Saddle Quest 2011

[KnottedYet]

Knott has a glass of hard cider in hand, so take the following with a grain of salt-

Numb toes: dropped metatarsal head and/or toe box of various shoes is too narrow (though it is happening in Keens, so I'm betting on the dropped met head)

Saddle: your body is crying out for a narrow nose and wide sits.

Solve the toes: go to a good shoe store and ask for metatarsal arch support buttons. They go BEHIND the ball of your foot. Google "metatarsalgia" and "Morton's neuroma" and see if it sounds at all familiar. Also check "hot foot" here on TE. You also may be slightly too high for the way your ankles and feet prefer to work, see below.

Solve the saddle: try measuring your own sit bones. Rolling forward to relieve pressure is often a way of dealing with a too-narrow saddle. As you roll forward you go from the ischial tuberosities (wide) to the pubic rami (narrow) Make sure your saddle is at least as wide as your outside measurements. (A Brooks really needs to be at least 20mm wider than your outside measurements to keep you off of the metal cantle plate of the frame.) If you have a saddle handy that does have the width of your outside measurements, try using it and lowering your saddle slightly and moving it backward slightly. Your body might just prefer to work set back and down a bit (which it is faking by rolling forward as you get on narrower saddles) both for your feet and your buns. If you don't have one, or think your measurements are insanely wide, you probably ought to get one. (my sits are in the 180mm range, you can imagine what a thrill it was to finally find a saddle wide enough!)

Honestly, it doesn't matter why things work, only that they do work. The more you can investigate without spending money, the better. If you have a female fitter I'd suggest going back to her. I've corrected the fits for several women whose male fitters had set them up perfectly... if they had been men. Also, if you do decide to go the Brooks route I strongly recommend Wallingford Bicycle Parts. They have a 6 month free trial period on Brooks saddles. www.wallbike.com

ETA: ah, you measured and posted while I was drinking and posting. I suggest trying a Brooks B67 or Brooks B68 (NOT the B67-S "short" or the B68-S "short"), and don't be afraid to push the saddle all the way back on the rails if you feel like it. With 150mm center measurements, in all likelihood your outside is a good 170 or 180. I measure the bones directly with a tape measure, as I'm not sure the outside measurement can be accurately done with an imprint. (sit on your hands, move your fingertip to the outside of the bone you feel, leave fingers on chair, have someone measure the distance between your fingertips. Or ask someone you trust to measure your heinie directly.)

ETAA: Your experience with horse saddles is a big bonus here. Does it help to know that Brooks bike saddles are based on English horse riding saddles?