How to Choose the Right Saddle

​There are three points of contact between you and your bike: hands, feet, and seat.  Of these three, the bike seat or saddle is the area with the most options for customization.  All bikes come with a saddle, but if you experience pain or discomfort on rides it is time to swap out the saddle that came with the bike for another one.

The bike saddle should support your bones, not your flesh and it is hard to know just by looking at a saddle if it will fit your bone structure.  Also, if you want to give a new saddle a try, it takes more than just a ride around the block to know if it is right your you—you need to take it on a long ride of at least 1 hour so you can settle in and determine how it accommodates your pressure points. 

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Saddle for balanced riding position .................................. Saddle for upright riding position

Where should you start when choosing a saddle?
Riding position on a specific bike is important to understand.  There are two basic positions:

1. Balanced – if you ride a fitness hybrid or take an aggressive position on a road or mountain bike you will have only a little weight on your saddle and may be changing positions frequently while riding, i.e. moving hands to other position on the drop bars, standing in the saddle, or moving forward and back.  For this you would look for:
   1. Little padding –a firm saddle will enable you to surf the saddle top and make subtle changes during the ride
   2. Flat profile – allows a position on top of the saddle and flexibility to change you position in response to changes in terrain and speed
   3. Narrow width – enables more room for the legs to pump up and down
2. Upright – If you ride a comfort hybrid, cruiser or ever a road bike upright you will have more weight on your seat plus you will not be moving around much while pedaling.  These are the features you should look for in a saddle:
   1. A lot of padding – a saddle with gel, foam, and/or springs will support your weight comfortably
   2. Hammock profile – a slight dip between the back and nose will enable you to sink in and stay in one position and not have to constantly correct your position during a ride
   3. Wide width – a smaller curve for the legs will provide more saddle for support and although there is less clearance room for leg movement, your leg pumping is typically slower.

What materials are saddles made from? 
Saddles shells come in carbon fiber, aluminum, and steel.   Rails are the bars the seatpost clamps onto under the saddle.  In order of weight these can be made of carbon fiber, titanium, alloy or steel.  Some saddles designed for upright riding contain springs and these are steel.  The choice of materials impacts weight and ability to absorb vibrations, with lighter weight materials costing more.

Saddle coverings may be vinyl, leather, or fabric and may come with our without cushioning materials.  Cushioning can be achieved as follows:

1. Gel - molds to your body and is good for casual or recreational riders.  A downsize of gel is that it eventually loses it effectiveness when it compact in spots. 
2. Foam - springs back to shape and good for longer rides and it does not compact easily, although not as soft as gel.
3. No cushion - leather saddles like the famous Brooks saddle are design to mold to your body over time and provides a custom fit just for you.  They also are cooler and have a classic look.   The disadvantage is that when new they are uncomfortable until they are broken in which could take about 200 hours of riding, not waterproof and thus subjective to deterioration of the leather due to UV exposure and moisture.  The remedy for this might be to apply a leather conditioner on a regular basis, but be sure to check with the instructions from the saddle manufacturer because some recommend against it.  
4. Saddle Pad - removable saddle pads fit over any saddle and are secured with a string at the bottom.  This might sound like an easy fix for an uncomfortable saddle, however the padding shifts around during riding, generates heat,  and does not always end up in the area when cushioning is needed.  More cushioning is not always better, and although it might add comfort for short rides, a saddle pad is not recommended for longer rides.  A better option for adding a little more padding in the right places are padded shorts.  

Some saddles come with extra features such as reinforced corners, plastic bumpers, or mounts for bike lights or seat bags.  
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​What is different for women’s saddle
Women’s anatomy is different from men’s so a saddle designed for women would have a wider back and shorter nose.  Although there are usually less options available for women, they do come in the same materials and price points.
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What about saddle channels and cutouts?
Eliminating material (cutout) or introducing a depression or groove (channel) in the center of the saddle is designed to relieve pressure in sensitive areas and enhance air flow although for some they create an additional point of friction on the edges of the cutout or channel.   It is hard to know if these features suit you until you try it so other factors should be given priority.  

A demo saddle program at a bike shop is a good idea—it allows you to audition a saddle for 1-2 weeks and if you find it is comfortable, you can purchase it.  If not, you can try another saddle until you find the right one.  Manufacturers are constantly changing their saddle offerings so once you find a saddle that is comfortable, it is a good idea purchase an extra one for when your primary one wears out just in case it is no longer available.  

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Sometimes a new saddle is not what is needed, just an adjustment to the alignment of the existing saddle.  Adjusting the saddle height, fore and aft position in relation to the knee and making it level are some changes that might lead to a more comfortable ride. ​​