1) Seat Height I use two methods to come across a good seat height: an easy method and then a more precise and accurate method.
First, the easy method.
Position your bike next to a wall or a counter so that you can sit on your bike and keep yourself upright without falling down.
Put on the shoes that you normally wear to go biking and put your heal on the pedal in its lowest position.
Your leg should be fully extended to get the best position.
The more accurate method involves calculating the ideal height by measuring the 'inseam' of your leg.
Start by standing on a hard surface with your legs about six inches apart.
Measure straight up to your crotch while applying the same pressure that your seat would.
Multiply this distance by .
883 (the LeMond magic number).
The result is your saddle height measured from the middle of your crank axle (the part that attaches the pedal to your front gears) up the seat tube to the top of your seat.
2) Seat Fore/Aft Position To come across a good fore and aft position, tie a weight of some sort (a nut or bolt, something of that nature) on a string.
Once again, hop on your bike with your shoes and position yourself next to a counter or wall so that you can keep yourself upright.
Clip in to your pedals or position your foot where you would normally pedal and turn the pedals until they are parallel with the floor (horizontal).
Take your weighted string and hold it so that it falls over your forward knee.
A neutral position is where the string just touches the front of your crankarm (the piece of metal that the pedals are attached to).
A centimeter or two back can improve pedal leverage while going forward a centimeter or two can improve pedaling speed.
3) Seat Angle Seat angle is a simple procedure.
If you own a level, place it on top of your seat and make sure that it is level (horizontal).
If you don't own a level and you can't find a friend who does, you can use a yardstick and place it on top of your seat.
Compare its angle to a counter top or a piece of furniture to decide if it is level or not.
In addition, you can measure the front of the saddle and the back to make sure that they are the same height from the floor.
A neutral position would be a zero degree tilt, being level to the ground.
Tilting your saddle forward can offer more comfort to men and women alike, but too much angle forward can result in excessive amounts of pressure on your arms.
I would personally recommend not tilting your saddle backwards, for it increases the amount of pressure on your groin which could result in numbness.
A one to three degree tilt forward really improves comfort by shifting your weight towards the larger part of your saddle which distributes weight more evenly.