how to tell what size bike saddle you have

Getting the right bicycle saddle for yous – which is fundamental for comfortable and fun cycling – can be a minefield. With so many shapes, styles and cost points bachelor, the sheer volume of options available tin can be overwhelming.

In this in-depth guide, we'll talk through how to cull the best saddle for you – whether you're a road, gravel or mountain biker, and whatsoever your gender, we'll help you find the right saddle for your riding needs.

A comfortable saddle is crucial for riders of all cycling disciplines considering, unless you're a downhill mountain biker, BMX or trials rider, it'southward something y'all're going to spend a lot of time on.

In this guide, we'll starting time by going into the fundamentals of how a saddle works (or, how it should work), why unlike disciplines demand unlike shapes of saddle, why women'south saddles are unlike, and the overall anatomy/structure of a saddle.

Nosotros besides cover some myths about saddles, including what not to do in your pursuit of condolement.

Finally, we'll talk through how to choose the best bike seat, including tips on how to determine what shape and size of saddle is all-time for yous and your riding.

Why saddle fit matters

Finding the right saddle for you is a journey, and we're here to aid you forth the way.

Robyn Furtado / Immediate Media

In that location are few other aspects of cycling that are then personal, and the perfect saddle for i rider could be akin to a torture device for another.

Not simply do our individual shapes and sizes determine what will conform us best, but besides riding style, discipline and overall level of flexibility.

With then much to think about, finding the right bike saddle can be daunting, especially with so many unlike saddle models, sizes and shapes on offer.

A wheel saddle doesn't only requite you something to perch on but is also one of the three crucial contact points with your bicycle that tin can affect its overall perceived ride quality.

A well-fitted saddle should enable you to get the most out of your ride, whether that'south sustained power efforts, riding for days on end or getting y'all to the trailhead, you should exist able to practise all of this free from discomfort. If you observe the right saddle for you, it tin feel genuinely empowering.

A word of alert

It'southward a common myth that wheel saddles are inherently uncomfortable, which tin, unfortunately, put people off riding birthday.

A suitable saddle shouldn't cause any discomfort at all: no numbness, pain, chafing or pinching.

Like a groovy pair of bib shorts, a good saddle for yous is the one you don't detect is there.

If you're relatively new to cycling, it's important to stress that information technology tin take some time for your body to go used to being in the saddle for sustained periods of fourth dimension.

Just like that aching feeling y'all might get from your first visit dorsum to the gym after a while, you have to build a degree of strength and resilience to exist comfy.

The good news is, providing your saddle is right for you, your body will before long adapt to your new position in the saddle.

Yet, if you're still suffering with saddle pain subsequently the first few weeks then it could be wise to look for an alternative seat.

How a saddle works (or, how a saddle should work)

A skillful saddle should back up your sit basic effectively.

Thomas McDaniel / Immediate Media

Simply similar when sitting on a chair, it is the sit bones at the lowest betoken in the pelvis that back up the body'due south weight, and these are crucial for saddle fit.

When in the riding position, the perineal area for men and the pubic bone arch for women may as well rest on the saddle.

Although these areas tin can concur a small corporeality of weight, force per unit area reduction here is critical to avoid numbness and hurting that results from this nerve and blood vessel-rich area.

Sit down bone widths vary between individuals, and therefore saddle manufacturers ofttimes produce models in a range of widths. Also, statistically speaking, women accept wider hips than men, so they on boilerplate also have wider sit bones and require wider saddles.

If your saddle is likewise narrow, y'all might experience undue pressure level on the sit down bones or unevenness in the saddle. If you go too wide, you risk chafing.

Route vs mountain bike vs women's vs gravel saddles – what are the bodily differences?

Saddle shape differs between disciplines.

Robyn Furtado / Immediate Media

Differences between saddles for different disciplines chronicle by and large to riding position, which not only depends on what blazon of bike you're riding but also how you ride information technology.

A route cyclist competing in a route race is likely to have a much more ambitious position compared to a road cyclist on a long-distance tour, for example.

Saddles are available in a range of shapes, with the all-time shape for yous influenced past your riding position.

Prologo

This position then relates to the rider'due south hip angle, which will bear on how the pelvis interacts with the saddle, and hence what shape is best.

For faster-paced efforts and more aerodynamic positions such as those found in route riding and triathlons, flatter, longer saddles tend to work best.

Your position on the bike determines your hip angle.

Thomas McDaniel / Immediate Media

On the other hand, curved-profile saddles are often favoured past riders in a more upright endurance position, more commonly used by gravel riders, commuters or trail riders.

Bated from saddle shape, you may find that some saddles designed for off-road riding have features designed to reduce trail vibrations, such as flexible fly panels or more compliant shells.

How are women's saddles unlike?

Although some female person riders are comfortable on unisex saddles (or vice versa!), a lot of women prefer a women's-specific saddle.

Women'south saddles have slightly dissimilar shapes, including primal grooves or cut-outs, too as unlike densities and areas of padding, corresponding to women'southward anatomy.

The aim here is to be supportive where it counts, i.e. the sit bones, and relieving whatever pressure where information technology's best avoided effectually the soft tissue areas.

Why practise some saddles take a cut-out?

Some saddles feature prominent cut-outs to relieve pressure on soft tissue.

Georgina Hinton

Key grooves or cut-outs in cycling saddles not just assist to convalesce soft tissue pressure in the genital surface area for riders but can besides help to reduce the force per unit area on the perineal area (men) or the pubic os arch (women).

Much like other aspects of saddle fit, it can take some trial and mistake to find a recessed shape that works for you.

Anatomy of a saddle and what do I get if I spend more?

1. Beat out

The material used to construct the shell of the saddle determines its ride quality (and cost). The Superlight version of the Pro Stealth, for example, is congenital on a one-piece carbon hull.

Jack Luke / Immediate Media

The shell or chassis of the saddle is the hard base of operations that forms its basic shape and determines how much it will flex.

The rails beneath connect the trounce to the seatpost via the seat clench. The layers on top of the beat are the padding and cover.

More than budget-friendly saddles will be made of plastic, or a fibre-reinforced polymer, whereas more expensive saddles will have a carbon-fibre shell.

It's worth noting that a specific model of a saddle will typically have the same shape, regardless of whether it has a plastic or carbon shell.

The advantage of a carbon crush is that, in well-nigh cases, information technology will be lighter, and potentially stronger than the plastic or polymer equivalent.

2. Runway

The material used for the saddle track will significantly decide the overall cost of the saddle. Steel rails, as seen here, tend to be the cheapest.

Felix Smith

The rails of the saddle connect the shell to the seatpost clench.

Steel alloy rails will exist standard on cheaper saddles, while mid-range and top-tier saddles tend to opt for manganese alloys, titanium or carbon-fibre rails.

These rails are one of the main determinants of a saddle's cost, and can also offer pregnant weight savings as you move up through the range.

Information technology's worth noting that carbon rail saddles may not exist compatible with all seat clamps, due to the rail being oval-shaped instead of circular.

3. Encompass

The embrace is the outermost layer of the saddle.

Tom Marvin / Immediate Media

The cover is the outermost layer of the saddle and is the role y'all actually sit on. Saddle covers are fabricated from a variety of materials including real leather, though synthetic covers are much more common.

Look out for any prominent seams and crude patches when choosing a saddle considering these can crusade discomfort depending on their location, or fifty-fifty wear holes in your shorts.

4. Padding

A high-quality saddle will have different densities of foam used throughout to relieve force per unit area.

Prologo

While thick, soft padding may seem like the solution for ultimate saddle condolement, over the course of a ride this compresses, deforming effectually your anatomy, and can end up putting force per unit area on the soft tissue areas.

Many saddle manufacturers utilise pressure mapping to make up one's mind where to identify padding, which can range from simple foam to gel, or even memory foam.

Many modern saddles are now synthetic using areas of variable density foam to give support and relief where needed.

3D press is making in roads into the world of saddles.

Dave Caudery / Immediate Media

Some saddles – such equally the Fizik Adaptive and Specialized Mirror line – even use 3D printing to create a polymer matrix to help reduce pressure in very specific areas.

The majority of saddles volition have some padding, but there are riders who are fifty-fifty happy with bare carbon saddles. These are definitely not for anybody, but highlight the importance of finding a saddle that's the right size and shape.

five. Channels, grooves and cut-out features

Cut-outs and other features add complexity and, every bit a issue, often add to price.

Many saddles on the market characteristic central pressure-relieving channels or cut-outs. As mentioned, the idea behind this is to relieve any soft tissue pressure level and to meliorate blood menses. If you're experiencing numbness while riding, a saddle with a cut-out or central channel is something to look into.

If you're non experiencing numbness, tin you however use a saddle with a cutting-out? The answer is yes – many people do. It really comes down to what'due south most comfortable for y'all. Be warned, though, for some people a cutting-out can create pressure points close to the border of the channel.

If you often ride in mucky conditions, information technology'due south worth because a saddle shape that doesn't feature a full-depth hole because you're more likely to cease upward with a lot of dirt exactly where you don't want it! Some off-road-specific saddles with cut-outs are designed with a draining shelf to prevent this from happening.

half dozen. Extras

Some saddles have extra features, such as reinforced corners on the cover to foreclose scuffing, while others accept elastomers betwixt the rails and shell, and some accept things like mounting brackets for tail-lights and saddle numberless.

While these features are a bonus, they shouldn't take too much influence on your buying decision.

How to choose the right saddle for you

There is an centre-watering number of saddles on the market, and finding the right seat tin mean the deviation between having an awesome ride, and not existence able to sit comfortably at the dinner table.

Here's how to go virtually choosing the right saddle for your needs.

1. What kind of riding are yous doing?

Equally mentioned, the type of riding you do will largely determine the saddle you use.

Robyn Furtado / Firsthand Media

Even for the same private, the requirements from a saddle will differ for different disciplines: rarely volition the saddle on a road bike for racing crits be the same as the saddle on one of the best trail mountain bikes or a long-altitude tourer. Not just will the discipline affect what saddle is best for you, but so will your riding fashion.

Considering this will help you determine roughly what shape of saddle to go for. More than on that in a moment.

A more upright position, such as that constitute on a hybrid or driver bicycle, will exist best served by a saddle with a more circular profile.

Robyn Furtado / Immediate Media

If you're planning on racing, or if you're a passenger who slides frontwards during efforts and rides 'on the rivet', a saddle with a flat profile and wide, flat nose might be best.

If y'all sit a bit more upright on your bicycle and don't move effectually also much, something slightly wider with a curved profile might offer more comfort.

An extreme example would exist saddles designed for time trialling or triathlon. These permit the passenger to get into an aerodynamically optimal position without compromising power output, typically with a very flat profile and stunted nose.

2. Consider your anatomy

Given that men and women are built quite differently, many brands make women's-specific saddles to adjust the differences in anatomy. That said, there are plenty of women out there who are perfectly comfortable on a men's or unisex saddle, and vice versa.

If you are considering a women'southward-specific saddle, check out our guide to the best women'south bike saddles.

three. What size and shape of saddle do you need?

Saddles come in different widths to adjust individual riders.

Prologo

As we mentioned before, your saddle is designed to back up your sit bones, and equally we're all unlike, many saddles come in different shapes and sizes.

Luckily, just about every saddle brand has its own proprietary fit system to help you find the correct saddle in its range. This is unremarkably used in conjunction with methods to determine the width of your sit bones and your flexibility.

Most shops will have a device to mensurate the distance between your sit basic without being intrusive: commonly a gel or memory foam pad that you sit on, and so your sit basic leave an impression that can so be measured.

If you can't notice a store with these tools, y'all tin take this measurement at dwelling house using a slice of aluminium foil or corrugated paper-thin:

1. Identify the foil or cardboard on a carpeted stair and sit downwards, then choice upward your feet to mimic your riding position.
2. When you stand upward there should be two depressions left by your sit down basic.
3. Measure the distance betwixt the centres of the depressions and add together 25 to 30mm to find your ideal saddle width.

4. Can y'all have it for a test ride?

Swapping your stock saddle and testing your new perch is the best manner to appraise if it is right for you.

Robyn Furtado / Immediate Media

Many shops volition have a fleet of test saddles they volition permit you put on your bike to take for a examination ride. With some, the moment yous sit down, you'll know that it's not for you, merely with others, it takes a bit of time to work out whether yous'll be a good match.

Things to wait out for when examination riding a saddle include numbness and any pressure on soft tissue areas. You besides shouldn't feel the saddle digging into your undercarriage, nor at the top of your legs when yous pedal. Ideally, the saddle should fit and then that you lot don't detect it at all!

It's best to spend at to the lowest degree an hr using the saddle because information technology will accept your torso some time to accommodate to new seating arrangements, also as for niggles to surface. If yous can spend longer, so that's even better because that'll give any incompatibility a greater adventure of showing before you invest.

Some brands offer schemes where you tin can endeavor the saddle for an extended menstruation of time and render it if y'all're not satisfied, or others offering a free saddle swap between models until you find the right fit for you lot.

five. How much coin do you have to spend?

The amount you'll demand to spend on a saddle depends primarily on the materials used.

If you crave a strong and lightweight carbon-fibre shell and rails, and then this comes at a price premium.

On the other hand, entry-level saddles with polymer shells and alloy track can be very reasonably priced, and the weight deviation won't add together up to much in the context of a whole bicycle.

Other features such as a cut-out or grooves tend to add a layer of complexity to manufacture, so the toll volition likely reverberate this.

How can I make my saddle more comfortable?

Although a padded gel saddle cover might seem like a adept thought to make your saddle more comfortable, this will most likely have the opposite outcome.

The way that the thick gel padding compresses nether you over the duration of a ride can actually be more uncomfortable for your sit basic and soft tissue.

Moving your saddle forwards or backwards on the rail (within the rubber limits shown) will touch on your reach to the bars and how y'all are positioned over the lesser bracket and pedals.

The vast bulk of riders should run their saddle flat only, for some, a very slight downward tilt – particularly on mountain bikes – tin can help.

BikeRadar

Most people discover that a level saddle is comfy, although some benefit from a tilt where the nose is angled down slightly. Too much tilt, though, and you lot might find that pressure level is and then put through your wrists and easily onto the bars. Making sure that you have ready your saddle at the right acme will also assist.

A professional bike fit is a swell idea for fine-tuning your position on the bicycle, including finding the best saddle shape, size and position for yous. As well, don't underestimate the power of a quality pair of bib shorts and fifty-fifty some chamois cream for longer rides.

Ultimately, remember that your saddle should exist totally comfy for hours on end. By experimenting with dissimilar models and positions and measuring your sit down os width, yous're sure to find the perfect match for you.

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Source: https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/how-to-choose-the-best-saddle/

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