BIKE SADDLE 101

Your bike saddle is like your appendix: if it’s doing its job perfectly, you never have to think about it. If it’s not, it’s the only thing you can think about! Ideally, your saddle is the unsung hero of your ride, supporting your body without drawing too much attention. But in the real world, too many cyclists are painfully aware of the ways a saddle can make its presence known.

In this post, we’ll get into the nitty gritty of what saddles are for (it’s more than you think!), how they relate to the rest of the bike, why they come in so many shapes and styles, and how to choose the best saddle for your body and riding style. Let’s go!

What does a saddle do?

The saddle–along with the handlebars and pedals–is one of three points where your body comes in contact with your bike. It supports the weight of your body while you ride of course, but it has less obvious jobs too.

Your saddle allows you to control the angle of the frame with your hips and thighs, which is a subtle but significant part of steering. Clamping the nose between your thighs helps stabilize long descents. The saddle braces your pelvis so you can push hard against your pedals and also offers somewhere to rest when you need to give your legs a break and coast.

The right saddle should do all these things while allowing free movement and keeping you comfy.

Is your saddle right for you?

Compare a bike saddle to an armchair and you’ll understand why no saddle can promise perfect comfort 100% of the time. This is especially true on long, strenuous, or sweaty rides. That said, your saddle shouldn’t cause:

numbness, tingling, or acute pain
pelvic and hip joint pain

an unsettled or fidgety feeling while riding
shifting on the saddle to find a stable position
frequent coasting to relieve seat discomfort
riding with an arched back to protect soft tissue from the saddle nose

If any of those sound familiar, there are two likely culprits: the saddle itself and/or the position of the saddle on your bike.

The Benefits of Finding the Right Saddle

Benefits of finding your ideal saddle go beyond immediate comfort. The right saddle can increase your efficiency and reduce muscle fatigue, so you can ride faster, farther, and more often.

An appropriate saddle and well-fitted bike are also important for safe and healthy riding. Minimizing pressure on the pelvic floor, urethra, and perineum protects against muscular stress and nerve irritation that can eventually lead to more serious urinary and sexual issues.

NEW SADDLE OR BIKE FIT?

If you’re riding on the wrong saddle, you’ll be uncomfortable even if your bike is perfectly fitted. The right saddle in the wrong position won’t be comfy either. Bike fitters distinguish between these two sources of discomfort by calling one ‘contact point discomfort’ and the other ‘fit discomfort’.

Contact points are all the parts of the bike that your body touches directly–saddle, handlebars and pedals. Bikes often come with contact points that aren’t well matched to our bodies. Grips may be too large or small for hands, saddles too wide or narrow for hips. The solution to contact point discomfort is to assess the issue and swap out the problem part for one that suits you better.

Fit is the spatial position of the contact points in relation to each other, the bike frame, and your body. A bike fitter can adjust your bike’s contact points to in accordance with your body, much the way a tailor can alter clothes to fit your measurements. Assessing the position of your contact points and moving them forward, back, up, and down is how a fitter can make your bike more comfortable and efficient to ride.

Understanding a bit more about saddle design vs. position is a great first step for figuring out how to address your saddle woes. Still, your saddle and your body interact in complex ways and it can be hard to know whether to go saddle shopping or book a bike fit. In general, if you like how your bike feels everywhere except the saddle, look for a new one. If you have multiple points of riding discomfort including the saddle, consider starting with a bike fit instead.

CHOOSING A SADDLE

When it comes to choosing a saddle, there are lots of factors to consider. The kind of bike you’re riding, the way you ride, and your individual physiology are all part of determining which saddle will suit you best.

Type of Bike and Riding Stance

Different types of bikes put the rider in different physical positions. Some bikes are designed for speed, some for ruggedness, some for stability, others for endurance—and everything in between! Your bike’s intended purpose dictates where its contact points are placed, which in turn sets the stance of your body on the bike. In a nutshell:

Upright stance

easier on the core and back muscles
moves center of gravity over pelvis, so you sit ‘heavier’ on the saddle
rotates pelvis back, moving pressure toward sit bones
less powerful, but more sustainable
generally calls for a wider, more padded and flexible saddle

Lowered stance

requires more effort from core and back muscles
moves center of gravity forward, so pelvis sits ‘lighter’ on the saddle but more stress goes to hand, arms, legs and feet
rotates pelvis forward, moving pressure toward pubic bone
more powerful, but more strenuous
generally calls for a narrower, harder saddle

Here are two examples that illustrate the opposite ends of the riding stance spectrum:

First, imagine a racing bike. The contact points form a tight triangle, with the saddle close to the handlebars on a horizontal axis, and higher than the handlebars on a vertical axis. This puts the rider in a low, aggressive stance that requires flexibility and strength but makes for powerful, high-speed riding.

In that stance the pelvis rotates forward, moving saddle contact away from the sit bones and onto the narrower pelvic bones that slope up toward the pubis. The forward rotation also closes the space between the thighs, engages the glutes, and makes the saddle into something the body braces against more so than sits on top of.

This position enables a forceful downward pedal stroke and shifts the rider’s center of gravity forward, moving pressure off the saddle and into the handlebars and pedals. Taken all together, this explains why racing saddles tend to be narrow, stiff, and minimally padded.

Now picture a cruiser. This bike prioritizes a comfy, casual ride over speed and sprinting power. That means the contact points form a more upright, spread out triangle: the seat is further back over the rear wheel for stability, and much lower than the handlebars so you can sit upright and take in the views as you meander down the seawall. This position means less powerful pedaling, but it’s comfortable, accessible, and easy to maintain on a long ride.

The riding stance on a cruiser is similar to sitting on a stool: near-vertical torso, pelvis rotated back, spine stacked above it in a natural S-curve. In this position, most of the weight of the upper body rests on the sit bones. If the seat is too narrow, this pressure will pinch the soft tissue of the perineum. If it’s too hard, the weight of the upper body will jackhammer into the sit bones every time there’s a bump in the road, compressing the spine and even bruising the flesh between the saddle and bone. To support and cushion the sit bones and absorb road vibration, bikes with relaxed, upright stances tend to have wide, springy, amply padded saddles.

These two examples represent the opposite ends of the bike type and riding stance spectrum. Most bikes will fall somewhere between the two and call for a saddle with the appropriate combination of qualities.

Speed and Riding Stance

No matter what kind of bike you ride, you might find yourself intuitively lowering your torso when you hit an uphill stretch or just need to pick up speed. Shifting into this position engages more musculature in your riding, so it’s powerful in the moment but tiring over time.

Conversely, when you’re tired or just having a laid back day you might find yourself choosing to be more upright. This lets your core and back rest and relieves hand pressure, but means that your quads and calves are doing almost all of the pedaling work, so you don’t have as much oomph.

Different stances not only change how hard you can ride, but how your body engages with your saddle. Think about where you spend most of your time on your bike: low and fast, high and leisurely, or somewhere inbetween? That information will help determine what saddle to choose.

Physiology

Every body is different. Factors to consider when looking for a saddle include:

the width of the pelvis (we’ll talk more about how to measure that below)
flexibility
arm/torso/leg length proportions
strength
weight
fat distribution
injuries and other health concerns
how much you sweat

SADDLE FEATURES

Most of the patrons of our Saddle Library end up choosing almost entirely based on what fits their bum the best. But if you want to know more about features and options, read on!

SHAPE

Side-to-Side Curve

Hold up a saddle and look at it from the back. Some saddles are flat from side to side, almost like a tray. Some are noticeably curved, dropping off towards either side.

A flat saddle provides a very stable platform and solid engagement with your sit bones. It also means less pressure on the soft tissue between the sit bones.

A rounded saddle leaves lots of room for your hips to rotate into the pedal stroke. The curve can also help keep your body centered on the saddle.

Front-to-Back Wave

Now look at the saddle from the side. It might be flat or have a distinct shape to it. Flat saddles allow a rider to move around a fair bit, forward and back, depending on riding conditions. Saddles with a front-to-back wave hold the body in place, so tend to work well for riders who stay in one position.

Curved saddles come in many different shapes that have different functions.

An upward swoop at the back of the saddle braces the pelvis, allowing you to push harder on the pedals when you’re bent forward on your bike for a sprint or long climb.

A curve that makes the middle of the saddle lower than the front and back relieves soft tissue pressure when you’re relatively upright on your bike.

A sharp drop downward at the nose, or front end, of the saddle provides the same kind of soft tissue relief when you’re bent down, pedaling hard.

Cut Outs and Channels

Cut outs relieve pressure on your perineum and increase airflow to reduce heat, moisture, and friction. Cut outs come in various shapes, positions, and lengths. Which style is right for you depends on your anatomy and riding stance. You do want a cut out that reduces pressure for the flesh around the bones of your pelvis. You don't want one that pinches, chafes, or shifts pressure from your bones onto the soft tissue.

Relief channels are depressions that run down the center of a saddle but don’t go all the way through. They're a good choice for riders who benefit from the soft tissue relief of the cut out but find the edges of a full cut out uncomfortable.

Padding

Saddles come with foam padding, gel padding, and sometimes, in the case of hard leather, rubber, or carbon saddles, no padding whatsoever. All can be good depending on your needs. We find that it’s less about what the padding is made of and more about having it in the right amount and location.

In general, less is more! It’s easy to assume that the biggest, softest saddle will be the most comfortable, but in reality less material can be the way to go. Ideally, the saddle supports the bones of your pelvis while staying out of the way of muscle, fat and nerves. Less padding also reduces heat and friction.

That said, some of us need more squish! In that case, we recommend padded shorts. Extra padding tends to soak up sweat and harbor bacteria and unlike your saddle, shorts can be thoroughly laundered! (Author’s note: personally, my comfiest riding has been on hot days with padded shorts under a light, short cotton dress. Even when I’m in the saddle for hours and sweating like crazy on the uphills, the stretchy, fitted fabric moves with my thighs to prevent chafing, the padding keeps saddle sores at bay, and the extra airflow from being in a skirt is a dream! You can replicate the effect in cold weather by adding merino tights and a sweater.)

It may be tempting to get extra padding from a saddle cover or pad. Please don’t! They may be cheap and easy, but a saddle with integrated padding and/or padded shorts are a much better solution. Covers are usually made with low quality foam and fabric which block air flow, counteract ergonomic saddle design, slip around under you as your ride, retain moisture from sweat, and turn into sponges when left out in the rain.

Cover Material

Most modern saddles are covered in some form of nylon or carbon fibre (often given a technical sounding name like ‘neoleather’). Cover material choice is mostly a matter of personal preference. And some folks may have a preference for a smooth, slippery surface that allows easy repositioning, while others may like something with some texture to hold the rider in place.

Avoid fabric covered saddles if they also have padding underneath - they let water in and then the foam takes a long time to dry.

Some manufacturers still offer genuine leather covers, and if you can find one that’s the right shape for you we highly recommend this option. Real leather is breathable, pleasingly grippy and slippy, and lasts a very long time - it’s tear resistant and even when it does wear or tear it tend to develop a gratifying patina rather than failing altogether.

Commuters, adventure riders, and cargo bike devotees may want to look for heavy duty materials, or for covers that are reinforced in places likely to be damaged in crashes or by banging up on another bike in the parkade cage.

Rails

Your saddle sits on rails which attach at the front and rear and provide a kind of leaf spring shock absorption. Most modern saddles have chromoly steel rails. Carbon and titanium rails are popular upgrades for lighter weight and better ride characteristics. Titanium is popular with endurance cyclists in particular because it dampens vibration, combatting fatigue on long rides.

“Men’s” and “Women’s” Saddles

Reducing human anatomical diversity to the categories of “men” and “women” is a marketing ploy—and a lazy one at that! The extent of most saddle makers’ sophistication is to call their narrower models “men’s” or “unisex” and the wider ones “women’s.” In reality, factors like genetics, endocrinology, and lived experience all contribute to the body’s complex, unique, and ever-changing anatomy. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer.

Despite that, the bike industry seems to picture riders as young, lean, tall, flexible, symmetrical, full of testosterone, and injury-free by default. That’s why it’s so important to understand and listen to what you need when it comes to saddle choice. You know your body better than anyone else, and at the end of the day you deserve the saddle that fits you best, regardless of label.

Sizing

The sizing standard for saddles corresponds to the saddle’s width at the rear. Generally, people are happiest on a saddle that’s about 10-20mm wider than their sit bones at its widest point.

HOW TO MEASURE YOUR SIT BONES

In order to determine the width, you need to measure between the center of your sit bones. There are a couple of ways to go about this. One may work better for you than another. If your measurement is wildly outside the 100-180mm range, try again to make sure you’re getting an accurate measurement. You can always try a couple different methods to make sure you’re getting consistent results.

Wear whatever clothes and shoes you normally bike in. Grab something to measure with and follow the instructions below:

Aluminum Foil Method

Take a piece of aluminum kitchen foil and place it on a carpeted chair or stair (anything with carpet will do.
Find something to elevate your legs.
Sit on the aluminum kitchen foil.
Lean forward a bit to mimic your riding position.
Lift your feet to leave an impression in the foil.
Now you only have to the width between the two points of deepest impression.

The Eraser Method

Get two small erasers or anything small to comfortably sit on.
Put them on a chair and sit on them.
Moved them until you can feel that they’re aligned with your sit bones.
Measure the width between the erasers.

The Playdough Method

Grab some playdough, enough to make an imprint.
Put it between plastic foil and press it to make it about 2″ thick.
Place it on a hard surface like a flat bench and grab something to rest your feet on.
Sit on the playdough and mimic your riding position.
Measure the width between the two imprints.

NEXT STEPS

As you can see, there’s a lot to consider when it comes to finding the perfect saddle. Once you’ve digested as much (or little!) information as you need, you’re ready to start searching for the best match for your body, bike and riding style.

You can stop by the shop any time during business hours to check out our wall of saddles and chat about what might be a good fit.

If you’d like to try out a few different options before taking the plunge, take advantage of our Saddle Library program. The Saddle Library lets you road test different saddles on your own bicycle. At a Saddle Library appointment, we’ll chat a bit about whatever issues you have with your current saddle, and then pick a few options that we think will address them. Then all you have to do is try them out and compare how they feel!

The third option is to start with a comprehensive Bike Fit. This is the way to go if you feel like the saddle is just part of what’s making your ride uncomfortable. During your fit, we’ll address how the position of your current saddle can be adjusted for more comfort, and give you the chance to try different saddles on your bike.

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