The effects of saddle height and power output on lower-limb muscles and joints during cycling
Fangbo Bing, Tony Lin-Wei Chen, Guoxin Zhang, Yan Wang, Ming Zhang · 2026
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Description
Bing and colleagues measured how saddle height and pedaling power load the legs during cycling in a 2026 lab study. Overuse injuries are common in riders, and bike fit plus effort shape the forces running through muscles and joints. Twenty-five participants rode under nine combinations, three saddle heights crossed with three power outputs, while sensors tracked their motion and pedal forces for a computer model of the legs.
The model's muscle patterns matched measured muscle activity well, which supported its use for comparing the nine riding setups in the study. Higher power raised forces in the hip and knee extensor muscles and in their joints, but lowered forces around the ankle instead. Higher saddles straightened the hip and knee, cut most muscle forces, and lowered most peak joint forces. One shin muscle worked harder, though, so the authors favor moderate power with a higher saddle.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Fangbo Bing, Tony Lin-Wei Chen, Guoxin Zhang, Yan Wang, Ming Zhang |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 45 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |