Alex Z., a member of the social networking site The Chainlink, recently started a thread asking Divvy users how tall they are, and at what number they seat the seat post height on the bike-share cycles. With permission from Chainlink owner Yasmeen Schuller, I've used my expert graphing skills to plot these data points.
Perhaps this info will be somewhat useful for Divvy newbies trying to decide where they should set the seat height. (My advice is to put the saddle at a height that results in a slight bend in your knee when your foot is at the bottom of the pedal stroke with the ball of of your foot on the pedal, or a bit lower at first if it makes you feel more comfortable starting and stopping.)
You'll note that none of the respondents were under 5'6", so this data sample certainly doesn't represent a cross-section of Divvy users. Former Chainlink owner Julie Hochstadter is 4'9", but she currently lives in a Divvy-deprived suburb and didn't recall what number she used. (From the above photo, taken at the Divvy launch in June 2013, it looks like she started out with the post all the way down to the zero setting.) If you're under 5'6" (or even if you're not) let us know your height and seat post number, and we may update the graph.
A couple of comments from Chainlinkers from the thread on seat height:
VW: "I think most novice cyclists take time to get a comfort level with the larger height, and it's important for them to feel comfortable first, with starting and stopping, and feeling safe and closer to the ground, and then as they get more comfortable, they can play with getting more seat height for more speed and leverage."
Julie Hochstadter: "[Divvy bikes] do fit me. Probably not as well as taller folks, but I can get around, even when I was a couple months pregnant. If anything, a Divvy was a bit more comfortable riding pregnant after six months than my road bike."
Charlie Meterson: "I'm 5'7", and I like 3.5 or 4 for the seat height. The bikes I find are hardly ever set to that height, and I often get greasy hands adjusting." My response: "You shouldn't have to touch the (greased) seat post itself when adjusting the height. Just open the seat post lever, push or pull the saddle to the right height (wiggling it back and forth as necessary), and close the lever." Meyerson: "I know. But the lever is often greasy."
