{
  "id": 11706173,
  "title": "'Your saddle should be level, unless you’re a triathlete, time triallist or some other kind of weirdo'",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/your-saddle-should-be-level-unless-youre-a-triathlete-time-triallist",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-03T14:15:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Cycling Weekly",
    "slug": "cycling-weekly",
    "url": "https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/your-saddle-should-be-level-unless-youre-a-triathlete-time-triallist-or-some-other-kind-of-weirdo"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Last week, I went for a ride with my friend Bernard. We had been cycling for about an hour on a warm afternoon when he pulled over, removed his saddle with an Allen key, and lowered it by a few millimeters. Bernard explained that it felt right on a hot day. I was intrigued and asked him why he lowered his saddle in hot weather. He said it felt right to him, and I didn't argue as he had strong opinions about bike fitting.\n\nBernard believes that \"bike fit\" is a myth, especially when it comes to professional bike fits. He grew up with bike fitting as a non-specialized activity, but nowadays, there are specialized frame builders who create custom frames based on body dimensions. However, Bernard still follows his own philosophy: \"If it looks right, it is right.\"\n\nWhen asked for more details about his approach, Bernard shared a series of rules-of-thumb. For saddle height, he multiplies your inside leg by 0.833. The bars should be set so that when you bend your elbows, the top of the bars obscures your view of the front hub. Your saddle should be level unless you're a triathlete, time trialist, or some other kind of weirdo, and the saddle tip should be 60-65 mm behind the bottom bracket, unless you're a triathlete, time trialist, or some other kind of weirdo. Bernard also states that your crank length should be 170 mm, unless you're a Gen-Z fashion victim, in which case they'll be 155 mm until you grow up.\n\nWhile Bernard's system might not be perfect, it seems to work for most people, considering humans are adaptable. However, some aspects of his system are missing, such as individual saddle preferences, detailed fitting for cleat positions and angles, and insoles to prevent knee issues. Bernard agrees that you should never be afraid to tinker with your bike fit, as you can always change it back. Interestingly, he resembles the legendary Eddy Merckx, who often changed his saddle height during races.",
  "summary": "Dr Hutch’s friend Bernard has his own view on bike fitting, and it's not exactly rooted in science",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}