saddle.


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## TACSTS (Feb 4, 2004)

Ht: 6'2" - 6'3" (not really sure)
Inseam (cycling): 92cm
Tip of saddle to center of bars: 60cm (just a hair over actually so like 60.2? or so)


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## Treker (Nov 7, 2007)

Ronman said:


> 6' 5" with 36" inseam. 59.5cm from center of bar to tip of saddle.


6' 5" with 36.25" inseam. 58.75cm from tip of saddle to center of bar. 101.6cm saddle height from center of pedal spindle to top of saddle.

FYI, this is also on my mid '80's steel frame road bike which tended to have shorter top tubes than most modern aluminum and carbon frame bikes.

Later,


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## MIN in PDX (Nov 29, 2007)

Someone you people are really tall. I was hoping to get more perspective from people my height...


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## JaeP (Mar 12, 2002)

6'2"
36" inseam (via LeMond method)
60cm reach from tip of saddle (San Marco Regal) to center of bars.

Like Mr. Grumpy I use 130 to 140mm stems.


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## r_mutt (Aug 8, 2007)

Touch0Gray said:


> *Langster (fixed)*
> 5 foot 5 inches
> inseam (stand-over) = 80 cm



you are 5 foot 5 and have a standover of 31.5 inches? your legs must be connected to your neck!


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## vlckx (Mar 4, 2005)

MIN in PDX said:


> Someone you people are really tall. I was hoping to get more perspective from people my height...


6.6 feet, 36inch inseam, 61 cm tip to center bar


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## lamazion (Sep 11, 2004)

I'm 6ft 1/2inch with 88cm inseam. My current reach is 53cm. I had it longer, but after 25+ years of riding I decided to get a bike fitting. The person doing the fitting accused me of having the "superman" position and suggested a shorter stem. Based on others here, I'm starting to wonder if that was correct.


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## smoo (Sep 20, 2007)

I'm 5'9" but with a long upper body and arms for my size and a reasonably flexible back. After a bike fitting I now have both my bikes setup with 67cm from the tip of the saddle to the hoods (right behind the knobbly bits - tie a bit of string around them to get a line to measure from). Saddle is a Specialized toupe. From tip of saddle to center of handlebars is about 54.5 - 55cm in both, but one has a 100cm stem and a long top tube, the other a 120cm stem and a shorter top tube. Doesn't make any difference, it's the distance to the bars and especially to the hoods that counts. 

One thing I realised when setting up a bike recently is that you can change the reach to the hoods by about 2cm just by altering the position of the levers and the tilt of the bars. So exact stem length is perhaps not as critical as it seems.


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## C-40 (Feb 4, 2004)

MIN in PDX said:


> What is the more important measurement:
> 
> Saddle to bar
> OR
> ...


Smart builders take this into consideration. I take a diagonal measurement from the saddle tip to the center of the knobby top of the ergo lever.

When I buy new bars, I mount the ergo levers carefully, to avoid scratching the bars and clamp them lightly. I adjust the angle of the hook section first, then adjust the top of the brake hoods to be horizontal or angled up a couple of degrees. Then I take a 1" dowel rod and span between the brake hoods, resting the rod where the crook of my thumb would go. I then measure from the inside of the bar to the inside of the dowel to get a valid reach dimension and verify that both levers are the same distance from the centerline of the bars. 8cm is an average reach, 7cm would be short and 9cm quite long.


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## MIN in PDX (Nov 29, 2007)

C-40 said:


> 8cm is an average reach, 7cm would be short and 9cm quite long.


112mm reach!

Syntace Racelight


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

For me: 5'11.5" tall with a 32.5" inseam

From front tip of the saddle to the middle of the bar - 54cm
From the back of the saddle to the middle of the bar - 81.5cm

I find measuring from the back of the saddle to be better for me, since that's where my sit bones are going to spend most of the time, and saddle length changes from one to another which a longer saddle can push the back of the saddle back too far if I just use the front of the saddle to measure from.

As for saddle to bar drop...I'm generally running 8-9 cm of drop, but need a bit more. I need to switch to -17 degree stems on both bikes, but will wait to do so until I get a few more funds saved up. I would like 10-11 cm of drop on my bikes....I'm very flexible and since my "Party Ball" is shrinking again, it's not in the way nearly as much.


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## linus (Mar 24, 2005)

5'11", 34" inseam with long arms

tip to c 57.5cm saddle to top of the bar drop is about 8cm


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## Slartibartfast (Jul 22, 2007)

Slartibartfast said:


> Height: 5'10"
> Center BB to top of saddle: 76 cm
> Drop from top of saddle to center of bar: 8.9 cm
> 
> I consider the "top of saddle" to be the point where the centerline of the seat tube intersects the upper contour of the saddle. On my bikes this is usually a bit lower than the saddle tip.


I actually didn't answer your question:
Reach from saddle tip to centerline of bars: 53 cm


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## C-40 (Feb 4, 2004)

*different measurement...*



MIN in PDX said:


> 112mm reach!
> 
> Syntace Racelight


Yes, those are the longest reach bars on the market. What I was referring to was an entirely different meaurement from the 1" dowel spanning the ergo brake hoods to the bars, inside to inside. It's a true comparison of reach, after the brake/shift levers are mounted.

I found one bar, the Easton EC-90 SLX that had a reach in the 9-10cm range, even though the bars were truly 82mm c-c.


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## capt_phun (Jun 14, 2004)

5'8.5" tall..
53.4cm from saddle tip to center of bars. 
6.4cm drop
71.7cm seat height


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## smoo (Sep 20, 2007)

C-40 said:


> Yes, those are the longest reach bars on the market. What I was referring to was an entirely different meaurement from the 1" dowel spanning the ergo brake hoods to the bars, inside to inside. It's a true comparison of reach, after the brake/shift levers are mounted.
> 
> I found one bar, the Easton EC-90 SLX that had a reach in the 9-10cm range, even though the bars were truly 82mm c-c.


I was thinking that the average measurements you were quoting for this (8cm) were very small, but then the way I do this measurement is from the center of the bars to a string tied around the hoods. The string is tied to itself and looped around both sides (like a big elastic band), so the nearer string is exactly in line with where your thumbs would be on the hoods. Assuming your bars are 31.8, then to convert your measurements into mine we subtract 1.6cm for half of the bar width, plus another 2.5cm for your 1 inch dowel, = 4cm approx. So 8cm = 12cm, which turns out to be exactly what I have in my setup.  (Reynolds ouzo pro round)

I don't want to seem like a pedant, but it's important to point out to people reading this that the exact measurement method makes a big difference. I like my method as it doesn't depend on the width of the dowel or of the handlebars.

Incidentally, I was really confused by "reach" as quoted by handlebar manufacturers until I saw some diagrams. The usual way of doing this seems to be (looking from the side) to take a line from the mid point of the top part of the bars to the furthest (outside) point on the most forward part of the hoods, _with this line being parallel to the straight bit of the bars right at the end of the drops_ (i.e. reach assumes that the bars are setup in the traditional way with the end of the drops being completely horizontal).


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

I'm 5'10". I have a 31" inseam. I ride a 54cm Gios, with classic Italian geometry, and a 55cm Bianchi Pista. It's 52 cm from the nose of my saddle (Arinoe or Regal) to the center of my bar. There's a pretty significant drop for each, but I haven't measured it.


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## lookrider (Dec 3, 2006)

5'9 1/2"

85cm inseam

BB to saddle top, just under 74cm

tip of saddle(Arionne) to center of bars, 53 cm

saddle to bar drop, 7 cm


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## mendo (Apr 18, 2007)

I'm 5' 9" and my tip of saddle to center of bars is 52cm, but my saddle is a fizik and on the long side compared with other brands.


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

r_mutt said:


> you are 5 foot 5 and have a standover of 31.5 inches? your legs must be connected to your neck!


hehe...I just saw this, for some reason I don't always get notification.....yeah I got long legs and arms....kinda a throwback to the whole evolution thing.

I had a bone density scan once and the tech had to try 3 times to get my whole femur...she couldn't get over how long they where.


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

:


Touch0Gray said:


> hehe...I just saw this, for some reason I don't always get notification.....yeah I got long legs and arms....kinda a throwback to the whole evolution thing.
> 
> I had a bone density scan once and the tech had to try 3 times to get my whole femur...she couldn't get over how long they where.


Y'know, if you & I could exchange arms & legs, we might actually come close to being normal.:eek


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## 99trek5200 (Jan 26, 2007)

6'3" & 59.4 cm from saddle tip to center of bars.

Frankly I think this us a useless comparison as the length of the saddle from the sit bone surface to the tip can vary.


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## single1x1 (Mar 26, 2005)

6ft 34in inseam 
55.5cm on the geared curtlo and 56.5 on the SS Kelly crosser.
81cm c of BB to top of saddle on curtlo and 80 on the Kelly.
curtlo sees more road miles and has a taller fizik pave saddle, Kelly sees more cross racing and gravel road/easy trail ridding with a wtb shadow V ti saddle, both using thomson setback post and 110mm stems W/+6deg and 31.8bars. Kelly has a taller BB at 11.5 in compared to 11 1/8 in for the curtlo, so the slightly lower seat realitive to the BB is probably close when measured from the ground, if the seat height was the same it would be harder to re-mount on the KElly in a cross race.









72.5 seat tube angle and horizonal TT on curtlo and 73degree seattube and semisloping TT on Kelly


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

Mr. Versatile said:


> :
> Y'know, if you & I could exchange arms & legs, we might actually come close to being normal.:eek


depends.....we trading hands and feet too?.......'cause I'm guessing that at 6 foot something, you'd look a bit funny with a size 6 1/2 foot (might have trouble balancing on them)


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## acid_rider (Nov 23, 2004)

it depends on the upper body angle, the less saddle to bar drop you can tolerate the shorter distance will be from nose of saddle to bars since you will want to sit more upright. I only have ~4cm saddle to bar drop (give or take 5mm). I am 48yo male and very inflexible.

height ~173.5cm, ~82.5cm cycling inseam, Fizik Arione (long saddle) nose to bars is 51.5cm on Time and 52cm on Madone.

I happen to have almost the same height and weight as Cadel Evans but if you look at his saddle to bar (www.cyclingnews.com) it is 57cm and >54cm saddle height too, due to super flexibility and core strength (not to mention other 100 fitness advantages!). I only mentioned it because I think there is little relation of static body measurements to on-bike measurements.


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## smoo (Sep 20, 2007)

As far as saddle to bar drop goes, mine used to be 8cm but is now 4.5. I have very flexible hips and no back issues (not so flexible hamstrings unfortunately!) and had no comfort problems with the 8cm drop, but was advised that I would be more efficient with a reduced drop nonetheless, at least until I better developed my core body strength.


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## Guest (Jan 28, 2008)

5'10"

52.5 cm saddle to bar riding Deda Deep's


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## artnshel (Jun 29, 2004)

5'11.5" tall
36.4"/925mm inseam
810mm bb to top of seat
560mm tip of seat to back of bar
5cm drop from top of seat to top of Bar (goal)


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## Zwane (Jun 30, 2006)

*Lots of setback?*



> 5'11.5" tall
> 36.4"/925mm inseam
> 810mm bb to top of seat
> 560mm tip of seat to back of bar
> 5cm drop from top of seat to top of Bar (goal)


I have similar dimensions to you (6'0 tall, 36" inseam) I'm merely curious, but it sounds like you're running with lots of saddle setback, would you mind posting a picture of your bike?

Thanks


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## Doc_D (Mar 16, 2006)

5'7.5" tall
33.25" cycling inseam
50.8 cm saddle tip to bar center.


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## artnshel (Jun 29, 2004)

Zwane said:


> I have similar dimensions to you (6'0 tall, 36" inseam) I'm merely curious, but it sounds like you're running with lots of saddle setback, would you mind posting a picture of your bike?
> 
> Thanks


I'll post one by the end of the week.

I didn't mention my top tube length (59cm) so how can you tell my setback?


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## Zwane (Jun 30, 2006)

artnshel said:


> I'll post one by the end of the week.
> 
> I didn't mention my top tube length (59cm) so how can you tell my setback?


With your dimensions (being similar to mine) i assumed you'd be on a 59 TT or thereabouts. My setup is;

59cm TT
58cm saddle (Arione) nose to center of handlebars


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## BruceBrown (Mar 20, 2011)

6'4"

Tip of saddle to center of bar reach = 628.6mm

My 64cm Roubaix...

https://flic.kr/p/nZ3ZzC https://www.flickr.com/people//

On the other hand, Tom Boonen who is also 6'4" has a reach of = 650mm!!!!


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## BikeLayne (Apr 4, 2014)

.....


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## Niko14 (Nov 18, 2014)

180cm,85cm inseam;
49cm -tip of saddle to center of handlebar
750mm -saddle height
135mm -saddle to bar drop
50 mm -saddle tip behind bb
I don't know why but everything over 50cm(tip to center) is realy uncomfortable for me.56cm top tube length btw.


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## ucfquattroguy (Nov 10, 2012)

6'1" tall w/86.5cm inseam, 66cm arm
Saddle-Bar = 54cm
BB-Saddle = 76cm
BB-Saddle Setback = 7.5cm


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## FullRageAce (Nov 2, 2014)

I am 5'7.5 , shoulders are around 20 inches wide.
I am new to cycling, would this handle measurement work ok or is it way too small or big?
<small>Handlebar Size *: 420mm Stem Length *: 100mm</small>


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