my saddle search

[Jen]

Where in DC did you get fitted for the bike seat? Specialized has a gel pad that you can buy and measure yourself. Was thinking of doing that.

[KnottedYet]

You can do it with a tape measure.

Someone did it with silly putty between two sheet of plastic.

Several folks have done it with a sheet of paper.

There's a thread somewhere full of ways to measure your sit bones.

[aicabsolut]

I got measured at City Bikes, where I bought my bike (the Chevy Chase location). After sitting on the thing several times, I was on the cusp for 143-155. I find that the 155 is good because I can get my sit bones more squarely on the saddle, more weight over them, and less weight on the front. (too bad they don't carry many 155s in the store). I had assumed that the 143 was fine given my measurements since I had no sit bone pain, but perhaps not.

To answer the questions posed, I do wear padded shorts, though I wear a fairly minimal chamois (thicker touring ones are chafing), and as I've haven't had any sit bone issues since my first week of spinning, I feel most comfortable in low padding. My old saddle and the Jett have cutouts. I only tried ones of that type in the store yesterday. I looked for ones that narrowed more dramatically towards the nose, since the one seat recommended by the woman helping me just rubbed on my inner thigh from being too wide (I also have chafing issues on spin bikes from the width after a while).

I focused on more squish factor and narrowness around the cutout. I can handle a little hardness under the sit bones b/c my sit bones are pretty tough. Anything to help with the other pain. I suppose that with my equestrian saddles, you've got better weight distribution, and you're usually sitting back over the sit bones (when you lean forward on your pelvis, you're typically standing out of the saddle versus on a road bike).

I like the concept of the cutout, since I have no pain on the girl parts, but perhaps that just increases the weight on the sides of that area?

I've just got to find something that won't kill me in 20 miles. I'll never improve if I can't spend more time on the bike.

[mimitabby]

I got measured at City Bikes, where I bought my bike (the Chevy Chase location). After sitting on the thing several times, I was on the cusp for 143-155. I find that the 155 is good because I can get my sit bones more squarely on the saddle, more weight over them, and less weight on the front. (too bad they don't carry many 155s in the store). I had assumed that the 143 was fine given my measurements since I had no sit bone pain, but perhaps not.


I've just got to find something that won't kill me in 20 miles. I'll never improve if I can't spend more time on the bike.

So why, since this woman here has absolutely average sit bones, can't we find more saddles that are 155 mm across and don't look like garbage can lids?

Aicabsolut:
Have you tried Brooks saddles?

[aicabsolut]

Heh. Exactly. And who wants to have to order a bunch of saddles just for kicks?

I haven't tried Brooks. Not sure this shop carries them.. But there are plenty of other shops in the area I can try (was already at this one getting handlebars swapped out and a free 20hr tuneup).