Chuck Schmidt wrote:
"My favorite, 1908 - Cyrille Van Hauwaert - Belgium:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/
"Notice the low saddle height and upright position of all these guys? I think the upright position is a holdover from high wheelers, but guys riding high wheelers had plenty of leg extension (rode the largest wheel you could straddle to have the highest "gear" for top speed). Was the low saddle height and lack of leg extension because they could finally lower the saddle on safety bikes so they did?"
I recently watched a video of the 1994 Paris-Roubaix, and was surprised at how low Tchmil's saddle was, and how little leg extension he had.
On rough roads, bouncing up and down on bumps, you don't want to hyperextend your knee, so you set your saddle lower. Also, a high, forward position is good for spinning at high r.p.m., but a lower cadence (with higher gearing) is used on cobbles, because the more force exerted on the pedals, the less of the rider's weight is pressing down on the saddle, which makes the jarring more tolerable.
Mordecai Silver Loves riding the cobblestone streets here in Lower Manhattan (and in Brooklyn, too)