measuring your sit bones

[Zelda_K]

this may be a stupid question: but how do you measure the distance between your sit bones? is there a good and easy technique to do this?

[rubywagon]

Fill a one or two gallon ziploc with flour (not crammed full). Place it on a hard kitchen chair. Sit on the bag and lean forward, with a straight back until your elbows touch your knees. You can put your feet on a stool to elevate them a bit as well. Your sit bones should leave an indent in the flour. It works with play-doh too, apparently.

[OakLeaf]

I highly recommend making a tracing. The simplest way to do this is to make your butt-print on a piece of paper to begin with (you will still have to outline the indentations, since the indentations will fade with time), but you can trace the indentations on whatever else you use, also. With a tracing, you have a permanent, portable record of the size and shape of your sitbones that you can lay over any saddle.

[Gowest]

This is nuts - but it works! Find some SECLUDED pavement (like your patio) - take a piece of white paper (like you would put in a copier) - get naked and sit on the paper. Voila - you will see your sit bones on the paper - and you can measure the distance. just be discreet!!

[Trek420]

Just do what I did: sit nekid on the company xerox machine. You get a picture you can take with you to the LBS and ... Just kidding, TE. Seriously you can also use a close and trusted friend and a tape measure. Just don't walk up to complete strangers with the tape measure.

[Gowest]

I like the sit on the copier idea - then you can even shrink it down without diet and exercise!!!! hmmmmmm

[pinkbikes]

this may be a stupid question: but how do you measure the distance between your sit bones? is there a good and easy technique to do this?

And so Zelda - do you notice any difference in comfort between your two different widths of Ariel seats? I also have the 143 (came on my Era) and absolutely love it but am unsure whether it is predominantly the width or shape that does it for me and how transferable that is to another Spesh seat.

I'm not as happy with the seats I have on my roadies and would like to try a Jett or similar but am reluctant to shell out the dollars if it is going to be a disaster.

[macski]

Or you could go into your LBS - they will have some special memory foam that is designed to measure your sit bones as well as a size chart about what that means

[Chicken Little]

I think you need a CT scan to do this right. I tried all of the suggestions mentioned above, and came up with this obscure measurement that matched a giraffe pelvis in the third trimester.

Maybe the bike shop is the best source.

[Catrin]

Not all bike shops have the memory foam, or agree with it...

[PamNY]

Not all bike shops have the memory foam, or agree with it...

Don't agree with it -- meaning they don't think it gives an accurate or usable measurement?

I had great results with the yoga mat method, but that could just be luck.

[KnottedYet]

I think you need a CT scan to do this right. I tried all of the suggestions mentioned above, and came up with this obscure measurement that matched a giraffe pelvis in the third trimester.

If you got the same measurement again and again with all the suggested methods, maybe you just have sitbones that match a giraffe pelvis in the third trimester?

(mine are 170-190mm, and my hips themselves are not very wide. Sit bone width and hip width don't have much to do with each other)

[DebbieOSablada]

ahhhh.. i wonder if painting my butt lightly with my daughter's washable paints, and then sitting on paper (a la stamping) will work...

[lph]

(mine are 170-190mm, and my hips themselves are not very wide. Sit bone width and hip width don't have much to do with each other)

Just wanted to ditto this - there really is very little correlation. I have narrow hips but quite wide sitbones. Yesterday I saw a rare pic of me biking taken from behind and it was actually visible, both the wide "seating" and the thigh bone that seemingly goes straight down.

[malkin]

How do you measure any other part of your body?

Use a cloth (or plastic) measure. Use one hand to hold the 0 end on one butt point and use the other hand to pinch the part of the tape over your other butt point.