Velopedia Tools

Bike Fit & Setup

Get a saddle-height starting point, or record a setup you want to keep.

Start with saddle height

All you need is your cycling inseam.

How to measure

Stand barefoot with feet slightly apart. Hold a closed book between your thighs, spine up. Press it firmly upward and keep it level. Measure from the floor to the top of the spine.

Choosing a bike size? Open Bike Finder →

Record your current setup

Use measurements from your bike. Frame geometry can come from the Archive.

Geometry Analyzer →

Fit worksheet

Record your setup

All lengths are in millimeters. Optional sections can stay closed.

Saddle

Use measured saddle height if you have it. Otherwise, inseam gives a starting estimate.

Cycling inseam mm · required without saddle heightBarefoot: floor to crotch, with a book pressed firmly upward Measured saddle height mm · required without inseamCenter of the crank axle to the same saddle-top point each time Saddle setback mmHorizontal distance from the crank axle; positive is behind, negative is ahead

How to measure the saddle

Use the same point on the saddle for both measurements. Setback is the horizontal distance behind the crank axle.

Optional knee-angle checkOpen only if you measured it using a known protocol.

Measurement methodStatic and dynamic angles use different published reference ranges

Frame

Use reach, stack and head angle from the same size and configuration.

Frame reach mm Frame stack mm Head angle degrees

Advanced Archive frame contextCategory and normalized size affect the benchmark—not the fit calculation.

Bike categoryComparable size groupManufacturer size names are normalized only for Archive context.

Frame context is not a fit verdict: Archive bands describe this frame relative to modern bicycles in the selected category and size group. They do not determine whether the rider should use that nominal size.

Cockpit

Add the stem and upper stack. Hand offsets are optional.

Upper stack / spacers mmAlong the steerer, from the frame stack point to the center of the stem’s steerer clamp; include the headset cover and spacers Stem length mm Stem angle / rise degreesEnter the manufacturer’s ± rise/drop value relative to a 90° stem; flipping the stem changes the sign (−6° down, +6° up)

How to measure the cockpit

Measure between clamp centers. Upper stack runs along the steerer from the top of the frame to the stem clamp center. Use the angle marked on the stem.

Optional hand-reference offsetsBlank uses the stem clamp as the repeatable hand reference.

Forward offset mmStem clamp to chosen hood/bar/grip reference; positive is forward, negative is behindVertical offset mmStem clamp to the same hand reference; positive is above, negative is below

Fit worksheet

Your fit worksheet

Enter rider and bike measurements to calculate saddle and cockpit coordinates.

Use the worksheet well

Start with manufacturer size guidance and a test ride.
Compare a measured position rather than relying on a size label.
Use one consistent knee-angle method when tracking changes.
See a qualified fitter or clinician for persistent pain or injury concerns.

Bike fit guide

Measure a position you can repeat

Record the saddle and hand positions from your bike. Use the same reference points each time you measure or transfer the setup.

Saddle height: baseline versus actual fit

The traditional LeMond method places the saddle at 88.3% of measured cycling inseam, measured from the center of the bottom bracket to the top of the saddle. It is useful as an anthropometric starting point, not as proof that the resulting position is correct for a particular rider.

Baseline saddle height = inseam × 0.883The calculator keeps this number visibly labeled as a baseline and separately reports the rider's measured saddle position.

Static and dynamic knee angles are not interchangeable

Published bike-fit research commonly uses knee flexion as a saddle-height check, but the measurement protocol matters. A 2019 comparison found that dynamic knee flexion at bottom dead center was about 8° greater than the static measurement and proposed a dynamic BDC reference range of 33–43°. The familiar static Holmes-method range is 25–35°. Velopedia therefore asks which method was used before interpreting an entered knee angle.

Contact points make a fit transferable

A frame label such as 54, Medium or Large does not record where the rider's hands and saddle actually sit. This calculator converts frame reach/stack, headset/spacer stack and stem geometry into BB-relative coordinates, then combines them with the measured saddle position. Those coordinates are far more useful when comparing two bikes or recreating a known-good position.

Stem angle from horizontal = 90° − head angle + stem settingSpacer movement follows the steering axis. Stem length is then resolved into horizontal and vertical components before the selected hand-reference offset is added.

What the Archive adds to a fit worksheet

The Archive does not know the rider’s mobility, injury history, pedaling mechanics or preferred contact-point setup. It can answer a narrower and useful question: whether the entered frame reach, stack and head angle sit toward an end or near the middle of a recent known-size category cohort. That evidence helps explain the frame underneath the position without turning geometry into a fit prescription.

Use Bike Fit and Geometry together

Bike Fit records the rider-facing setup: saddle coordinates, hand coordinates, horizontal saddle-to-hand span and vertical drop, plus the actual cockpit used to create them. The Geometry Analyzer examines the complete bicycle chassis and finds numerical neighbors in the Archive. The handoff carries the same frame and contact reference between tools, while the results remain explicitly separate.

Measurement workflow

1. Measure inseam

Use a rigid book or similar fixture and firm upward pressure. Clothing inseam is not the same measurement.

2. Record the saddle

Measure BB center to a repeatable saddle-top reference and its horizontal setback from the BB. Keep the same reference point next time.

3. Build the cockpit

Use published frame reach/stack, then add the actual spacer and stem configuration. Enter a hand-reference offset only if you can measure it consistently.

4. Transfer, then verify

Recreate the coordinates on another bicycle, then verify pedaling and comfort on the bike. Component shape and rider movement still matter.

Fit-method references: Li et al. (2026) — saddle-height methods · Millour et al. — static vs dynamic knee angle · BikeCAD — applying fit dimensions