Bike Seat Won’t Go Lower (Reasons & Solutions)
You may be confused as to why your perfect bike seat would refuse to go lower.
What if you just got a new bike or brought out your old one from the store room, and the seat is too high for you. You’d want to lower it to make yourself more comfortable riding it.
Your bike seat has all the features it needs to go lower in-built. Most bike seats have this lowering feature. If your bike seat refuses to go lower, there is an issue with it that you should try to fix as soon as possible.
Why My Bike Seat Won’t go Lower?
There are two possible reasons why your bike seat won’t go lower.
#1. Mechanical issue
Since moving your bike seat lower is done by lowering the seat post, it becomes impossible to do so.
‘A seat post forcefully inserted into its seat tube gets stuck and refuses to move. The forcefully inserted seat post may even cause harm to the frame.
If you notice your bike seat won’t go any lower, you should check to confirm whether or not the seat post is stuck. You can take it to the store where they’ll get it fixed or replaced.
#2. Chemical issue
Environmental conditions can also affect your bike seat, leaving it stuck in the seat tube.
These conditions may cause corrosion to certain metallic parts of your bike, like the seat post.
When corrosion affects your seat post, pushing it down becomes impossible, and thus, your bike seat won’t go any lower. You’ve probably stored up the bike too long and not lubricated it.
Also, if your bike seat won’t go lower, while you tried to lower the seat post, it had reached its limit and hence can not go any lower than that.
In such situations, you should cut the seat post off to a particular height that suits you.
Make sure before you cut the seat post that it has reached its limit in the seat tube so that when it’s necessary, you can raise it higher again.
How Do I Make My Bike Seat Lower?
To make your bike seat lower, you’d need a friend first to help out. Also, you’d need;
- An Allen wrench
- Level
- Nail polish
Here is a step-by-step process you can follow to lower your bike seat.
Step 1: Stand beside the bike and adjust the seat height by lowering it to just below your hip. Carefully lower the seat post to adjust the seat height.
Step 2: Mount the bike and place your foot to spin one of the pedals into a sitting position.
Ask your friend to stand before the bike, holding the handlebars. Place your foot on the pedal and observe a slight bend in the knee of that leg.
Step 3: Alight the bike and adjust it downwards to the perfect height. Using an Allen wrench, loosen the bolt on the seat post clamp.
After losing the bolt, securely tighten up the clamp. Align the seat front with the stem to ensure it is straightforward.
Step 4: Remount the bike and re-test the new seat height. Put your feet on the pedal and spin backwards.
You should be able to complete a pedal stroke without your hips rocking. If your hips rock, the saddle is still too high. Readjust by loosening the bolt on the seat post clamp.
Step 5: Place a level on the rear and front of the bike seat to ensure it’s perfectly level.
Step 6: Could you test it out? This test could help you confirm that your new seat height is perfect.
Step 7: Apply the nail polish to the new height of the seat post just above the seat post clamp to mark your perfect seat height just in case you raise the seat in the future.
Tips to Fix an Adjustable Bike Seat
The table below contains tips for fixing your bike seat and how to go about them.
| Tips to Fix your adjustable bike seat | How to do it |
|---|---|
| Let your hip bone be your guide for adjusting the seat height. | Stand next to the bike and adjust the seat height to the exact point where your hip bone is. |
| Check how your knees bend on the pedal. | Hop on the bike and place your legs at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Notice if a bend in your knees is between 10-30 degrees. Adjust if necessary. |
| Ensure your knees align properly over your feet. | Place your hands on the handlebars, turn the pedals till your knees are both bent, and your feet are off the ground at equal distances. Ensure your knees align with your feet. Pull the seat backwards or forwards if necessary. |
| There should be a slight bend in your elbows while your hands are on the handlebars. | Do not scrunch up; the proper position should have your elbows slightly bent. Adjust the handlebars closer or farther if necessary. |
| Check Your Position | You’re supposed to sit straight and feel comfortable in the proper position. |
If it’s your first time, you should remember that this may feel uncomfortable for a while because you’re not used to it.
With time and continuous bike riding, you should get used to it in no time.
New Bike Seat Post Won’t go Lower?
If you get a new bike seat post, it should be able to go very low to a certain point. If its limit is too high for you, there’s an easy trick.
Rather than returning it to the store, you can cut the seat post off to the height you desire with a handsaw blade.
You can take it to a bike shop where they can cut it at a very low price and do it neatly. It also takes only a short period.
If you decide to cut it on your own, you should remember to put on a mask for protection.
Common Reasons why Bike Seat Post Won’t go Lower
A few reasons could be responsible if your bike seat post doesn’t go any lower.
#1. It has reached its limit:
Every bike seat post has a particular limit at which you can lower it into the seat tube.
Once it reaches the limit, you cannot lower it any further. This limit may be why you can’t seem to lower the seat post.
In such situations, you can reduce the seat post’s height, which would mean cutting off part of the seat post.
Or you may take it back to the bike store to get one that suits you more perfectly.
#2. Improper fixing of the seat post:
The seat post may get stuck if you do not fix it properly or if it is oversized and forced.
Forcing a seat post into the seat tube gets the seat post stuck due to the very tight space and makes it immovable.
That is why lowering the seat post seems impossible. It could even cause damage to your seat tube or frame.
It would help if you got it checked and had the right-sized seat post fixed.
#3. Corrosion:
Your seat post is metallic and hence has tendencies to deteriorate in its metallic nature due to interactions with the environment.
Corrosion mostly affects old bikes that the owners have not used for a long time. If your seat post gets affected by corrosion, it becomes impossible to lowe it.
Conclusion
If your bike seat doesn’t go any lower, possible explanations may be responsible, like corrosion or the seat post may be stuck.
Either way, you should have it checked and fixed to prevent further damage to your bike.
Also, riding your bike at the appropriate height is better to prevent damage to your backbone.
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