We’ve all been there- halfway into a long ride on a beautiful day, and concentrating more on saddle discomfort than anything else. You should be enjoying the scenery, or the freedom of being out on your road bike, but all you can think about is how uncomfortable your saddle is. While the symptoms of incorrect saddle fit are unpleasant, the solution is quick and easy! A new saddle (one that fits you properly) can be fitted to your bike in 2 minutes, and the benefits hugely outweigh the cost. Use this article as a guide in helping you select the correct saddle. Here you’ll learn the basics of what saddle aspects can be changed to increase comfort, and to fit you better.
Remember that your bike should fit you, not the other way around. If something isn’t comfortable while you’re riding, don’t feel that you have to change how you ride to get comfortable- make sure the bike is fitted to you properly first. In an ideal world, you shouldn’t be thinking about bike fit at all when you ride, only enjoying the experience of being out there. If you head to your local bike shop to get your bike properly fitted, you can let the professionals do the fitting work for you, so that a bad fit doesn’t get in the way of a good ride.
There are several factors to consider when purchasing a road bike saddle. Physiology is very important- again, you want the saddle fitted to you, not the other way around. To this end, Ischial Tuberosity (sit bone) width, back and hip flexibility, and desired comfort level are all important. Your riding style is also a key consideration- how long you spend in the saddle versus standing, the length and scope of your average ride, and whether you’re racing or riding casually should be taken into consideration.
Physiology. The two factors to consider here are sit bone width and flexibility.
Sit bone width: The width of your Ischial Tuberosities (sit bones) is the main determination of ideal saddle width. If you want to find out yours, head to your local bike shop and they can help you out (the test isn’t as invasive as you might think, promise!). Ischial Tuberosities are the bony protrusions at the bottom of your pelvis.
Flexibility: Maybe you do yoga every day and can fold yourself into a pretzel, but regardless of your flexibility level, you have to be comfortable on the bike. Your flexibility determines the riding position that will be the most comfortable for you, and this in turn will dictate your ideal saddle width. You can get professionally fitted to your bike, but without taking that step it’s still easy to determine your saddle needs.
Choose your ideal riding position on a three-point scale: aggressive, moderate, or upright.
Upright- most comfortable
Neutral- most stable and efficient
Aggressive- fastest and most aerodynamic
The reason ride position is important to know is that your sit bones are angled, so the more upright you sit, the wider their effective width where they meet the saddle.
Once you figure out what your desired body position is, it’s a good idea to check that your bike actually is set up like this. By changing the handlebar, stem, or stem adaptors on your bike, you can easily change the ride height to be more or less aggressive.
WTB make a saddle fitting tool which will help identify your sit bone width on the bike. The benefit to this tool is that it takes saddle position into account as well as static sit-bone width- both the above measurements are taken into account with the fitting. The tool slips onto your current saddle, and will show you where your primary contact areas are, so that you can choose a saddle that maximises padding in high-pressure areas, while reducing unwanted saddle contact in places where it will get in the way. Head to your local Live to Play Sports dealer to try one out!
Riding style. Your riding style will dictate your ideal saddle fit almost as much as your physiology. While riding style can change throughout a riding season, knowledge of how these changes can affect saddle fit are important to consider.
Time spent in the saddle: If you are the type of rider who is constantly standing up for climbs or descents, a saddle with smaller overall fit might be a good thing to aim for. While your ideal sit bone width won’t change, a preference should be given to less extraneous material at the sides of the saddle, which will inhibit movement. The nose of the saddle is used more while climbing (when the natural tendency is to slide forward on the saddle) and for control when descending or turning. A rider who spends a large amount of their time out of the saddle (as a mountain bike rider typically does) can afford to run a smaller (and thus lighter) saddle.
Terrain: If your rides are rougher than your backside is tough, more padding is your friend. Most saddles will come in a variety of padding levels, and the formula here is simple: more padding is more comfortable (and a more curved ‘saddle’ shape will hold you in place better), but this comes at a weight penalty.
Goals: In assessing your riding style, consulting a professional bike fitter is key. By watching your pedal stroke, and assessing your needs as a rider (whether you’re searching for maximum power or maximum comfort, for example), they will be able to adjust the saddles position relative to your bike to help you achieve those goals. It’s inadvisable to change your saddles angle or position on the seatpost without confirmation that the changes will be beneficial to your goal.
As WTB’s saddle range chart proves- there’s a saddle for just about everybody!
Saddles to consider:
Ergon SR3 Pro Saddle
Sizing: 3 sizes available
Padding: Medium. Carbon shell has ‘pockets’ in the area of the sit bones for additional padding
Shape: Flat top allows for a range of movement
LTP part number: 653716-01/06
MSRP: $214.99
Serfas Ghost Carbon HP
Sizing: 155mm for wider sit bone widths
Padding: Medium/high
Shape: Bevelled to hold riders in a static position
LTP part number: 659750-01
MSRP: $189.99
WTB SL8
Sizing: 128mm, for narrow sit bone widths
Padding: Low to keep weight and excess material down
Shape: flat and short, suited to a rider who moves around a lot.
LTP part number: 659943-03
MSRP: $164.99
We hope you’ve found this saddle width guide helpful! There are a large number of articles written to further inform you on saddle choices, and no saddle choice should be complete without consulting the experts at your local Live to Play Sports dealer. By ensuring that the saddle on your bike is the correct width and shape, you can know that you’re set up for maximum comfort and safety while riding. For more tips and tricks, follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
