# Sitbones Width & your saddle width



## btc (Feb 13, 2008)

To all members, if you know your sitbone width, please post your sitbones width along with your saddle width. For example; sitbones = 110mm, saddle (brand) = 130mm. I did a search and find alot of saddle width mentions here but no sitbones width mention anywhere. Can someone please explane how do they measure a saddle width? For example; 130mm saddle width, is that measure outside face to outside face? If that is the case, you only have 10mm on each side, than it is too narrow. Thanks!


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## Andrea138 (Mar 10, 2008)

You want the saddle width to be a little wider than your sitbone width (by ~10mm). As narrow as you are, you have a lot of options.

Edit- just noticed your request for measurements... my sitbones are 144mm and my saddle is 155mm wide


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## Camilo (Jun 23, 2007)

I have no idea what my sitbone width is. But I was measured with the Bontrager device and fell within the "Medium" zone. 

Bontrager's medium saddle is advertised 146 mm.

I never tried one, but bought a E3 Form Titanium from Performance and it's advertised at 133 mm which corresponds to Bontrager narrow.

It seems to fit fine and has been very comfortable for 200 miles, max ride 30 miles (2 hrs).

I might try the bontrager just for grins because they have a comfort guarantee. But so far I'm not sure how that sitbone measurement actually plays out in practice.


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## wks9326 (Apr 24, 2004)

How do you measure your sit bones?


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

*Doesn't correlate directly.*



> _How do you measure your sit bones?_


The "sitbone" is actually an inverted arch called the pubic arch. The measurement one is supposed to take is the horizontal distance between the lowest points of that arch, marked by the dots in the top illustration.

The bottom illustration shows the forward-rotated pelvis of a road bike rider. As you can see, the lowest points of the pubic arch are no longer the only points in contact with the saddle. Some of the rider weight has shifted onto the narrower, middle part of the arch. That's why "sitbone" width doesn't directly translate into required saddle width. The only time it does is when you sit bolt upright on a so-called comfort bike with high handlebars, with all your weight on the lowest points of the pubic arch.


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## semaj (Aug 30, 2007)

wim said:


> The "sitbone" is actually an inverted arch called the pubic arch. The measurement one is supposed to take is the horizontal distance between the lowest points of that arch, marked by the dots in the top illustration.
> 
> The bottom illustration shows the forward-rotated pelvis of a road bike rider. As you can see, the lowest points of the pubic arch are no longer the only points in contact with the saddle. Some of the rider weight has shifted onto the narrower, middle part of the arch. That's why "sitbone" width doesn't directly translate into required saddle width. The only time it does is when you sit bolt upright on a so-called comfort bike with high handlebars, with all your weight on the lowest points of the pubic arch.



Well, when being measured (ex. Specialized's sitbone heat sensitive tool), couldn't one just sit in the typical riding position to get a more accurate read out? 

What I don't understand is why high end Italian saddle manufactures, like Selle Italia, don't have different seat widths for their saddles. They seem to stick with 131 mm, and I know not everyone has the same sitbone width.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

semaj said:


> Well, when being measured (ex. Specialized's sitbone heat sensitive tool), couldn't one just sit in the typical riding position to get a more accurate read out?
> 
> What I don't understand is why high end Italian saddle manufactures, like Selle Italia, don't have different seat widths for their saddles. They seem to stick with 131 mm, and I know not everyone has the same sitbone width.


Yes, being in your typical riding postion would be good if you're going to get measured for a saddle. But as far as I know, all current measuring devices have you sit on a flat surface, with your upper body vertical. So all you're going to get is the distance between the lowest points of the pubic arch, with these points commonly called "sitbones."

High-end Italian saddles are for racers. If you race, you lean forward and rotate your pelvis forward to get a flat back. If your bars are also well below your saddle, your "sitbones" don't bear much weight at all. Much of your weight is shifted onto your perineum. Also, you put a lot of force onto the pedals all the time when you race—and the more force on the pedals, the less weight on your saddle. In short, "sitbone" width doesn't matter a whole lot to racers.

/w


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## Bontrager (Feb 7, 2006)

If you look at Specialized sit-bone tool you'll notice that you have to sit on the pad and put your foot on something to put your thighs up. Then you take the measurement and then flip the pad over and then choose the seat width depending on the type of riding/position you normally ride in. For a given measured width 2 different style of riders may need to go with 2 different width seats.

My Specialized Toupe 143 is almost exactly 143mm from edge to edge. 

If my sitbones were 143mm then obviously if I was on a hybrid sitting straight up I'd need the 155mm seat. Since I'm recreational to racer-boy position my 135mm butt fits just great when hunched over riding.

@wim - that 2nd diagram is not anatomically correct. Look at the relationship and angles between the ASIS, symphysis pubis, coccyx, acetabulum, etc... They don't make sense.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

Bontrager said:


> that 2nd diagram is not anatomically correct. Look at the relationship and angles between the ASIS, symphysis pubis, coccyx, acetabulum, etc... They don't make sense.


I see what you're saying. The diagram above is one of two used to support a text passage about narrow saddles. The diagram below purports to show "a saddle too narrow, rider too upright, coccyx hitting the rear of the saddle." I think there were some creative changes made to better support the text.


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## sEirik (Jun 14, 2006)

*Sitbone/pain-related question*

Hi, guys, don't mean to steal the thread or anything, but I have a question/problem directly related to this issue, and hopefully someone may have a solution or suggestion. 

Thing is, I have been having trouble sitting comfortably (if at all) due to severe pain in the area where the forwardmost part of the pubic bone makes contact with the saddle. Not a "sitbone" issue, but more of a "pain in the perineal area" issue. To be more specific, pain and swellings at the two points where the pubic bone hits the saddle. The pain is worse during/after racing and high intensity training, such as timetrialing intervals. I ride 200-300 kms/week, race once a week, and have been having this issue for some time (actually, since doing a 540km long distance race two years ago). I have tried numerous seats (Arione, SLR, Rolls, Fizik Pavé, San Marco Concor, and now I have returned to the San Marco Regal).

As wim writes in his first post, this has to do with the forward-leaning racing position, and the fact that i ride with a fair amount of saddle-bar drop (12-14 cm). This is actually less than on the bike I rode last year, but the problem perseveres. I'm a tall guy, and due to anatomy, bike sizing and the fact that I am otherwise comfortable with this position, I can't reduce the drop more. Saddle height is also an issue, but I have lowered it as much as I think i can (99cm inseam, 87cm crank-saddle height).

I'd appreciate any thoughts on this.

sE


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## Bontrager (Feb 7, 2006)

wim said:


> I see what you're saying. The diagram above is one of two used to support a text passage about narrow saddles. The diagram below purports to show "a saddle too narrow, rider too upright, coccyx hitting the rear of the saddle." I think there were some creative changes made to better support the text.


Definately not Netter


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## Bontrager (Feb 7, 2006)

sEirik said:


> I'd appreciate any thoughts on this.
> 
> sE


How about trying saddles with cutouts? What about tilting the saddle nose down? Moving the seat forward slightly?


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

Bontrager said:


> Definately not Netter


Drawing isn't better, agree. But I was talking about how an author sometimes insists to have an illustration redrawn to better support his point—pictorial accuracy be damned. I did some map work a few years ago and actually had a customer demand that a road be moved over a few inches so the map would "look nicer."


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## sEirik (Jun 14, 2006)

thanks for the suggestions. I have been through most of the routine, but not systematically enough, perhaps. The saddle tilt seems like the most obvious think to re-try, but it is a tradeoff of between saddle pain and too much weight on the arms. 

The cutout saddle I have not tried, but to me it seems like it could worsen things, since the cutouts would amplify the amonut of pressure to the front parts of the pubic bone - the problem areas are located on either side of the perineum. But I would be happy to hear if anyone have had success with cutout saddles and this problem. 

And, eh, any kind of problem located to these parts of the body is notoriously difficult to discuss, so bear over with me if the descriptions nauseate you. But hey, i can't talk to my wife about this (she couldn't care less), so who else to share one's private parts with than anonymous cyclists online?:blush2:


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

All good advice from everyone, and I understand about the problem of weight on the arms. I'd rather have my perineum scream in agony than than my hands, wrists or arms, so I've always tilted my saddle nose slightly up. I found that my pain in the nether region can be diminished by regular out-of-the-saddle pedaling; pain in my hands, wrists and arms only by sitting up and letting go of the bars for a few seconds.

Anyhow, on a different tack: have you checked yourself for subcutaneous nodules, also called biker's nodules? These painful (but often not very visible) knots are closely tied to high-mileage, long-time riding. Here are two links:

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=1517840

http://www.cyclingnews.com/fitness/?id=2008/letters04-08


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## Andrea138 (Mar 10, 2008)

sEirik said:


> The cutout saddle I have not tried, but to me it seems like it could worsen things, since the cutouts would amplify the amonut of pressure to the front parts of the pubic bone - the problem areas are located on either side of the perineum. But I would be happy to hear if anyone have had success with cutout saddles and this problem.
> 
> And, eh, any kind of problem located to these parts of the body is notoriously difficult to discuss, so bear over with me if the descriptions nauseate you. But hey, i can't talk to my wife about this (she couldn't care less), so who else to share one's private parts with than anonymous cyclists online?:blush2:


If you find a cutout that extends far enough forward, you should not have a problem with extra pressure up front. You could also look for something that's got a channel (rather than a hole) or a lower density foam running through the middle. I've had a horrible time finding a saddle that works decently, and the only thing you can do it just keep trying different ones. 

And most serious cyclists don't care about discussing crotch-related issues. Sorry to hear that your wife doesn't care about yours... Personally, I'm pretty damn concerned if my man even mentions something going numb/etc.


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## ZoSoSwiM (Mar 7, 2008)

I love my new saddle.. I picked up a Specialized Alias 143mm before spring while I was still spinning on my trainer. Now that I'm on the road I'm far more comfortable. It's not really padded but it flexes enough to absorb some of the harsher impacts. The 143mm width was a guess on my part when I ordered and I think I guessed correctly because I love the saddle. I'm in the 195ish or so and the saddle hasn't bent or flexed or anything for being a light weight saddle. Hell.. I think my bike is half a pound lighter with this saddle compared to my old Selle.. Oh.. and my crotch likes the saddle too.. No more serious pressure!


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## benInMA (Jan 22, 2004)

The "racer position" does not mean you're riding on your perineum.. if you've got the right saddle your weight should still be on your sitbones... the sitbones narrow as you lean forward.. the more agressive the position is the more you will ride on the narrower part of the sitbones, but you should not be on the perineum. For example if you're currently riding a saddle that is too narrow for your sitbones and have a relatively upright position you may notice that the saddle is more comfortable if you go out and ride in the drops the whole time. That's cause the portion of the saddle you use when sitting upright is too narrow for your particular sitbones, but when you get down into the drops the portion of the saddle you use then is wide enough.

Selle Italia, etc.. does make different widths. They just give each width a different name rather then the same name + widths. 

Plus the same saddle shape may not work in 130, 140, 150mm sizes.. the Italian manufacturers have been making saddles a lot longer then Specialized & Bontrager have been outsourcing saddles to China.. I'm not convinced the Italians have it wrong.

Selle Italia for example has even more options for width then Specialized... all the Specialized saddles come in 130, 143, and 155. SI has lots of in between widths... 127, 130, 135, 140, 142, 150, 155, etc.. they just don't stick the same name/shape/graphics/rails on their 130 saddle as they do on their 140 or 150 saddle like Specialized or Bontrager do.


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## ZoSoSwiM (Mar 7, 2008)

Everyones arse has a different saddle that goes with it. No saddle is better than another in that regard.


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## bmurphy (May 27, 2006)

*What?*

Sorry, what was the question? I stopped paying attention after Andrea's first post.

Mmmmm... sit-bones.

;^ )


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## sEirik (Jun 14, 2006)

Thanks for the replies. I realize this is a personal issue on a lot of levels, and, well, I will keep trying different changes, one at a time. I don't think I ride enough to qualify for a "third ball syndrome", but you never know.



Andrea138 said:


> And most serious cyclists don't care about discussing crotch-related issues.


Yeah, I know. It's like all riding discomfort-related discussions are sublimated into equipment-related chitchat (which I'm also very much into). That could possibly also explain the actual amount of the latter.

And back to sitbone width: I agree on the Specialized measuring "instrument": I'm having some trouble finding the relevance of the measurement taken (sitting upright) to the actual riding position – and the idea of a "sitbone" with a fixed measurement seems also a tad off. But I'm sure hip-, pubic- and sitbones come in all sorts and fashions, and that experimenting with different saddles and positions is the only way out of (some of) the discomfort. Time to try a new saddle?:thumbsup:


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## HammerIt (Dec 17, 2017)

Sorry to bump this, but I was curious - I was measured at 143mm on a specialized measuring tool. Currently testing out a 143 Specialized power saddle. Hopefully I will know after a week how it works for me, but on paper doesn't it make more sense to get the 155? Unfortunately the 155 is not available to demo at the LBS.

I ride in a fairly aggressive position. Not constantly in the drops but leaned forward and arms bent a lot. Interested in the common thinking here as I have not really demoed saddles until now.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

HammerIt said:


> Sorry to bump this, but I was curious - I was measured at 143mm on a specialized measuring tool. Currently testing out a 143 Specialized power saddle. Hopefully I will know after a week how it works for me, but on paper doesn't it make more sense to get the 155? Unfortunately the 155 is not available to demo at the LBS.
> 
> I ride in a fairly aggressive position. Not constantly in the drops but leaned forward and arms bent a lot. Interested in the common thinking here as I have not really demoed saddles until now.


You measured 143...why would it make more sense 'on paper'...whatever that means...to ride a 155?


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## HammerIt (Dec 17, 2017)

cxwrench said:


> You measured 143...why would it make more sense 'on paper'...whatever that means...to ride a 155?


Did you not read this thread? Many posters here insinuated that if you were 143 that 155 was a better fit. That's all I meant. Is there a reason for snark here? It's a thread about a bike seat.

The 2nd post literally says "You want the saddle width to be a little wider than your sitbone width (by ~10mm)"


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

HammerIt said:


> Did you not read this thread? Many posters here insinuated that if you were 143 that 155 was a better fit. That's all I meant. Is there a reason for snark here? It's a thread about a bike seat.
> 
> The 2nd post literally says "You want the saddle width to be a little wider than your sitbone width (by ~10mm)"


The 2nd post...from 10 years ago?


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## HammerIt (Dec 17, 2017)

cxwrench said:


> The 2nd post...from 10 years ago?


Yeah. Is that a problem, or does cycling knowledge expire after a certain time? 

Anyway, thanks for the input. You could have just shared an answer and moved on, but I guess you are having a rough day and want to be a tool instead.


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## masont (Feb 6, 2010)

HammerIt said:


> Sorry to bump this, but I was curious - I was measured at 143mm on a specialized measuring tool. Currently testing out a 143 Specialized power saddle. Hopefully I will know after a week how it works for me, but on paper doesn't it make more sense to get the 155? Unfortunately the 155 is not available to demo at the LBS.
> 
> I ride in a fairly aggressive position. Not constantly in the drops but leaned forward and arms bent a lot. Interested in the common thinking here as I have not really demoed saddles until now.


I'm guessing that instead of giving you your sitbone width they just gave you your saddle width. If your sit bones were 143 you'd be way outside the bell curve - especially if you're a dude - and you'd need a much wider saddle than a 155.


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## HammerIt (Dec 17, 2017)

masont said:


> I'm guessing that instead of giving you your sitbone width they just gave you your saddle width. If your sit bones were 143 you'd be way outside the bell curve - especially if you're a dude - and you'd need a much wider saddle than a 155.


This makes a lot of sense. I finally got my hands on a 155mm Specialized Power saddle and I do like it a little more, but who knows. This stuff takes some time to figure out.

I am hoping that my size is indeed 143. I have a 145 selle Italia SLR coming to demo soon.


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

HammerIt said:


> This makes a lot of sense. I finally got my hands on a 155mm Specialized Power saddle and I do like it a little more, but who knows. This stuff takes some time to figure out.
> 
> I am hoping that my size is indeed 143. I have a 145 selle Italia SLR coming to demo soon.


Yes. Just checked. Your sit bones are closer to half the width of the saddle.

The two smudges where the sit bones fit on the saddles I'm riding are 75 mm apart. The old Selle Italia Turbo is 140 mm wide and is rounder. It fits a bit better on the middle part of the sit bone that Wim mentioned above, and is actually more comfortable than the flatter 150 mm Selle Royale Regal :ihih: on the commuter. On short rides the wider saddle is more comfortable. But on the longer rides I start to feel pressure on the two points of the sit bones where they rest on the saddle, and leaning forward, the perineum rests hard on the middle section, even though its flat.

Above saddles also aren't cut out in the middle. Tried one with cut outs once. The flanges on either side of the cut out became two little horns butting into the perineum.


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## BelgianHammer (Apr 10, 2012)

Fredrico said:


> Yes. Just checked. Your sit bones are closer to half the width of the saddle.
> 
> The two smudges where the sit bones fit on the saddles I'm riding are 75 mm apart. The old Selle Italia Turbo is 140 mm wide and is rounder. It fits a bit better on the middle part of the sit bone that Wim mentioned above, and is actually more comfortable than the flatter 150 mm Selle Royale Regal :ihih: on the commuter. On short rides the wider saddle is more comfortable. But on the longer rides I start to feel pressure on the two points of the sit bones where they rest on the saddle, and leaning forward, the perineum rests hard on the middle section, even though its flat.
> 
> Above saddles also aren't cut out in the middle. Tried one with cut outs once. The flanges on either side of the cut out became two little horns butting into the perineum.


Here is a shoutout for "_rounded-when-viewed-from-rear, hard-hard-HARD, level-viewed-from-side_" saddles. My bumm: sit bones width 110mm in mid-sitting position on bike (not in drops, but not sitting up either). In the mid-to-late 80s to early 90s, I rode exclusively on rounded saddles. Was too young (we all were, lol) and the industry was still too "technlogically" young (in terms of seat details, and alot else) to know any different. Never had a problem then, but I also realize a lot of that had to do with the fact, when you're young, plus you want to go fast, you'll force your body to put up with anything.

Well, technology started arriving in all sorts of places concerning the bike-----like seats. Starting in the late 90s through the 2000s and continued up to now, there's been nothing less than a Cambrain-like explosion in what manufacturers offer in terms of seats. Width, length, shape, profile, etc, etc.

Somehow in all the madness, I got scooped up with this excitement. Figured I needed to go "flat" and/or "mid-flat" shaped saddles, as I was starting to sit up more on the tops of the bars. Getting older, it's an invariable law of cycling: you spend less time in the drops.

Well, rode like this through the 2000s, trying different seats (135-150mm width, flat-shaped both from side and viewed from rear, even tried cutouts). As the years rolled by at the 2010s hit, I couldn't figure out why I was so darn uncomfortable on the bike. I just chalked it up to old age, and something else a dedicated cyclist has to put up with.

Then last fall was talking with a bunch of locals, conversation turned to seats, and one old codger (uhmmm, well, he's not old, younger than me actually, but still in my mind & eye I am younger, lol) was talking about his sitting discomfort & then one day he dug out one of his old saddles from the early 90s. It was very firm to hard, no cutout, and seriously rounded. He stuck it on, and next thing he knew, as the each ride passed & the weeks passed, his riding comfort increased dramatically.

Well, I thought, damn, maybe this old codger is on to something. So, I went and look at the mind-numbing offering of seats today, and suddenly the Fizik Volta caught my eye. I even asked around in the large clubs I ride with here (in Belgium), and a few piped up and said things like: Good heavens that seat is hard, or man it felt like riding on a tennisball, and all sorts of things. Well, the more I heard things like this, the more intrigued I became.

End of story: ordered one. And as the stars rise at night and the sun blazes in the morning, my riding comfort increased incredibly, to where I now can go for either short 1-2 hr rides or even 4-5 hour long rides, and I never once think about my aching back, or pain shooting damn my one hamstrings, or all sorts of things related to the seat.

That firm to hard, very rounded, super level (when viewed from the side), which described a wide swath of seats from the 80s and 90s, was perfect for my body.

All this new fangled, technology-inspired stuff from seat manufactuers: a lot of it is a load of crap, imho, especially the science & data that supposedly backs it up. For example, I am witnessing a lot of people getting back off of seats that have the slit or open in the middles of them. Little did they realize, they've been grinding the edges of their sit bones across the inner edges of these openings, actually making things worse overall. All they needed to pay attention to was better seat height management (being level and such). They never needed a slit or opening. This same thing is true of seat "flatness". I notice more people *****ing about their riding pain, and lo & behold, they are on "semi-flat" to seriously "flat" seats.

Just trying to share so people realize you've got to go across the whole spectrum of seats...and also realize simple things like immediate comfort in a road seat usually means you are going to be hurting like he!! down there once an hour or more has passed.


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## woodys737 (Dec 31, 2005)

BelgianHammer said:


> Just trying to share so people realize you've got to go across the whole spectrum of seats...*and also realize simple things like immediate comfort in a road seat usually means you are going to be hurting like he!! down there once an hour or more has passed.*


I don't agree with this at all. If it hurts that bad after an hour something is off. Whether it's the saddle, the way the saddle is set up, the shorts, general bike fit, rider morphology and/or lack of fitness and core strength, etc...is all debatable and highly individual.


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## BelgianHammer (Apr 10, 2012)

Woody, will you read what i wrote and what you wrote...please..again. You're doing nothing but confirming what I wrote. Also, most of all, I was referring to a brand new seat and immediate comfort. Because if it is plush (aka, too much padding and/or hammock-ness), then troubles abound after an hour into it. A too plush seat ends up 99.9999% of the time causing pressure area discomfort---especially about an hour or more into the ride.* Again, this is on a brand new seat*. I thought that is was what this thread was about---_sit-bone width and trying new saddles_. We are not talking about a saddle well broken in---especially not my rounded Brooks Cambium saddles on my cruisers. And saddles like Brooks, Rivets, Giles B, SI Storica, Spa, etc, usually (_again, 99.9999% of the time_) take a little while, lol, to bust them in where they feel fantastic whether it is the moment you get on them or it is 6 hours later.


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

BelgianHammer said:


> Woody, will you read what i wrote and what you wrote...please..again. You're doing nothing but confirming what I wrote. Also, most of all, I was referring to a brand new seat and immediate comfort. Because if it is plush (aka, too much padding and/or hammock-ness), then troubles abound after an hour into it. A too plush seat ends up 99.9999% of the time causing pressure area discomfort---especially about an hour or more into the ride.* Again, this is on a brand new seat*. I thought that is was what this thread was about---_sit-bone width and trying new saddles_. We are not talking about a saddle well broken in---especially not my rounded Brooks Cambium saddles on my cruisers. And saddles like Brooks, Rivets, Giles B, SI Storica, Spa, etc, usually (_again, 99.9999% of the time_) take a little while, lol, to bust them in where they feel fantastic whether it is the moment you get on them or it is 6 hours later.


Yep, saddles with too much padding can rub raw under the butt on a long ride. The "racer's" saddles have minimal padding, like the Selle Royal Regal and Selle Italia Turbo. I have a Turbo in a box ready to go when the old one finally get worn out on the sides. LeMond and Hinault used it. The only one with a more comfortable cred was the Brooks and it required softening to conform to the butt, like maybe a few thousand miles. Then riders refused to give them up. The Brooks is still in production. Selle Italia resurrected the Turbo a few years ago. That says it all for me. 

I stopped looking for saddles after Selle Italia brought out the "Turbo S." It had thin padding under leather, same as the old Turbo, and got good reports in the early '90s. One of the top sellers when I worked in a shop 10 years ago, forgot the name, was a long, narrow 140 mm saddle, with the same round shape as the Turbo, only with the all of a sudden "required" cut out. Seems like a urologist prescribed cut outs after treating cycling patients with erectile disfunction from damaged perineal tissue. Manufacturers seeking to avoid lawsuits and hold onto market share nervously went along with the doctor's prescription and here we are!

Sitting on anything for 5 hours is uncomfortable if you can't easily slide around on it and still get support distributed over the widest contact area possible. Those wimpy ridges don't do it.


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## HammerIt (Dec 17, 2017)

I guess I am crazy, but so far I really appreciate the pressure relieved from the cut outs.


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## woodys737 (Dec 31, 2005)

BelgianHammer said:


> Woody, will you read what i wrote and what you wrote...please..again. You're doing nothing but confirming what I wrote. Also, most of all, I was referring to a brand new seat and immediate comfort. Because if it is plush (aka, too much padding and/or hammock-ness), then troubles abound after an hour into it. A too plush seat ends up 99.9999% of the time causing pressure area discomfort---especially about an hour or more into the ride.* Again, this is on a brand new seat*. I thought that is was what this thread was about---_sit-bone width and trying new saddles_. We are not talking about a saddle well broken in---especially not my rounded Brooks Cambium saddles on my cruisers. And saddles like Brooks, Rivets, Giles B, SI Storica, Spa, etc, usually (_again, 99.9999% of the time_) take a little while, lol, to bust them in where they feel fantastic whether it is the moment you get on them or it is 6 hours later.


I was just disagreeing with what you wrote (what I highlighted in BOLD) about a saddle causing pain after an hour or so...that's it. If you meant something else I misread/understood...Everything else you wrote about finding what works for you I have no issues. Congrats on finding what works!


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## masont (Feb 6, 2010)

BelgianHammer said:


> Woody, will you read what i wrote and what you wrote...please..again. You're doing nothing but confirming what I wrote. Also, most of all, I was referring to a brand new seat and immediate comfort. Because if it is plush (aka, too much padding and/or hammock-ness), then troubles abound after an hour into it. A too plush seat ends up 99.9999% of the time causing pressure area discomfort---especially about an hour or more into the ride.* Again, this is on a brand new seat*. I thought that is was what this thread was about---_sit-bone width and trying new saddles_. We are not talking about a saddle well broken in---especially not my rounded Brooks Cambium saddles on my cruisers. And saddles like Brooks, Rivets, Giles B, SI Storica, Spa, etc, usually (_again, 99.9999% of the time_) take a little while, lol, to bust them in where they feel fantastic whether it is the moment you get on them or it is 6 hours later.


Ok, ok, we'll get off your lawn already


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

HammerIt said:


> I guess I am crazy, but so far I really appreciate the pressure relieved from the cut outs.


No crazier than the few million others riding the same saddles. 

There are also different cut out flanges, some with sharper edges than others, varying degrees of padding, softness, shock absorption, sizes of cut outs, and saddle widths that all make a difference. 

Have to assume the manufacturers are interested in making designs that work, and they in turn specialize in certain riding styles, such as racing, or touring, or trolling down the boardwalk. Good you found one that works!


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## bvber (Apr 23, 2011)

Fredrico said:


> or *trolling* down the boardwalk.


I saw one last summer. https://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/000/189/082/smaller-wheel-in-front.jpg


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