Back in the Saddle Again

• Posted on 29 June 2021
• By KW
• 0

By now you've read about bike shorts and why you should wear them (if you haven't, we'll wait - go ahead and read it right now).  Today's topic is basically right in the same, err, neighborhood: saddle selection.  There are so many different saddles to choose from, how do you make a choice that works for you?  Hopefully we will be able to assist you in that regard so all of your rides are pleasant, whether on the road, gravel, trail, or paved path/sidewalk.  Saddles are unique in that what works really well for one person may not be comfortable at all for another.  Your bike setup and riding style have a lot to do with it, and at least one manufacturer takes your (self-reported) flexibility into account.

Let's start with your bike.  Road racer?  Beach cruiser?  Two setups and styles that are basically at each end of the saddle spectrum, and if you're riding one of those bikes, you certainly don't want a saddle made for the other.  Road saddles are generally narrower and lighter, with less body contact on the seat.  Frequently they will have a channel cut down the middle to relieve pressure.  There is a pretty vast range of materials used in the construction of a road saddle, from basic steel to lightweight titanium rails, as well as varying levels of cushion (though there's not a lot of that no matter what!).  

Cruisers and leisure bikes, on the other hand, have a more upright riding position and use a saddle with a little more cushion, a shorter nose, and a wider seating area that may even curve upward a little, kind of like a chair.  A cruiser/leisure saddle will usually be a little less expensive than a road saddle, since riders who use them are not as concerned about weight and aerodynamic properties of their seats, and will have ample padding for your comfort.

Mountain bikes are kind of somewhere in the middle - the saddles tend to be longer like a road bike, but also may include features to dampen the ride or pervent the saddle from scuffing by adding reinforced corners.  Similar to a road seat, MTB saddles are constructed of a wide array of materials, and using weight and similar factors in their contruction.  

You may or may not know that most saddles are also specific to male or female riders.  A rider's sit bone space (that distance between your pelvic bones, where your butt contacts the seat) will help determine a good-fitting seat.  A male-specific saddle will generally be based on a narrower sit bone distance, while a female-specific one will be wider.  Men's seats also usually have a longer nose compared to a women-specific one.  But, hey, don't let the "specific" part fool you: men can be happy on a "women's" seat and vice versa.  It's ultimately up to rider comfort!

So let's say you love to ride long distances, but you notice that lately you're getting a numbness/tingling  or pain in places that you would rather not have numbness or pain.  Should you buy a seat with a cut-out or a channel to relieve the issue?  Well, that depends.  Cut-outs and channels are meant to relieve pressure on the perineum, that sensitive area between your buttocks and your genitals.  A narrow bike seat can put too much pressure on that nerve, resulting in numbness - like when your arm falls asleep, only it's not your arm.  This is probably more common with male riders, but it can affect females as well.  There are many possible reasons for this, though, and they are not always connected to the shape of your saddle.  Bike fit, rider weight, and how much a rider changes position on the bike all come in to play here.  You can also adjust the fore/aft position and/or the tilt of the nose of the saddle.  A channel does indeed help many/most people, so if it works for you, great.  I did my 24-hour PR of 240 miles on a road saddle from Fizik with no channel and no problems, but what works for me may not be the best for you.

If you were wondering about the number one comment we receive about bike seats, you'd be correct if you said it's  "I need a bigger one."  And sometimes the answer is "do you??"  Because the idea that a bigger, softer, cushier, wider, fatter seat is going to be a better one is not always true.  If you end up with something that's TOO much, it will affect your ride as well.  At some point you lose pedaling efficiency - your legs end up too far apart, or your butt slides around on your seat, or, in the case of getting a padded cushion for your padded seat, the seat itself kind of slides around.  Our number one reply to this - though sometimes we keep it to ourselves - is "you just need to ride more."  And that is truly the case in most situations.  Your body needs to get used to your seat, just like any other physical thing you would try.  Sometimes you need several rides on the saddle before you really know how uncomfortable it is.  So we caution against the "bigger, fatter, softer" seat too early in the game.

The good news is that you always have the option for a bit of a test ride.  We love our customers, but there is only so much we want to know about you, you know?  So while we might ask a somewhat personal question or two while you're here, we'll let you take the saddle home and give it a try for a couple weeks.  If it isn't the right one for you, we will gladly exchange it for another, providing you have your receipt and the original packaging card so we can put the seat back in stock.

So after all of this, do we have any recommendations for you?  Yes.  And, of course, no.  We will certainly help with the idea that if you're looking for a cruiser saddle we obviously won't recommend a Brooks leather saddle!  Here are some of our best-sellers, though, which might help you with your search:

 - The Jamis "Cheeks" saddle is the one that comes on the Jamis Citizen and Hudson.  We take some pride in this one, because we were part of the encouragement that got Jamis to sell them.  It's a memory foam saddle that is great for cruiser and leisure bikes.

 - The Syncros Urban Comfort is a great option for hybrids and mountain/cross bikes, and is also a good choice for a commuter or cruiser.  

 - It's hard to write about something that we don't have in stock right now, but the WTB saddles are all rock-solid, amazing choices.  The Koda, Pure, and Volt are all MTB specific, but work very well on a hybrid or commuter (I have these on 3 of my 4 regular riders).  We hope to see more before the end of summer!

As always, you are welcome to call, write, or visit the shop to ask questions or talk about bike stuff.  We are glad to help!