I am currently searching for a new saddle and I would like some input on how much sitbone width actually effects saddle width.
My sitbones were measured at 165mm wide and I currently have a Specialized Power in 155 that came with my bike. Looking around the manufacturers websites there seem to be very few saddles that actually come in widths above 160mm. According to some searching rotating forward while sitting on a bike closes your seatbones for a narrower effective width. How much influence should the measured value actually have on saddle width choice?
I got the bike last fall and didn’t have too many problems riding outdoors. The saddle was never what I would call truly comfortable, but now riding 100% indoor my noodle gets numb after 20-30 min and I’m getting some pressure points, I assume due to the more static position.
When I rotate my hips forward and slide back on the saddle all the way I feel less pressure but it is not a sustainable position to stay in.
Rotating the saddle in either direction or changing the height didn’t do too much for me, either my pedaling motion becomes weird or I slide around depending on the angle.
Selle italia saddles seem promising with a much wider cutout than the Power. According to their guide I have a very pronounced anterior pelvic tilt, but I’m not sure if I fall in the dynamic or static category so I was looking at one of the mid range SLR saddles.
The plan is to get a bike fit in spring but it would be great if I had a saddle until then that mostly works for me.
I’ve wondered this same question. A lot of discussion about saddle and sitbone width but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a “aim for +20mm from measured width” type suggestion. Curious to the responses!
SQlab will ship you a free fit kit and help you through the (simple) math of adjusting the result for saddle and riding position. Their widest saddle is, though, I believe 160mm. My understanding (in large part from listening to Ronan) is that sitbone width per se may not be dispositive in the way certainly I was taught it was. That said, after trying the kit I was happy with my personal result which did indeed guide me into picking a saddle wider than the measurement. And some of these saddles are designed to move a bit under your hips, which might help with the static position issue.
I’ve state right up front that I’ve been in the sport for a long long time, including several years in the bike biz. Can a tool deliver the right fit for a saddle? Sure, for some (many?) folks that’s possible. But saddles are a very personal choice. A game of millimeters. And I get the pain you been dealing with. Early on all I used was Selle Italia Turbos. I then swapped to San Marco Rolls. That was followed by several weeks of saddle sores as I hoped the Rolls would break in. After I swapped back - poof - no more sores. The last ten+ years I’ve stuck with Team Issues SLR saddles (no cut out). They just fit. When I see one on eBay I often buy and stash it.
So my advice? First, don’t trust every tool as the only source of truth. It’s a sales device. Next, as you noted, riding indoors is way different than outside. To get to what works for both in and outdoors, be ready to spend a few bucks. Then take what you have now as a starting point and buy a saddle you expect to work. If it does, great! No good? Buy another one. After a few tries you will find that fit.
I needed to switch from Fizik after many years of loyal use due to some numbness. I found some information by former olympian and current coach Colby Pearce ( Bicycle saddles, seats for performance cycling and comfort. Selle SMP, Gelu, Infinity, Pro, Form — Pearce Coaching and Fitting ). I always looked sideways at Selle SMP saddles when I saw them (goofing looking), but once I read Colby’s thoughts on them I gave them a try. I’m now a convert. Will never, ever, switch. I’ve even come to appreciate the look.
To measure, I sat on some cardboard, measured the width and then picked a model (the Blaster). I know, not scientific, Colby would cringe, but it worked for me. Colby’s page has info on a fit test program, which is what I should have done.
I think sit bone width is an important factor, but it’s only one of several factors: cross sectional saddle profile; longitudinal saddle profile; how the loading on the bottom of your pelvis changes with position, past injuries/medical issues, preferences… The rub, IMHO, is with companies marketing sit bone width and their sit bone measurement technique as being key to all your saddle woes. Yes, Specialized, I’m looking at you.
I think if someone’s having issues with saddles, then they need to find a good bike fitter to make sure their fit is good before shelling out money for a new saddle.
I agree with the folks who say there’s more to it than just width. But for me width is definitely a factor. I’m the other way than you and if the saddle is too wide it puts a lot of pressure on my hip joint. So try a bunch and don’t trust just the width number.
A very recent pod by Ronan on progressive bike fit had the fitter making the point you don’t sit on your sit bones on a bike saddle because you get pelvic rotation.
Bike Fit James on YT is of the opinion most brands recommend saddles that are too wide - and having worked in a Trek store that uses a sit bone pressure pad to size saddles I’d agree. Bontrager don’t even make a saddle as narrow as I use (Aspide narrow fit which I believe is 132mm).
I rode myself into chronic perineum pain on a saddle that was the wrong fit for me. I had to quit riding, couldn’t even sit in a chair pain free for months. About four years after that i started shopping for a cargo bike, described my previous saddle issue and the shop turned me onto Ergon saddles. They’ve been great for me. I still have to manage the frequency and duration of my riding due to prior injury but I’ve been able to start riding again regularly and it’s been amazing. And it hasn’t just been a matter of healing because whenever I jump on a friends bike or some rental, I can feel immediately when the saddle is a poor fit. Take your time to find what works for you.
I’ve never understood this. The “sit bones” are the inferior pubic rami which don’t move (they form part of the structure of the pelvis) so I don’t understand how leaning forward closes them.
My non-scientific understanding is that seen from the top, your pelvic bones are v-shaped - pointy at the front and broader at the back so when you sit on a saddle in an upright position the wider part makes contact with the saddle. But as you lean forward (like going into the drops) your pelvis rotates and the narrower part of the V makes contact. That’s why townies have very wide saddles and race bikes have narrow ones. In general, of course.
I have two friends who were close to switching saddles due to the problem you’re having. They switched to and Infinity saddle… both have zero issues now. I’ve never tried one because I’m very happy with what I have (S-Works Power Mirror) but that saddle saved both of them from quitting cycling.
I haven’t reached what I’d consider perfect, but after trying a bunch of the regularly recommended options - Brooks, Specialized Power Comp & Mirror, Selle Italia SLR Boost - so far I’ve been happiest with a Posedla Joyseat, about 7500km with it on my gravel bike. My biggest test was ten straight days of ~6h riding, and came away with surprisingly little butt pain.
Part of the member benefits program too (I ordered my first one before that but have a second one now waiting for the ice to clear up to throw on my MTB)
Apparently my sit bone width of 136.7 mm fell between the “widest 15% they had ever recorded”, idk. I’m happy with it, but my heart still wants to test out some of the “wilder” things like the Infinity Seat.
One note regarding Posedla though: both my orders got delayed by more than a month compared to the advertised order → receiving time. I figure I just got unlucky, but I can’t not mention it.
I’m in the midst of saddle-palooza myself. I went to a fitter who measured by sitz bones as much narrower (110mm?!) than the fitter 8 years ago (145mm) idk. His assertion was that sitzbones+20m is the nominal size to start with but was humble about the challenges of quantifying the saddle interface, as others mentioned. Must be a narrative from somewhere though.
So I went to ebay and bought 4 used saddles. I have some seat posts sitting around and now I am swapping saddles. I use seat posts because I find it hard to adjust fore-aft and tilt properly each time I change a saddle, and I like to be able to A/B test. It’s more reproducible.
I think since I have been on wide seats (155’s), I simply slide forward on them and at some point, they sort of fit. (Those saddles end up pushed back.) It doesn’t work that way if they are too narrow though. I find I can ride a 138 fine or a 145 fine, but the fore-aft is a little different. The amount of padding also seems to affect my sense of the fit. As does the bike usage. The MTB bike I have now has a Fizik Aliante 145 on it instead of of WTB SL8. The Aliante is much better for sliding forward to climb steep stuff.
I would definitely recommend getting some inexpensive seat posts and saddles and set up 3-4 to hot swap around. It’s been enlightening and worth the time if you’re going to spend 500+ hours this year on a saddle. I suspect the place I got my saddles from will buy them back marked down, but my net $$ is relatively low and the value to me is high.
I don’t have enough knowledge to comment on sit bone width vs ideal saddle width. Prior to 2022 i was using Specialized Power Pro Elaston saddles, typically 155 mm. Since then I’ve been riding on the Reform Seymour saddle (made in Canada). It is a patented heat moldable saddle with carbon shell and rails. It continues to be the most comfortable saddle I’ve ever used. Almost four years later its still a great product, comfortable and extremely durable. I paid full price. Here’s a link to my observations, hope you find it helpful. Cheers … Guy Reform “Seymour” saddle review – BikepackersFoundry
Rather than wading in with an opinion - I’m not a bike fitter - I would suggest you look on YouTube at BikeFitJames or Niell Stanbury (probably spelt wrong, sorry). Look through their videos and you’ll quickly learn that issues with the saddle may not actually be issues with the saddle, but could instead be wrong saddle height, poor foot support, incorrect stance, incorrect reach, etc.
You say you are getting a bike fit in future, but need something in the meantime. I would say that learning about the variables now is the best option, as it may mean you realise you need and can make some small adjustments now, and you’ll be informed ahead of the bike fit which will likely make that more productive too.
In short, before changing the saddle, make sure everything else is correct first.
Personally I don’t trust most of the measuring devices at all. I remember the Specialized Butt-O-Meter at a bike fit years ago and the fitter got all hot and bothered I absolutely needed a 150mm+ saddle after years of being fine on 130mm saddles. I tried the 150mm saddle and got the dreaded numbness on like the 2nd ride and went right back and asked for my money back. In all the time before or after I’ve never had anything like that. Completely obvious to me now an excessively wide saddle for me at least has more ability to push into nerves.
The high tech electronic ones that show the pressure mapping would be a better way to measure this. They show where you’re putting pressure on the saddle as you pedal, so a more dynamic thing that actually sees what happens in your riding position. When I had a fit with one of these it definitely didn’t point to me needing a wider saddle.
There are some gotchas.. the pressure mapping will show this. If your cleats are not right, you have something asymmetric in your pedal stroke, etc.. that has not been properly addressed you will not sit centered on the saddle or will have your sitbones actually move during the pedal stroke. All kind of saddle height, setback, and reach/drop issues can contribute to this kind of thing. This tends to cause a whole lot of discomfort and eventually saddle sores. If you’ve got this going on you can chase it with new saddles and none of them will work. You don’t want to fall into the trap of swapping a whole bunch of saddles out looking for the goldilocks one if you actually have an issue like this going on. If you correct the issue that’s effecting how your pelvis sits all of a sudden your comfort level will improve dramatically. If you have this kind of issue the pressure mapping device will show increased pressure on one sitbone versus the other and likely also show the sitbones not resting in the sweet spot of the saddle.
Thanks to everyone so far for the insights. I went down the rabbit hole of youtube videos on saddle position and general bike fit, and paid close attention to where I sit on the saddle on the last few rides.
I also ordered the free measurement kit from SQlab, thank you for the tip on that.
My observations so far:
my seatbone width is narrower than measured in the bike shop. If I get the center to center measurement on the indentations from the SQlab kit I consistenly get 125 to 130mm distance instead of the previous 165mm.
I was sliding to the front of my seat, either to avoid a too wide rear end (heh) and the resulting thigh rub or because my saddle is too high. I will lower my saddle and investigate further
I got a Selle Italia SLR in L3 (Ladys version but I assume basic geometry is the same) to test and will compare to the Spesh Power. First impression yesterday was worse though
I always thought my saddle was level, bought a spirit level to check and it wasnt. And that, Serviceman Chung, is why we do not eyeball it.
I’ll get some insoles made next week for my problematic feet and soon after a bike fit. My goal was to find a saddle that mostly worked and go to the fitter with that, but seeing as I’m not as far out of the norm as initially assumed this might just be a bike fit problem and not a “sit bones like a gorilla” problem.
165mm sounds very wide to be honest, I found this on google: “The average sit bone width for men is 60-160mm and 90-170mm for women.” So while it is possible that your sitbones are 165mm it is at the large end of the scale.