Saddle fore/aft

about 10 minutes Lesson 4 of 6 Section 3 of 8

What "correct" actually looks like: two readings

Your saddle is in the right fore/aft position when two readings land inside the window for your bike type.

1. Knee-over-pedal distance (KOPS). How far your knee sits in front of or behind the pedal at the 3 o'clock position, crank horizontal and pointing forward. The classic guideline puts the bony bump just below your kneecap roughly over the pedal spindle. A little behind is normal, so don't worry if the number comes up negative; it just means your knee sits a touch behind the pedal. Think of KOPS as a starting reference, not a destination.

Knee-over-pedal (KOPS): how far the knee sits in front of or behind the pedal spindle, measured with the crank horizontal and pointing forward.

2. Effective saddle angle (the app also calls this the hip angle). The line from the saddle down to the bottom bracket. The app tracks your hip rather than the saddle, since the saddle is usually hidden behind your leg on camera, so your hip stands in for where the saddle sits. Its target depends on your bike type: road and MTB want your hips roughly over the seat tube, while aero and TT shift the whole window forward.

Effective saddle angle: the line from the saddle (measured at the hip) down to the bottom bracket, measured against the horizontal.

Here's how BFF EZ presents these measurements: the app's side view frame with both readings drawn on, the knee-over-pedal distance and the effective saddle angle.

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