Today here we are going to talk about how to set up your new ISM saddle seat. It’s important to note the unique design of the saddle seat ISM intended to help remove pressure off your perineum or soft tissue.
Our seats typically require a conditioning period, so your muscles can adapt to this new pressure point. So, stick with it and don’t get discouraged.
Basic Adjustment
Getting the correct adjustment on your bike seat is easy. First, you need to loosen the seat clamp and ensure that your seat angle is level.
Tighten the bolt and then move on to adjusting your seat height, adjust your seat height so that when your foot is at the bottom of the pedal stroke, you have a slight bend in your knee.
You want your leg to be at about 90% of full extension.
Lastly, dial in the position of the seat on its rails. When your crank arm is parallel to the ground, ensure that the front of your knee is right over the front of your pedal.
You can easily do this by loosening the seat clamp bolt, moving the saddle forward or backward into position.
Seat Height
First, we are going to set the proper seat. Once you’ve installed your seat and hopped on your bike. It’s important to note how your hips and feet feel.
Seat height adjustment is so important for your best cruiser bikes for women.
A clear indicator that your seat is too high is the up and down rocking of your hips as your feet are reaching for the pedals.
Another indication is the pointing of your toes at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Simply lower your seat height to correct this.
There are also a couple of signs indicating your seat is too low. This can be noted by your heel dropping below your pedal at the bottom of the stroke or excessive bend in your knees.
Another indicator is muscle fatigue in your quadriceps. If you notice any of these simply raise your seat height to correct.
Now, some of you may have tried to take the seat height measurement from your traditional saddle or have this information from a professional bike fit. This is a great starting point, but you still may find yourself needing to lower your saddle a bit.
Some seats like ISM seats have a higher profile than traditional saddles because they are designed to put the pressure where it belongs on the sit bones and pubic bones.
Adjustment
For this reason, it’s very common to have to lower your seat. Five millimeters If you experience discomfort on your sit bones or chafing on your inner thighs, a simple lowering might be all you need.
Next, you want to look at the seat for AFT or front-to-back position. ISM seats have eliminated the front two to three inches of the nose.
So, it should hit about the midpoint of your thigh. If you have coordinates from a professional bike fit, the front of your ism seat should be two to three inches or five to eight centimeters further to the rear.
Another way to look at this is you should have two to three finger widths of seat shelling behind your body when properly seated.
This adjustment does not move your body back but rather removes the uncomfortable saddle nose from under your soft tissue. If the seat is too far back on the seat post, you may find yourself reaching for the bar or feel like there isn’t enough seat under you supporting your body weight.
If this is the case, simply loosen the bolts and move the seat forward. If the seat is too far forward, you will feel bunched up or may find a seat too wide at the front arms.
Simply move the seat back and If the front of the seat feels too wide, it’s either too far forward, too high, or both.
The final adjustment is the seat and this step is very important and always subjective based on the rider when installing your new ism seat level, the front arms, parallel to the ground.
This is a great starting point and maybe exactly where you want to see it. Some riders may choose to tilt the front of the seat down one to maybe two degrees.
The key is to not tilt the seat too low to the point that you feel like you’re sliding off the front of the saddle, or you’re putting a lot of pressure on your hands because of the unique design of the ism seat, extreme downward tilt is not necessary.
Everybody has a sweet spot, so don’t be afraid to bring an Allen wrench with you and adjust it out on the road.
Again, please keep in mind the design of the IMC is to remove pressure off the perineum or soft tissue. There is a muscle conditioning period for most riders, so don’t become discouraged and always give your muscles adequate rest between rides, especially in the winter.
Conclusion
If you are still experiencing any issues with fitting your seat, feel free to contact us. Anytime we hope you enjoy your new IMC. Every member’s comfort counts.
If you want to know more about biking tips and tricks you can visit OutdoorXsports.