The first thing to adjust on your bike is always the right saddle position!
It doesn't just have to be the right height. It must also be "pushed" into the best position in relation to the crank arm.
Align the saddle so that it is horizontal! For the next steps ask a helper to hold the bike steady as you sit on it. Or support yourself by leaning against a wall.
Climb onto your bike and stretch out one leg.
Place your foot with the heel on the pedal at the lowest point of its arc.
Your knee should now be straight
If you are sitting square on the saddle when in this position, the saddle is at the right height.
How to pedal correctly:
The heel position on the pedal is only required for adjustment. When cycling, the ball of the foot must be positioned exactly on the pedal axis. Then with a correctly adjusted saddle height your knee also stays slightly angled at the lowest point of its arc.
You are not pedalling correctly if the middle of your foot is over the pedal axis.
A short test ride will soon show whether the saddle is too high. If your pelvis tilts to the right and left when pedaling, the saddle is too high. If it is too low, you will probably only notice this after many miles of riding when your knees start to hurt.
The saddle can be shifted along the bracket. Once it is in the right position, your legs will have the correct leverage ratio. This avoids sore knees and pains resulting from wrong pelvis orientations.
Turn the crank arm so that it is horizontal (3 o' clock position) and place your forefoot on the pedal.
Shift the saddle far enough to ensure that your kneecap is exactly above the pedal spindle.
Attention: if you have shifted the saddle more than 10 mm, you will have to re-adjust the saddle height because these two adjustments influence each other.
Adjust the saddle inclination to horizontal. This is a good starting point and in most cases will not even need readjusting. The inclination should only be adjusted once you have tried out various positions to find out which one suits you best.
