The Truth About Your Bike Saddle

I have been getting numerous emails from people all over the country from my previous article on 10 Bicycle Fitting Myths. One very important area of bike fit that was not covered was saddles.

At FASTER, we receive emails and calls on a daily basis, "My behind is very sore," or "I experience uncomfortable pressure and numbness on my frontal area," to "I have tried many different saddles and can't find the right one."

Some of the symptoms people experience can be very uncomfortable, or even embarrassing to talk about. Some people have gone as far as needing medical attention for saddle sores. There's also a lot of confusion and myths out there on what makes a good saddle, so many people resort to the game of "Let's try this out and see how it's goes." As each person is very unique, the saddle that's the best for you might be the wrong saddle for another person.

Here's a list of myths that I've compiled to help you both understand the complexities and importance of the saddle in optimizing your bike fit:

More: 4 Steps to the Perfect Bike Fit

Myth No. 1

"That saddle looks hard, tiny, and uncomfortable. I need something that is bigger and with more cushion!"

When thinking of saddle shopping, think of bed shopping. When you are bed shopping, do you look for a mattress that is supportive or has no support? Do you like a bed to have some firmness, but also a little cushion? When you spend hours of your life sleeping, you want to find a bed that's not only going to provide a good night's rest, but make sure you don't get unnecessary soreness when you wake up in the morning. How does your body feel when you sleep on a bed that has no support?

When you are biking, you support your entire body weight on the saddle. The saddle needs to provide sufficient support to support your body whether you are riding 20 miles or doing a century ride.

Here's a saddle with lots of cushion:

I have seen this appeal to some people—especially when they are purchasing their first road bike. The only issue is that this type of saddle is not firm enough to provide support. As the person sits on the saddle, their body sinks in, putting pressure on the soft tissue areas (for both men and women).

Now instead of the sit bones providing support, and pushing the body up off of the groin area, the soft tissue is handling your weight and now you have started getting discomfort in your lower back and or can potentially get saddle sores.

More: Preventing Saddle Sores

Myth No. 2

"My friend told me to get this particular saddle because she uses it too and I've read so many great reviews on it"

Again, every person is unique. Doing your research first before buying is very important.

However, when it comes to saddle shopping, the best method of choosing your saddle is by getting a professional bike fit. The best bike fitters use both 2D and 3D technology with proprietary software to help examine the effects of different saddles on your body and help choose the perfect saddle for you. Because a saddle has different weights, shapes, and stiffness, and we all have unique bodies, flexibility, riding levels, and widths of our sit-bones, the right saddle for you is different from the saddle that is right for your friend.

Recently, I did a fit for identical twins for their new bikes. You would assume that since they look physically identical, they would have similar fits. But alas, they were very different, right down to their saddles!

More: The Quest for the Perfect Saddle

Myth No. 3

"I recently purchased a bike. Shouldn't the saddle that comes on the bike work for me?"

If you've recently purchased a bike or walked through a bike shop, you will notice that all new bikes come with a saddle the manufacturer specifies for that model. The saddle is usually narrow and stiff. A narrow saddle will work for some people, but I have found from working with many athletes on bike fitting, that a narrow saddle works for very few people. A narrow saddle size typically is about 143 millimeters wide.

An important fa?ade of saddle fit is being able to support your sit bones on the wide portion of the saddle. Having a wider saddle has nothing to do with your weight or size of your butt. It's all about your bone structure. For example, women tend to have wider sit-bones than men given their hips are prepared for child birth. When I fit my wife Melissa on her new bike last spring, I chose a wider saddle than the saddle she previously had. Her response was, "Oh, are you saying I have a big butt?"

After some marital counseling sessions, she understood that she needed a wider saddle for her sit bones to have more support and so she wouldn't slide forward.

More: Women-Only Cycling Issues Explained

Myth No. 4

"I keep getting numbness/pressure on my groin area. Should I tilt the saddle forward to relieve the pressure?"

This is a more sensitive topic. Many people are uncomfortable or embarrassed to talk about these discomforts and resort to either making several guesses on how to fix it, or deal with saddle sores/numbness. In many instances with frontal saddle pressure, your instincts will tell you that you just need to tilt the object away from the sensitive area. Sometimes, a slight tilt in the saddle will relieve some pressure on your groin area.

However, the problem may arise that you start to slide forward, thus now putting no pressure on your sit bones and all of your pressure on your soft tissue area. Or by tilting your saddle forward, you could find yourself sliding around in your saddle.

Relieving groin/soft tissue discomfort can come from choosing a saddle that supports your sit bones (with the proper width) and also trying saddles with the slit in the middle such as a Specialized or Selle Italia. Many men and women who get groin discomfort have found relief from this type of saddle design. For men with prostate issues, the Selle SMP saddle has been found to help relieve a lot of discomfort as its design has a very large cut-out in the center. Please note that not all saddles with the cut-out design are created equal. Here's a picture of a center cut-out style saddle:

More: Home Remedies for Saddle Sores

Myth No. 5

"My saddle I use for my triathlon/time trial bike will also work for my road bike, right?"

As your saddle tilts you in different ways and has so many features to it, it won't always be compatible between your bikes. When you get a new bike or have a different type of bike, your body is put into a new position. Your new position may be slightly different or dramatically different. These differences can add new areas of pressure.

When you look at a Tri/TT bike, your body is extended and put into an aerodynamic position. If you were to put your road bike saddle onto your tri bike, you may find a lot of discomfort and pressure in the frontal area. You might also feel like the saddle is very 'stiff' or 'hard'. That's because of your new body position.

Saddles have many specialties from road cycling, to triathlons, to mountain biking and commuting. These saddles are made to be more specific to that person's position and style of riding. A great example of a triathlon specific saddle is the ISM Adamo brand. As you will notice in the picture below, this saddle has a much different shape and stiffness than a traditional road saddle.

More: Aero on a Budget