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Free tool
Saddle height calculator
Enter your inseam and get your saddle height from three published methods side by side — LeMond's 88.3%, Hamley's 109% and the Holmes knee-angle target — corrected for your crank length and pedals, each with its source. Then verify the number on your own body with a free phone-camera check of your real knee angle.
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Measure the input
Start with your body, not your trouser label
A repeatable inseam reading starts barefoot against a wall, with a firm level book and a floor-to-top measurement. Take two independent readings before a formula turns that input into a saddle-height starting point.
Calculate a saddle-height starting range
This focused tool returns only saddle height. The full calculator adds setback, bars, cranks, cleats and frame geometry.
Enter an inseam between 50 and 110 cm and a crank between 140 and 200 mm.
The three methods, honestly compared
| Method | Formula | Measured from | What research says |
|---|---|---|---|
| LeMond (1987) | 0.883 × inseam | Bottom bracket → saddle top | Best starting estimate; assumes ~175 mm cranks, so we correct for yours. |
| Hamley (1967) | 1.09 × inseam | Pedal (at lowest) → saddle top | Misses the knee-angle reference window in 73% of riders — usually high (Peveler & Green, 2011). |
| Holmes (1994) | 25–35° knee bend | Your knee, at bottom of stroke | The target the formulas are estimating — and the fit variable with the strongest published consensus in a recent review (Husband et al., 2024). |
Worked example — inseam 84 cm, 172.5 mm cranks: LeMond gives 0.883 × 84 = 74.2 cm, corrected to ≈74.3 cm for the shorter cranks and −0.4 cm for clipless pedals. Hamley gives 1.09 × 84 = 91.6 cm to the pedal, ≈74.3 cm expressed at the bottom bracket. The calculator shows both, plus the knee-angle window to verify against.
Verify the output
The number becomes useful only after a controlled re-check
Freeze the original bike setup, make one small reversible height change, then confirm the physical datum and observe the same side view again. Formula, real measurement and movement check stay separate.
Why we give ranges, not one magic number
Formulas scale one measurement (your inseam) and assume the rest of you is average. Your femur-to-shin ratio and pedalling style aren't average — nobody's are. So the calculator treats formulas as the starting point and the 25–35° knee bend as the destination, and our camera check measures your actual angle every frame, on your device. The deep dive — symptoms of too-high and too-low, step-by-step adjustment, all the citations — is in our saddle-height guide.
Saddle height FAQ
What is the formula for saddle height?
The most-used starting formula is saddle height = 0.883 × inseam, measured from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the saddle along the seat tube (the LeMond method). Modern practice subtracts ~4 mm for clipless pedals and adds back the difference if your cranks are shorter than 175 mm. The formula is a starting point — the research-backed target it should land you in is a 25–35° knee bend at the bottom of the pedal stroke.
How do I measure my inseam for saddle height?
Stand barefoot with your back against a wall, press a hardcover book firmly up into your crotch (as firmly as a saddle presses) with its spine on the wall, and measure from the floor to the top edge of the book. Measure twice and average. Trouser size is not your cycling inseam.
Is the 109% (Hamley) method accurate?
It's the oldest published method (1967) and a reasonable ballpark, but modern testing found heights set by 109%-of-inseam miss the 25–35° knee-angle reference window in 73% of riders (Peveler & Green, 2011) — usually landing high. Use it as one estimate among several, then verify your actual knee angle.
What knee angle should I have at the bottom of the pedal stroke?
25–35° of knee flexion measured statically, with 25–30° best supported for pedalling economy (Bini et al., 2011). Measured dynamically on video while pedalling — which is how our camera check works — the same position reads about 5° deeper, so the video target is 30–40°.