Uphill Cycling: Investigating the Effects of Saddle Incline on Comfort, Frontal Area, and Power Output

This study investigates the impact of saddle inclination on cycling comfort, frontal area, and power output during uphill cycling, a key challenge in events like the Tour de France.While bike-fitting and bicycle geometry advances have enhanced the cycling experience, little research has focused on bikefitting for uphill cycling and optimizing saddle tilt for uphill performance.Recently, the adoption of saddle incline by top cyclists such as Tadej Pogaar and 2016 amendments to the Union Cycliste Internationale's (UCI) regulations have increased interest in the benefits of saddle incline.Previous studies have suggested the following benefits from saddle incline: 1) increased comfort [6], 2) improved metabolic power efficiency [4], 3) positively modified muscle activation [2, 4, 7], 4) decreased perceived exertion [7], and 5) reduced oxygen consumption [5].All of those could improve performance on challenging climbs.To further assess the precise biomechanics and potential benefits of saddle incline, this study will examine 1) comfort, 2) projected drag area, and 3) power output.Thirteen cyclists of varying experience levels participated in four sessions with saddle inclinations of 0, 2, 4, and 6 while cycling on a simulator set to a 4 uphill slope.The results of this study indicate that there is no definitive ratio between saddle inclination and slope angle that universally optimizes comfort, aero, and power output for all riders.Notably, the saddle incline-to-slope ratio does influence comfort but is highly individualized.A 4 saddle incline received a mean comfort score of 7.4 1.5, while a 0 saddle incline scored a lower 6.76 1.74.The projected frontal area, a key measure in aerodynamics, was 1.5% lower when comparing a 4 inclined saddle to a horizontal saddle but was not statistically significant.Power output was greater for a horizontal saddle, with a measured 1,02% increase in power output compared to the lowest score gathered from a 4 saddle incline.However, this result was also not statistically significant.