I have never been a serious cyclist, I grew up in a rural hilly area where it wasn’t a very practical means of transport.
But I always wanted to be able to get both feet on the ground, just for feelings of safety.
I guess I shouldn’t object to how the kids ride their bikes, seeing as I spent so much of my time railing against how many kids get driven, and the scourge of various e-devices. 
It is curious - I’m trying to get my head around how leaning slightly to one side to have one foot on the ground feels unsafe…
Maybe everyone loves a lowrider?
Aren’t 100% of ‘Cyclists’ also ‘Persons on Bikes’?
(Discounting bike-riding bears, cyclists doing something other than riding at the moment, unicyclists, etc.)
Why half-measures? Get a nocycle. Just a saddle, who needs wheels?
Once they’ve learned to stay up by telekinesis, they’re ready for anything.
I can do this quite easily when I’m dreaming… just haven’t quite figured out how to do it awake yet though…
I never thought to use a bicycle seat when dream flying. That sounds cool.
A couple of hand grips really help with control, too.
See you in the sky over there… let’s fly…
Funny that this came up; I’m dealing with it right now. I recently bought a “real” bike (as opposed to one from Target or whatever) at my brother’s urging. He and my SIL consider themselves cyclists and we all thought it would be fun to start riding together on the weekends. Like, 20 miles round trip; nothing too serious or strenuous. We went to a bike shop and I told the salesperson my inseam (28"). He pulled out a small and just trying to mount it in the store told me it was too high for me. He explained the proper leg straight when the pedal’s extended thing, which I kind of knew, and insisted that bike / seat was the proper height. I took it outside for a test ride and promptly fell on my arse when I tried to stop. I ended up buying a different one that is slightly smaller and the tips of my toes just barely touch the ground. I really don’t care if that’s the “proper” fit; I don’t have any desire to ride a bike that I’m not comfortable with. Big fat waste of money to have it sitting in my garage. Bro is going to shorten the seat stem (probably not the correct term) so I can / will actually ride it.
That being said, both feet flat on the ground while sitting on it does sound counterproductive. Like your knees would hit the handle bars when you pedal.
I assume the OP is cycling enthusiast; who else would care or even notice?
That is why the seat is adjustable. You may want to adjust the handlebar height as well.
You can do this yourself using an Allen wrench if there is no quick-release lever.
I should clarify: there is no precise one-size-fits-all formula for telling at what height the saddle will be most comfortable, nor will you be able to tell for sure just going once around the block, which is why you will need to adjust it, say, half an inch at a time then ride for a couple of miles, etc.
Also, not sure if this is completely obvious or not, but not all of your weight should be on the saddle. Most should be on your legs while you are riding.
I don’t notice stuff like this.
“‘Cuz I’m young, and I’m black, and my seat’s real low? Am I a mind reader, sir? I don’t know.”
Here is a slightly biased, slightly arrogant, slightly haughty, slightly tribal view on the subject – a quick read (particularly for readers, rather than people who read <grin>):
There is a world of difference between a cyclist and a person on a bike (observes this cyclist).
There was at one time a vogue for low saddles which, in my mind, coincides with the initial popularity of BMX bikes. Maybe there’s another vogue for it now. But I would hazard that it’s just the experience/confidence thing. The more you ride a bike, the more confident you get, the more ergonomic you wish to be. Hence the more experience you gain, the higher the saddle.
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It is? I have never heard of these things and, after looking it up, I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen one. I have two kids under ten, and they just have normal bikes to learn on (they haven’t quite yet), and I’ve never seen the pedealless ones in my neighborhood being ridden by the other kids. Are they really that common (given the fact no one else remarked on it, I’m guessing they must be.)
The distinction I’m used to over here is
-
Utility cyclists - people like me using the bike to get from A to B
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Sports cyclists (or, less politely, MAMILs - Middle-Aged Man In Lycra), who have all the fancy gear and keep tabs on various performance metrics ad nauseam
But I think both types know about having the seat at the right height for comfort and efficiency. I do occasionally see people (usually on the short-term hire bikes) careering along with the seat at monkey-bike height and usually on the pavement (sidewalk) - and I assume they just assume it’s a toy.
pedalless? I have a bike that came with spring-loaded clipless pedals that you clip into using special shoes, if that is what you mean. Pretty nice if you go for long rides, but you will have to change shoes when you arrive at your destination.
I don’t understand this at all. If you intended to enter race into this discussion, I’m pretty sure no more than a couple of the bikers I see out my window are black.
They are quite common in our area. At our kid’s request (and contrary to our preference) we bought one for our grandkids. (They are 4 yrs apart, so they pass bikes down.). Strider seems a popular brand. Far more common here than trikes or training wheels.
Re: PoBs vs cyclists. I appreciate the distinction in the article such as owning golf clubs or a musical instrument does not make one a golfer/musician. But I’m not sure about the “cyclists follow traffic rules” distinction. I guess I qualify as a cyclist, tho I lack the lycra. But IME, the most fancily geared cyclists pay more attention to traffic, than to signs. I could not imagine any cyclist stopping at a stop sign if there were no other traffic. Or coming to a full stop when a rolling stop would do. And on the bike paths, it is tough to say who is more irritating/dangerous - the clueless PoBs just weaving all over and stopping in the middle of the path, or the fancy pantsers biking WAY too fast for a shared path.
Of course, the WORST of all is the e-bike riders!
My biggest complaint on the street is VEHICLES that do not follow traffic signs. Say I’m biking up to a 4-way stop, and there is a car stopped on the cross street. I see them and am slowing down to cross behind them. But they refuse to go. Hell, they could stop and go before I get to the intersection with me not even needing to slow if I didn’t care to.
Presumably they think they are doing “a nice thing.” Maybe they are waving from inside their car, but they do not realize I cannot see them through the window glare. And they do not realize that as a biker (or pedestrian) I would far prefer to pass BEHIND a car rather than in front of it. So instead of them going and I coast briefly and cross behind them, I come to a complete stop - likely not gearing down in the process. So we’re both stopped, and they STILL don’t go. Maybe I finally see them waving, so I have to crank up from a full stop in a higher gear than I would wish. Or I still can’t see them, but when I decide they want me to go, I start - and THEY start at the same time.
I’d wager it happens at least once every time I ride.
Thanks. Reference went completely past me. Just to gauge exactly HOW out of touch I am, what percentage of folk do you think would get that reference?