measuring sit bones

[Cindyloo]

Their idea is that women should be sitting on the rami, not the sit bones.

OK, I finally gave up an googled "rami". I wasn't sure if it was a slang term that would pop up something to get me in trouble at work.

This explains it nicely: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superior_pubic_ramus

[VeloVT]

OK, I finally gave up an googled "rami". I wasn't sure if it was a slang term that would pop up something to get me in trouble at work.

This explains it nicely: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superior_pubic_ramus

Thanks Cindyloo, I tried finding a diagram too but for some reason I couldn't.

I think this must be where I sit. My Fizik Arione is very, very comfortable to me, but I'm quite sure it's narrower than my sitbones. I've never measured them, but I'm a pear shape with a wide pelvis (even when I'm thin ), and I'm sure they're not on the narrow side. But I find this saddle more comfortable than wider ones I've tried, particularly wider saddles that have less of a smooth transition from nose to rear (if there's a pronounced flare I tend to "run into it"), and wider saddles that are less convex than the Arione from side to side. My bf has a 143mm Specialized Alias, which is both significantly wider and has a cutout, and it's much less comfortable to me. This has puzzled me for a while, but maybe this explains it. The Arione must be the perfect shape for my rami !

[Beane]

Andrea: from your description, we are looking for similar things, so if you find anything great, let me know.

Knotted: I had my anterior pubic ramus removed ~8 years ago when I had an aneurysmal bone cyst grow in it and break it. (I'm assuming that anterior p.r. and superior p.r. are the same thing) .. So, what does my asymmetry mean for my seat comfort, do you think?

[mimitabby]

BEANE, and you still ride???? (what kind of saddle??)

[Beane]

Yeah, I was told that it was non-weightbearing and that I wouldn't miss it... but maybe the doc wasn't considering my future cycling. I have run the gamut of saddles and have yet to find anything I'm completely happy with. The closest was the old specialized dolce, but mine starting squeaking and was a little too cushy for real road riding.

In the cartoon on the wikipedia page, the bone I'm missing is part 4, right where the "b" is.

[KnottedYet]

The new saddles I was talkin' to the dude in SF about are meant to weightbear on the area where the "c" is on the wiki picture. When I told the head of our pelvic rehab program about the new saddles, her outraged reaction was pretty classic.

Beane - have you tried one of the really wide and sprung unpadded saddles like the Brooks, or maybe the Selle An-Atomica? Kinda seems like the less mechanical shock you can get into the pelvis, and the more you can weightbear back onto the actual tuberosity, the more stable you'll be. I'm trying to think of ways to compress the area of the missing bone as opposed to forcing it open more (wb on the corner of the triangle rather than on the middle of one of the legs of the triangle. your available wbing corners are the ischial tuberosity and the pubic symphisis. i'd be inclined to try the ischial tub first, but you might consider up near the symphisis) You might also consider trying the new Trek women's saddles when they come out. If you can get one that actually lets you weighbear along the entire length of the inferior ramus, it might be even more stable than anything else. (maybe try a couple sizes and see which works best)

VG - oh, yeah, I think there's a relationship between poor saddle fit and later pelvic issues. The problem from an industry standpoint (as far as I'm concerned) is that once these cyclists are so damaged that they can no longer ride, they fall off the radar of the bike companies. So, no-one is designing the saddle that would have kept my otherwise very healthy 65 year old patient riding. She's old, she's only a woman, she doesn't ride; so she doesn't count in the industry bean-counter's eyes. But a more pear-shaped or more T-shaped or wider cantle or narrower nose or SOMETHING might have kept her from injury and she'd still be riding now.
(and she wouldn't be spending so much quality time with me talking about pee and poop and adult diapers and numbness) (or if she had to anyway because of genetics or posture habits or having birthed 4 kids, she'd at least have a saddle that let her ride despite her pelvic difficulties)

[Thorn]

The new saddles I was talkin' to the dude in SF about are meant to weightbear on the area where the "c" is on the wiki picture.

Owie!!!! Really? That hurts just thinking about it--brings back memories of that original ill-fitting saddle that taught me what it feels like when you ride a saddle that is too narrow. OK, I suppose maybe if they got the angle completely right, but it would definitely need a great cutout...and, just why would I trust them to get all of it right?

But, I digress, thank you very much, Knot, for your explanations. I'm in a forever loop of looking for the right saddle. You've armed me (?saddled me?) with more information as I continue my quest. Always informative and helpful. Thanks.

Any mechanical engineers out there? Perhaps the custom saddle business is prime for the pickin's?