Why are bicycle seats so hard?

For example, when you sit directly on a stool, the two sit bones in your butt bear your weight. At this time, the soft tissue in the middle of the two ischial bones bears less pressure. If you place a cushion between your butt and the stool, the two sit bones will press the cushion down with greater pressure, and the soft tissue in the middle will also bear more pressure, which is especially important in bicycle seats.

Thicker saddles tend to put more pressure on your soft tissues, especially on long rides (it’s not a big problem on short rides). An over-padded saddle is also a common cause of painful inner thigh chafing as you ride longer.



Wide or narrow?

The width of the bicycle saddle is also very important to the rider. The width of the saddle is often determined by the distance between the two sit bones. If the saddle is too narrow, the sit bones will hang off the sides of the saddle and the soft tissue will bear a greater load. If the saddle is too wide, it can easily cause chafing on the inner thighs, especially in hot weather.

The appropriate width of the saddle is also related to improper adjustment of your saddle. If the stem is too long and the handlebars are extended too far forward, or the saddle is positioned too far back, it will make the saddle look narrower.

Conventional wisdom holds that women’s sit bones are farther apart, so men’s saddles are usually narrower than women’s saddles. Of course, individual differences are different, and the requirements for saddle width are also different.

Measure sit bones

How to measure ischial distance? Find a larger piece of corrugated paper, sit vertically on the corrugated paper, and finally use a ruler to measure the distance between the two deepest points, which is the distance between your sit bones.



In addition to the distance between the sit bones, the size of the saddle also includes factors such as riding posture. Different riding postures will cause different pressure points on the saddle. Therefore, 3D printing technology is very popular in the manufacturing of bicycle saddles. . The following is selle royal’s reference data for different riding positions.

According to the distance between the sit bones, the saddles are divided into three categories: small, medium and large. The corresponding ischium widths are less than 11cm, 11-13cm, and more than 13cm respectively.

Athletic position (body at a 45-degree angle). 289mm*127mm (small, length times width), 289*144 (medium), 289*159

Relax posture (body at a 60-degree angle). 289mm*141mm (small), 289*161 (medium), 289*178

Relaxed position (body at a 90-degree angle). 289mm*169mm (small), 289*196 (medium), 289*224

One saddle can hold up an ordinary bicycle, especially saddles customized for professionals. They are often designed with various ergonomics in consideration of various riding postures, and are the best protection for the rider's body.

A stiffer saddle may be uncomfortable, but it often better protects soft tissue from greater damage.