Which width saddle

Many suggest adding about 20mm, as signified by the Road Bike Bros above, which would then land you on the ideal saddle. For example, if your sit bones measured mm, you add 20mm and voila, a mm saddle width will fit perfectly! Before we move on to the effectiveness, take a moment to observe the sit bone measurement methods proposed by some of the powerhouses in the cycling industry. The process, though, is exactly the same as the home methods provided above.

Below is a picture of the sitting position well described in an article by www. Cycling is one of those odd sports where the type of cycling, goals, intensity, and volume will likely affect body position and invariably, your saddle choice. To learn more, take a look at this video from BikeFit founder and master bike fitter, Paul Swift.

If you ever have the pleasure of talking to Paul or taking one of his bike fitting courses , this is his baseline level of passion and energy. While some commuters and leisure cyclists sit at the degree position, the majority of cyclists will have some type of pelvic bend as Paul mentioned. Consequently, the sit bones would not be your main pressure point or measurement point for potential saddle comfort.

Take a look a the position below of three different types of cyclists. Depending on the discipline, the pelvis is clearly in a different position but the instructions for sit bones measurement for saddle selection focus on a degree spine angle. If the majority of cyclists ride at some type of angle, what part of the pelvis takes the brunt of the pressure in different body positions? The two diagrams above provide a much clearer picture of pelvic position and which bones receive the most pressure depending on the amount of rotation or position of the rider.

We did not quantify this to a degree of angle as this is rider dependent. Yet, our friends at BiSaddle image to the upper right pointed out that the pubic Rami may be a much more common pressure point measurement vs.

Consequently, the only way to truly find your perfect saddle is to personally test the saddle. How often do you sit on the saddle without pedaling while riding? For most disciplines, you pedal and pedal often. As a result, your comfort on the saddle is based on how you feel pedaling vs. Even if you were bent in the proper pelvic position to measure pressure, that pressure would likely change based on your pedal stroke.

Here are the BikeFit suggestions to finding the perfect saddle for you:. Many shops use this awesome tool so feel free to ask them when you call, e-mail, or shadily DM about testing new saddles.

Saddle Demo. The Saddle Changer is an amazing tool but riding a saddle for 30 seconds is not the same as an experiencing it for 2 hours. Yes, you can narrow down the choices with indoor testing but to truly discover the best saddle for you requires taking it for a ride.

Most cyclists move on the saddle while riding as the road or terrain changes and undulates. This may take much longer so our suggestion is to visit your local dealer or dealers and ask about their saddle testing programs. Preferably use some old packaging cardboard as it will conform to your sit bone easier. Any color of chalk will do as long as it is about 10cm long. It also needs to be longitudinally flat in order to create the markings.

Place a flat piece of cardboard on a bench or a lightly padded sofa. Then sit on the center portion of the cardboard with your weight evenly spread. Ensure your back is straight. Once you stand up, keep the chalk flat parallel to the ground and shade the cardboard piece. The indentations left by your sit bones will remain uncolored by the chalk because of the dent in the cardboard. Saddles form an important part of your overall ride experience — you spend a LOT of time on this single component.

While your style of riding and how long you intend to spend on the saddle will determine what model of saddle you need, the width is an important aspect of choosing the saddle. Sit bone width is an obvious factor when choosing a saddle width, but why is the sitting position important? That is explained in the next chapter:. Saddle should provide support of the sit bones, so that body weight is not distributed over some other, more sensitive body parts.

As the pelvis is rotated forward picture 3 , a narrower part of the pelvis is leaned on the saddle picture 2. That is why the optimal saddle width depends on the riding position picture 1. Saddle that is too narrow for an upright sitting position can be of optimal width for a leaned forward riding position, and vice-versa picture 5.

Manufacturers usually note saddle width in milimeters on the part of the saddle where it is the widest. However, depending on saddle shape, not all of this width can be used to support the body sit bones. The more a saddle is curved, the more it is important to make note of this. Excess width is often important — but for reasons other than supporting the body.

For this reason, width of the saddle or the part of the saddle the sit bones are leaned on should be at least two cm one cm to each side greater than the width of the part of the sit bones that are leaned on it. Picture 8 shows a simple guide: how many cm to add to the measured sit bone width in order to get an optimal saddle width. For example, if a road bike is used, with very leaned forward position like in the 2nd drawing from the left in picture 8 , and if measured sit bone width is mm, then a saddle should be 1 cm 10 mm wider, which is about mm.

It should be noted that this too is just a guide, a starting point when trying out new saddles. Optimal saddle width is also individual. When trying out a new saddle, give it a week or two time for the body to adapt, then decide whether it is comfortable or not.

Once one, finally, finds a very good fitting saddle, it is best to buy saddles at once, since shapes and models are changed almost every year. That way the search for a perfect saddle can be avoided for a long time.

Before buying, I suggest reading the other 4 short articles in this 5 article series this one being the last, 5th :. For a concrete model recommendation, if it is of any help though saddle choice is very subjective , these have served me very well over the years using Amazon affiliate links :.