How High Should My BMX Seat Be? (Let's See)

The height of your BMX bike seat is pivotal to your getting the best riding experience.

It determines the amount of space available to extend your legs and how much energy you’d need to pedal your bike.

So whether you’re a BMX biker, a professional cyclist, or ride for fun, your bike’s seat height is a factor you’d want to know and apply as soon as possible. You may also read our post regarding the Standover Height Of BMX.

Suppose you’d be using your BMX bike for its primary sporting purpose. In that case, your seat should be low to allow easy acrobatic maneuvering and seamless pedaling without leaning backward behind the tires. In addition, advanced moves like bunny hops and suicide no-handers are easier to learn and perfect with a low seat.

Why Are BMX Seats So Low?

While you’d need to use the seat of your BMX sometimes, maybe to catch fresh air or race with a friend, BMX bike manufacturers don’t design their seats to meet these purposes.

Its low seat often makes some riders conclude that you aren’t meant to sit on the saddle but stand while riding.

But have you ever considered why this is so? Here are some reasons why your BMX bike’s seat is so low:

#1. A Low Bmx Seat Allows for Seamless Acrobatics

Most BMX bikes are used by their riders to pull advanced and risky stunts like the suicidal “no-handers.”

So naturally, no one wants a seat to interfere with the spectacular sight of such performance or, more importantly, the rider’s health.

A more straightforward trick like the bunny hop happens more seamlessly with lower seats.

Of course, a higher seat position enables a rider to pedal faster, but speed is far from the goal with BMX bikes. The aim, instead, is vertical maneuverability.

#2. A Low Bmx Seats Enables Added Bike Contact

Advanced tricks such as bar spins, tail whip, and no-footed can-can whip require additional and firmer contact or hold on the bike than other easier moves.

A low BMX bike’s seat gives your legs easier access and a firmer grip on the seat and helps you pedal the bike in varying directions.

#3. A Low Bmx Seat Sets You up for Better Power Pumps

The low position of a BMX bike’s seat helps you gather more power for better pumps. What’s more?

Your landing from a high-impact jump won’t threaten your groin area because the seat isn’t so close.

In addition, riding in a standing position helps your legs absorb the shock from such a landing without having to crash your whole body into the bike.

Do BMX Riders Sit Down?

Of course, BMX riders sit on their bikes. But unfortunately, for one who’d love to sit often, BMX bike seats aren’t designed to accommodate comfortable sitting.

Conversely, they were made to encourage standing because that’s what the sport generally requires.

So if you’d love to sit on your BMX bike more often than usual, you’d need to adjust your seat to a more relaxing and comfortable position.

This adjustment isn’t something you need the expertise of a bike shop or repairer for, but what you can easily put together.

A BMX bike’s seat usually consists of a rigid plastic covered with a thin foam layer. Unfortunately, its makeup doesn’t encourage sitting for long periods.

For BMX bike riders, this makeup is the best for them as it allows an added contact surface to do advanced stunts.

But if you aren’t in for stunts and want to bike off-road, you’d need to make a few adjustments, like changing the seat to one with thicker padding.

Are You Supposed To Sit on a Bmx Bike?

There are no rules that say you can’t sit on your BMX bike’s seat.

However, if you’d love to sit on your bike often, then a BMX bike isn’t the right option because it isn’t built for sitting.

They’re made for short-distance, high-intensity dashes, all done while standing.

Even if you remove the seat and exchange it with a regular mountain bike’s seat, or you especially go searching for a very comfortable bike saddle to meet your needs, it doesn’t change the whole anti-sitting structure of your BMX bike.

If you’d love to enjoy a bike fit for long-distance sitting, you’d have to buy one structured for such a purpose.

Sitting bikes also demand that you get one that aligns with your size because it helps distribute your weight evenly between your butt, arms, and legs.

Why Are BMX Seats Tilted Back?

It’s easy to think BMX seats come with their seats tilted backward and cannot be adjusted from that position, but BMX bike manufacturers don’t make the seats that way.

Instead, many BMX riders tilt the seat back to get more comfort while riding.

In addition, they consider it safer to reduce pressure around the groin area and eliminate, to a large extent, the risk of injury in such an area.

However, tilting your seats backward isn’t the safest solution.

Instead, find a comfortable saddle that conveniently accommodates your weight without unnecessary headaches.

BMX bikers also get some comfort from a tilted seat by its allowance to stretch their legs when sitting and pedal more efficiently.

How Can I Make My BMX Bike More Comfortable?

Getting maximum comfort while you ride your BMX bike might either be a function of adjusting a factor in your bike or sitting position or several tweaks to do the trick.

Here are a few tips for getting the best experience off your BMX bike:

#1. Get Your Sitting Position Right

A correct sitting position cannot be overemphasized. Your body is at rest, and you continue riding for hours without end.

A good position means a proper extension of your legs on the pedal stroke, a steady hip, and a suitable saddle fore-aft position and height.

You also need to set your bar height correctly to allow you to stretch to the handlebars conveniently.

#2. Use a Corresponding Handlebar Height

The height of your handlebar determines how bent over you’d be while riding.

Consequently, this affects the comfort of your shoulders, arms, neck, and lower back.

In addition, with a proper handlebar height, your weight is tilted more over the front wheel, giving you an aerodynamic advantage as you ride.

It also gives you a firmer grip and braking.

However, you might need to replace the handle stem with a longer one, or flip the current one over, to raise your handlebars above the limits of the steerer tube.

#3. Position Your Saddle Correctly

Positioning your saddle means using the correct saddle height and angle.

The saddle height affects how much you can extend your legs and how much energy you expend with your legs while cycling.

In addition, there must be a balance between the fore and aft saddle position to ensure you’re just above the pedals and not behind them.

Likewise, the saddle angle should also be on point because you don’t want to keep falling forward or backward while you ride.

How To Adjust BMX Seat Height?

The height of your BMX bike’s seat is essential to getting the best riding experience and avoiding injuries.

Fortunately, adjusting your seat height isn’t anywhere close to rocket science and is achievable with these steps:

#1. Step 1:

Loosen the pinch bolt at the junction between the seat post and the frame.

#2. Step 2:

Raise or lower the seat post to your preferred height, then tighten the bolt.

#3 Step 3:

Mount your bike and place your foot on the pedal spindle when its crank is at the low side of its rotation.

After assuming this position, you’d need to lift the seat post higher if your leg is too bent and bring it down if your leg is too straight.

However, you’re good to go if your leg is slightly bent.

#4. Step 4:

You can also check if the seat’s height is good by placing your foot’s heel on the pedal spindle.

A straight leg in this position says your bike’s seat height is perfect to go.

Summary

Your BMX bike’s seat should be low to allow you space to stretch your legs and pedal seamlessly without posing an injury threat to you.

Unfortunately, extended sitting may not be an option if you’re using a BMX bike, as its saddle and the entire structure weren’t designed for that.

However, you can get your desired comfort by adjusting its height.

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Josh Matthews

Born in the 80's and raised on the plains at the foot of the Colorado mountains. I went to the University of Denver before giving 100 percent to my passion: outdoor cycling. That's the reason I created this website : I love speaking and sharing about my hobbies. I also travel around the world and really like alternate travelling ways like RV or kayak.