September 30, 2022

How to choose the right bike saddle – your butt deserves better!

When it comes to choosing a good bike seat, you have everything to gain by putting a little effort into finding a saddle that will fit your tush like a glove.

Written by: Rob Brownie

saddle

When it comes to choosing a good bike saddle, you have everything to gain by putting a little effort into finding a seat that will fit your tush like a glove. Perhaps you just bought a new bike or have been building up a hand-me-down. In addition to outfitting your ride with new handlebars, grips and pedals, you’ll want to invest at least as much attention into your saddle. And that doesn’t mean you need to empty your wallet to get the best seat for your body type – you simply need to know what to look for and what to ask when shopping around.

Why Replace?

Many bikes come with stock accessories not designed for the people who will be using them. Replacing your saddle could change the way you ride for the better.

Locate the Pain

If your saddle is uncomfortable, try to determine exactly where the pain is, and try to be as specific about describing that pain as you can. Between the three points of contact where your body rests on your bike — feet, hands and butt — at least 55 percent of your weight will rest on your seat. The area that you sit on is called the perineal region, and it includes a network of blood vessels and nerves that lie between your sit bones.

If you are feeling pain or numbness between these bones, your saddle could be too narrow. If chafing along your inner thighs is the issue, or if your sit bones are sore, perhaps your saddle is too wide or too flat. Women tend to have a wider space between their sit bones than men do, so bike saddles for women tend to be broader (see “What to Know Before You Buy” below). The key is to have as much surface area contact on your seat as possible so that your weight is evenly distributed

Choose a Saddle

When I bought my last bike seat, I had Goldilocks in mind. I wanted something not too hard and not too soft. I wanted to find a saddle that was “just right.” In addition to testing out different saddles, it is worthwhile to consider the geometry of bike saddle design. Joshua Cohen, in his book The Illustrated Guide to Bicycle Seats, recommends avoiding saddles that curve steeply upwards in the middle to avoid excessive upwards pressure. A slight curvature will allow you to slide from side to side comfortably.

Viewed from the side, the saddle should have a slight flare in the rear to hold you in place. A slight dip in the middle will support you comfortably and allow for front-to-back movement. If you are riding a city bike and sitting in a more upright position, the rear of the seat will be much wider than the nose. A road bike with drop bars will have you leaning forward and so a narrower seat might be your preference.

You also want to think about saddle material and padding. I swear by my Brooks B17 leather saddle. In fact, after I had my first Brooks stolen last year, I swallowed hard, fought back tears and bought a new one to replace it. Leather stretches to conform to the shape of your pelvis and allows your body to slide naturally as you pedal. An added bonus is that you can adjust a tightening bolt under the saddle as the leather softens and stretches over time.

If the leather option is too expensive or not to your liking, by far the most common bike seat is a variation of a hard plastic shell padded with foam or gel and covered with vinyl. Beware that too much padding can result in chafing on your thighs. If you really need extra cushioning, consider padded bike shorts as an option.

Make Adjustments

So you found your dream saddle. You now know more about bike seat design than you do about gear ratios or bearing grease. You even tried a couple of seats out after test-driving a few bikes at your local shop. There is more. To fully reap the benefits of your carefully chosen saddle, it needs to fit on your bike properly. You can adjust your seat three ways, the most obvious being raising or lowering your seat post. Underneath the seat you will see two rails that are attached to the seat post with a clamp. The seat can be moved forwards or backwards along this clamp. You can also tilt the nose of the saddle.

Finally, some saddles come with springs, and you can even buy seat posts with shock absorbers. This is a matter of personal taste. My thinking on this is that if you have maximized the saddle surface that your body is in contact with and the saddle is properly installed, you should be ready to ride.

5 Comments

Richard Brannan
August 29, 2017
I purchased a Brooks B17 right before my first STP. I was able to ride the whole 200 miles with no padding. I have Brooks saddles on all my bikes.
Taylor Winfield
August 28, 2017
If you think you MIGHT like a Brooks leather saddle, before you make that $100 or more commitment, you could buy one of those cheap leather saddles made in China & sold on Amazon.
I ripped the leather on a very old (1970’s) Brooks and bought a Chinese leather cheapie from Amazon while I was deciding if I really needed a new Brooks for this old 10 speed which I seldom ride. I wasn’t expecting much but the cheap Chinese saddle is pretty good. Because the leather (and it IS leather!) is pebble grain, it isn’t as slick as a well worn Brooks – better for me when wearing bike shorts.
If you do buy a real Brooks, take it with you whenever you leave your bike locked up on the street – they are too easy to steal.
Warren
August 25, 2017
I will always recommend the saddle I got when I was dying on my training rides for the Toronto -Montreal Friends For Life rally.
It supports only the sit-bones, is an inclined platform that keeps you in a dynamic, balanced posture – and is great for hill-climbing. Because the entire ‘horn’ is gone, airflow is wonderful. It takes a bit of getting used to, but I would never go back.
Spongywonder.com is made in new Brunswick, and has a generous return policy – as well as a reasonable price, given that it is near hand-made (and I’m on my second frame in 13 years).
Ramon
July 9, 2014
I’m currently saddle shopping and it’s a major pain in the… soft tissue. The stock saddle that came with my 2012 Jamis has served me very well, but the upholstery is literally falling apart. I started my search about a month ago and had some specific needs:
(1) The saddle has to be brown. My bike is brown and orange and I really want to keep the motif.
(2) The saddle has to have either raised sit-bone pads or a significant cutout.
(3) The saddle has to be synthetic. My bike is used for commuting and is left locked up outside on a university campus. There’s too much risk of having a Brooks saddle stolen.
(4) The saddle has to be a bit on the wide side. I’m 6’1″, 210 lbs, have a sizable derriere and, according to my at-home measurements, my sit bones are wider-spread than most men.
I visited about a dozen LBSs and the only brown saddles to be found were big beach cruiser saddles, so, I began shopping online. After much discernment, I threw down $50 and bought new brown saddle. On first ride to work (4 miles), it was just fine. On the ride home, however, the padding was so softened the sunlight it received throughout the day that my sit-bones sunk right in and shoved a bunch of padding where it ought not be.
Moreover, on my first longer ride (18 miles), the last 9 miles were torturous with my feet going numb and my lower back starting to hurt from trying to find a “good enough” sitting position just to get home. All that soft padding was pressing all kinds of stuff best left not pressed.
This morning, I reinstalled my old stock saddle with a bit of duct tape in some key spots. I’m shopping once again for a new saddle.
Here is what I’ve learned thus far:
(1) The whole “women’s” and “men’s” saddle thing is a bit of a misnomer. There is nothing particularly specific about women or men that require they use different categories of saddles. What’s important is:
(a) Saddle Width – Sit bone distance for men and women overlap greatly. Separating them by gender tends only to limit the expectations of consumers. (http://rivetcycleworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/sit-bones-saddle-chart.png).
(b) Cut-outs and Depth Variability.
(c) Amount and Softness of Padding — Hard/no padding is not for every type of cycling/cyclist. The same goes for soft padding.
(2) Having a style requirement when shopping for your saddle makes it very difficult to find the saddle you need. (I’m stubborn, though.)
(3) Buying a saddle online without testing it in person first is definitely risky. (I spent $50 on a saddle I won’t use. I will try to sell it for $30+).
(4) Go into saddle shopping blind of gender designations on saddles. Know what your body needs and shop for that. It doesn’t matter if it’s meant for a “boy” or a “girl” — a saddle that works for you just works.
Matthew
September 2, 2012
I get soreness and chafing, should I go to a bike store to find a good seat? Where can I purchase your magazine?