How to choose a bike saddle without rubbing anywhere

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

“Why was I angry before? Because I didn't have a bicycle,”the well-known postman Pechkin shares his joy. However, having a bicycle does not always bring guaranteed joy to its owner. Because not only the speed and smoothness of the ride is important, but also the softness of the landing: today we are talking about bicycle seats.

No matter how expensive and tough your bike is, basic ride comfort is always a decisive factor.

If you are experiencing pain or discomfort in your buttocks and perineum while cycling, the seat may not be the issue. Yes, it is generally accepted that in most such cases, buying another seat will solve the problem at once. However, people who have encountered it are simply unfamiliar with other methods of dealing with acute pain.

Therefore, before you go to the store for a new "captain's chair" (by the way, his choice is not so obvious and requires quite a significant investment), I suggest you read the following publication. In it, we will provide some recommendations to help make your current saddle more comfortable, as well as tell you how to measure your body and choose a new "seat" so that nothing will hurt later.

So, if your fifth point gives you anxiety after a short bike ride, then the problem most likely lies in:

1. incorrect position of the saddle or seatpost;
2. uncomfortable steering position;
3. unsuccessful or incorrect design of the saddle itself;
4. saddle made of poor quality material or badly worn out;
5. improper fit of the rider - a commonplace reason, which cannot be ruled out in this case;
6. extra layer between the seat and your body.

How to adjust the saddle position

If painful sensations appear directly during the trip itself, then in most cases this problem can be dealt with by adjusting the position of the saddle, seatpost or handlebar. And if you are planning to deal with the painful once and for all, then the examination of these nodes of your "steel horse" is the first thing to start with.

It may also happen that the trip causes you the most real pain, and not some vague "painful sensations" there. In this case, you should really consider buying another saddle, but in the meantime, try the following manipulations:

• adjust the angle of the seat,
• check if the side angle is conveniently adjusted,
• adjust the seat post height,
• adjust the position of the steering wheel in height,
• adjust the position of the steering sticks so that the fit is comfortable, without unnatural bending forward or backward.

In our today's business, every millimeter is very important, and even a slight deviation from the ideal angle in terms of landing can lead to the fact that the Saturday ride will turn into torture, the consequences of which will remind of themselves over the next two or three days. Play around with the saddle, seatpost and handlebar settings. Be patient: try different options and ride a little to compare their ride comfort.

Remember the rule of thumb: the saddle position should be relatively horizontal. If the seat nods or bulges back more than a few degrees, something is probably still wrong: in the first case, you will put excessive stress on the hands, wrists and elbows, and in the second - on the crotch area. There is little pleasant, agree.

There is another important point that must be taken into account: while riding, not all of your body weight falls entirely on the seat, and if it did, it would definitely hurt the cyclist. In an amicable way, the saddle should take only part of the load when moving, then your weight is evenly distributed between the groin and seat areas, arms and handlebars.

When you are lucky enough to determine the cherished position of the seat, at which riding will finally begin to bring joy, stop there and do not change any more tilt angles in any case.

For fidelity, you can even mark the position you are looking for with a permanent marker, duct tape or file to perpetuate it in the history of the victory over pain. If for some reason the seat has to be removed or moved, you will no longer suffer with it for a long time.

It's all the fault of the clothes

If you are used to wearing loose-fitting clothing, or if your heel is comparable to those for which Kim Kardashian or Nicki Minaj are famous, then riding can be painful for you. The fact is that folds of fabric or skin, in contact with the seat, begin to rub when moving, which will inevitably lead to abrasions, and those - to pain in intimate places.

For this reason, Lycra cycling shorts are so comfortable: they fit tightly and reduce friction between your body and the bike, just as the designers intended. The material that is used in the production tightly presses all the bodily "excess", turning them into a smooth and fairly even area of contact with the bicycle saddle. So, if you are one of those who ride in loose-fitting clothes, try riding in special lycra shorts - the difference will be noticeable.

What are the requirements for a bicycle saddle

Overall, we need a fairly firm, yet slightly springy bike seat. It should not resemble a granite block, which obviously will not bring comfort to your bike ride. On the other hand, it should not be comfortable, like a grandfather's chair, presented to him in honor of the next anniversary, because we remember: soft tends to chafe.

Buying a bicycle seat can be compared to choosing a good orthopedic mattress: it must be firm on the inside and moderately soft on the outside.

However, if a saddle with similar parameters has already been found, and the pain is still not replaced by the joy of landscapes flashing past, then it is time to tackle the fine tuning of the seatpost and the height of the handlebars. Either the problem lurked in the design, or in the performance of the tormentor seat.

Most bicycle seats are pear shaped. At the same time, the smoothness of the transition line from the front, narrowest, part of the saddle to its "stern" will affect ride comfort, while the volume of the buttocks as a whole does not play a decisive role in choosing the size you need. Simply put, if your hips are wide, then it is not at all necessary that the saddle should be wider at the back of it.

What really matters is the distance between the edges of the curved ramus of the ischium (the body rests on them when we sit). The points where our skeleton touches the saddle determine the comfort of the fit: if the seat is too wide or too narrow for your bones, then in the end it will result in abrasions and pain.

So how wide should a bike seat be?

Let's start with the fact that each saddle has "cheeks" - protruding semicircles on its rear, wide part. Very often, the seat is designed in such a way that these protrusions are slightly raised up: when you sit down, your ischial bones should fall exactly on the extreme points of the hills, under which the layer of lining is hidden - it gives a feeling of comfort. By the way, many bicycles may not have elevations on the "cheeks" in the wide part: it all depends on the design.

To find out for sure whether a particular seat is suitable for the parameters of your "exterior", arm yourself with a tape measure or a ruler and measure the distance between the center lines of the anatomical elevations of the seat. Ideally, this distance should be the same as the distance between your sit bones. As you can see, everything is pretty simple.

If everything is more or less clear with the measurements of the seat, then what about the sit bones? We answer: this is also not a problem. Take a large (about five liters) Zip bag and fill it with flour so that the mass is distributed in an even layer about 4-5 centimeters thick inside the bag. Place the bag on the surface of a table or chair and sit on top (if you are naked, the results will be more accurate, so take it seriously).

Now, carefully climb out of our experimental package. The wells that you see now are the prints made by your ischial bones. We needed to measure the distance between them. Take a ruler again and measure the distance between the centers of the holes, as well as between their outer edges.

Now let's find out what the data obtained this way means.

The distance between the centers of the holes (ischial bones) should be approximately equal to the distance between the elevations of the "cheeks" on the bicycle seat

The distance between the outer edges of the holes is a parameter that matters when choosing a certain type of seat, for example Brooks: their design provides for the presence of steel frame crossbars. Therefore, if you do not want to crawl bones over the glands, remember the rule: such a seat should be about two centimeters wider than the distance between the outer edges of your prints on the bag. We emphasize: our goal is to seat our ischial bones on the “cheeks” of the seat, and so that there is a little free space for maneuvers - random shifts and natural movements along the saddle while riding

It is worth mentioning the distance between the inner edges of the holes - the prints of the ischial bones. If you decide to get a seat with a notch-cut in the middle, then the protrusions of the bone should not fall into this notch when you are riding, otherwise you are guaranteed pain. To avoid this nuisance, the distance between the inner edges of the ischial bones must be approximately 20 millimeters larger. Thus, if the length of the saddle cutout is 60 millimeters, then the inner distance should be equal to 80 millimeters

For those who find the idea of flour too time consuming, we offer a simpler option. Sit down with your palms under your buttocks so that you feel your sit bones (feel like elbows). Use your index fingers to mark the places on the chair where the bones seem to be pressing the most. Then, without lifting your fingertips from the chair, stand up and have someone fix the marked points with a pencil or pieces of duct tape.

Great, we have the necessary parameters. In the same way, you can measure the distance between the outer edges of the ischial bones. In this case, the tips of the fingers should be located just outside the points where the bones exert the most pressure on the surface of the stool. Perhaps, having obtained this data empirically, you will be surprised that the seat on which you ride is too wide or, conversely, too narrow. If so, then it really is time to change the seat.

How to choose the right bike saddle

After such detailed instructions, it is difficult to recommend any one, universal seat option, which will clearly be better than others. Why? The answer is simple: all people are different, even for one person the length of the arms and legs may differ, which means that if it is convenient for me, then it is not at all a fact that it will be for you. Nevertheless, some of the seats are very well designed and made. Moreover, they are renowned for their quality. If you are no longer able to endure suffering, and our advice did not help, then you can try one of them, while choosing not forgetting to start from the parameters of your body.

If you firmly believe in the need to replace the seat on your two-wheeled companion, then the same common sense will help to simplify the search process. There are a lot of models on sale, differences are also present in their types. Therefore, the surest way in this case is to find out exactly how you ride most often.

Touring bike seats

Landing when riding on a cruiser or city bike is usually straight, the trip itself does not last too long. Therefore, a seat equipped with a shock absorber will be just right. Wide and short, with soft lining and springs, it is able to give the rider the comfort and pleasure of walking around the city.

Road bike seats

Doing cross-country races or long distances on the highway? You need a "work" saddle that is long, narrow, and with minimal (or no) padding. During the trip, only a part of your weight falls on the ischial bones, and a tense posture and special shorts completely exclude the presence of folds of clothing in the legs and perineum (as we have already found out, improperly selected clothing can lead to painful abrasions). Just recently joined the country club? In this case, we recommend you a saddle with a little extra "crumb" so that the body gradually gets used to the specifics of many hours of riding.

Mountain bike seats

On mountain paths, where most of the time you have to ride standing on the pedals, lean back and hang over the bike frame in the most unusual positions, you will not be able to appreciate the comfort of the saddle: the extreme is in charge. That's why you just want a streamlined compact saddle, and the smaller the better. This will allow you not to beat him on every steep descent and sharp turn. Of course, such a seat should be as strong as possible and made of reliable material.

Touring bike seats

Long distance riding on a bike means that the seat is durable (preferably genuine leather) and won't restrict your movement - a cross between a mountain bike saddle and a road bike saddle. For these purposes, a model with a narrow front part, soft inserts in the area of contact with the ischial bones and sufficient length to be able to lean back a little is suitable for you.

Women's bike seats

This is a separate story altogether: beautiful ladies have wider hips, while the bodies themselves are smaller. Therefore, the design of the seat must first of all adapt the cycling trip to these anatomical features. That, in fact, is all.

What are the materials

Now let's take a quick look at the materials that are used to make the padding in bike seats. The main purpose of the pad is to provide a comfortable seating position on the sit bones. The peculiarity of the types of material from which the lining is usually made is that under the pressure of weight they behave differently.

Gel Inserts conform to the shape of your body for maximum comfort. For this reason, most of those who are used to riding for pleasure prefer saddles with gel inserts. The disadvantage is that, unlike foam inserts, they are compressed much faster, and this inevitably leads to a drop in the level of comfort.

Foam pads. They are malleable, willingly miss out and just as quickly return to their original form. As we already know, riders appreciate them for the best, in comparison with gel counterparts, comfort: they wrinkle under the influence of weight and they are less compressed. Accordingly, for cyclists weighing more than 90 kilograms, a saddle with a foam rubber pad will be ideal, since it will crumple much longer. The same feature should be taken into account by fans of long-distance travel.

You can also use a special pad for bike saddlethat fits like a cover. The problem may not be revealed immediately: despite the softness and comfort, the lining material is not distributed over the entire surface as evenly as in the factory lining of the original seat, so it can "walk" around the area with relative freedom, whether you like it or not. Lovers of unhurried walks will not be a problem, but for those who like to kick in, it will be easy. Therefore, we would advise the latter to take a closer look at special cycling shorts or cycling amps, which can be a much more profitable investment.

Most bicycle seats are designed to protect the rider's perineum, because a large number of nerve endings and blood vessels are concentrated in this area. As a result, saddles are available with less mid-padding to reduce pressure on the groin area as well as provide additional ventilation and comfort during extended rides.

As we have already said, the structure of the body is different for everyone: some find salvation in buying a seat with a longitudinal cut, others choose models with a minimum number of recesses. Of course, in general, bikes with designs that reduce crotch pressure while riding are suitable for almost all riders, both men and women, but this is still a matter of personal choice.

Many bicycle seats are made entirely of synthetic materials, from the seat itself to a foam or gel pad. Why? Relatively light weight and ease of use made polymers the absolute leaders in the sports industry.

Yes, the seats can be upholstered with genuine leather - it is durable and stylish, but, alas, it can be affordable. Many fans of riding, no matter what type of bike other than mountain bike, agree on: proven by more than one generation of cyclists and durable classic leather seats are an excellent choice (mountain bike lovers lean towards modern options, sometimes with a powerful lining that can partially smooth uneven track).

What is the secret of the wild popularity of the classic leather seat? The answer is: in its design. The material for the saddle cover is made from a piece of polished leather, pre-stretched on a special metal frame. It's like your favorite sneakers, purchased a couple of years ago: everything is just as good, remember all the twists and turns of fate and will never go out of style - super comfortable and homely cozy.

At the same time, the leather seat retains all the technological advantages of its modern counterparts: the shape is the same, but covered with timeless leather - a sign of success and practicality. Here you will find a longitudinal cut, which provides stable ventilation, and pleasant sensations from the naturalness of the material. One drawback: requires proper care, like expensive shoes.

To summarize: do you need a new bike seat?

In this matter, we decided to trust the opinion of the bike blog Bike Snob:

If you had a chance to work in a bicycle workshop, you would know about customer complaints regarding the convenience of getting around. In most cases, these complaints are about a seat that you “don't like”, which, of course, does not exclude other precedents.

On the one hand, the complaints are fair. On the other hand, there is an equally strong counter-argument: we are talking about cycling, and not about how comfortable your new sofa is for watching movies. After all, it’s not even a chair, nor is it a chair. In general, they do not have to be comfortable, means of transportation. In this matter, compromise is a very relative concept. And the main purpose of the vehicle is the same - to be safe.

Certainly, some discomfort (not hellish pain) should be present during the trip. The more time you spend riding your bike, the more pain in your body parts. On the other hand, you will soon get used to many sensations - this is an absolutely natural phenomenon. For those who ride for joy, adjusting the seat will be an important and necessary procedure. For those who are not ready to face difficulties, it is an insurmountable obstacle.

We can draw conclusions: there is always some discomfort when landing. This is fine. One way or another, simple manipulations and careful tuning help in most cases known to the world. And the bike brothers willingly share their experience on many forums dedicated to this topic. Level up!

So let's summarize:

• Try adjusting your seat position, seatpost height and headset height.
• Make sure the seat fits your body.
• Check if your seat is serviceable: are there tears, scuffs, and retained their shape? After all, we already firmly know: we cannot afford to save on ourselves.

If I still haven't mentioned something important, let's discuss it in the comments. Take care of yourself, do not save on health and read Lifehacker!