Replacing bike saddles

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30 Oct 2014
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So..the situation is the saddle I have atm, woudn't say its that comfortable. Firstly I'll see when my booty cheeks heal before I try it out again with the padded shorts. Anyhow I feel like I'd want to look for a better saddle to replace it with, I've checked evans cycles, and most are around £60-150. jesus christ.


Any help
 
It's the sit bone support which is the main consideration, I. E a wider more plush saddle is not nessesarily better.

How long have you had your current saddle, what sort of terrain and what sort of distances are we talking about?

If you do some googling on saddle fit you'll soon see it's more to do with personal fit than simply getting a softer /bigger saddle.

Only a day lol, did a 20 mile ride, just road and mainly looking at about 40-100 mile rides
 
I was posting from my phone so I'll add a bit more detail now I've got a proper keyboard...

Yeah, so do a couple of rides on your current saddle and make sure you're happy with your riding position with regards to saddle height and fore/aft position. Then you can start to decide whether your saddle is right or not based on what you feel, or where it's rubbing or what is causing any discomfort. It's pretty much accepted now that you should wear padded shorts, but here are some pointers for the saddle choice:

-Saddles come in different widths to accommodate the width of people's seat bones. Wider rear of saddle = wider seat bones.
-Notice how some saddles are scoop shaped across the top if you look at the saddle from the side (e.g. Cinelli Unicantor, worn-in Brooks B17) and how some are completely flat (Fizik Arione). The flat ones allow you a bit more variation in where you sit on it front-to-back. This is generally personal preference.
-Notice how some have a very rounded nose if viewed from the front (wide = San Marco Rolls and Brooks B17, medium = Selle Regal, narrow = Flite Titanium) and some have a flat nose and a flat top too (Charge Spoon, San Marco Ponza).

You should pretty much be sitting on your seat bones and NOT on your perineum. If you're getting discomfort/bruising in your perineum or numbness in your privates then you need to check your riding position first. If the saddle is very high and forwards you'll tend to put your weight on your perineum instead of on your seat bones. You may need to be lower and a bit further back which will roll your hips forwards and you'll sit on your bum instead. You might also want a saddle which has a flatter, wider nose instead of one which is narrow or rounded. You can also get saddles which have a cut-out to relieve pressure down there.

Hope that helps a bit. Finding a saddle which suits you can be a bit of a nightmare.

Thanks, will take this all onboard. And damn it sure does look like a nightmare..so much to consider
 
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