The question of sit bones and saddle width comes up a lot. The width of a saddle is quite crucial to the rider's comfort, and should be related to the space between the rider's sit bones. Your sit bones (ischial tuberosities), are supposed to be supported on the wings / wide part of the saddle. Some riders make this seem completely effortless. Required fields are marked *. The curved gel saddle pressure map shows that there is a good amount of pressure being applied to the perineal area and the pubic bone arch area. While there are resources that offer positive tips, there is one methodology for saddle selection that we’d like to discuss today: sit bones measurement. ➥ Some saddles are designed to face perineal numbness from cycling. : As mentioned before, if you want to enjoy a smooth and comfortable ride on your bike, your saddle needs to be at the right height. If it's narrow and/or curved side-to-side it can press up on your parts in the middle. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. So if you are riding in an upright position, the ischial tuberosity will receive the most pressure. How you position your body on your bike will determine how your saddle is used. The risk of an accident occurring is very high if the height of the top tube is higher than you are. Our body geometry is different. Take a look a the position below of three different types of cyclists. Most of the time, you should sit with your sit bones on the sit bone part of the saddle, if you find you are further forward, then the saddle may be positioned too far back and/or the bike frame is too long for you, or the stem too short (i.e. After measuring the sit bones distance, most companies provide either a “finder” online system on a chart where your measured sit bones width correlates to certain saddles. In summary, my recommendations for the saddle is to be the width of your sit bones, relatively flat on top, and without a cut out. Send us a text with your questions! Some selection tools will also incorporate riding style, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Ans. The differences between male and female average and maximum pressure was minimal at the 60 and 45 degree angle but at the 30 degree angle it was significant, which they concluded was due to the anatomical differences between male and female. We hope you got all your questions answered by reading our article. Ans. Gender and Shape Study: Although this does not connect specifically with sit bone measurement, it does impact our point about spine angle. ➥ Read more on this saddle height topic: Comparison between Mountain Bike vs Road Seat Height. Take a look a the position below of three different types of cyclists. It's under my butt. . The Ischial Tuberosity is commonly referred to as the “sit bones,” “sitting bones,” or “sitz bones”(“sitz” literally translates to “seat” in German). The sitting area is exposed all the way from the top part of the sit bones to the pubic arch and then on to the central perineal area and pubic bone. Sit on your hands and you should be able to feel them--one in each cheek. The ball of your foot should be resting on the stirrup. This is likely debatable depending on the rider but certainly, individual preference and riding style will impact saddle comfort. Where Should the Sit Bones Be On a Bike Saddle? These widths were evaluated at a spring angle of 90 degrees. Without being redundant (which means this is redundant), it’s clear that unless you are riding upright on your saddle, a sit bone width measurement and saddle selector tool based on that idea is likely irrelevant based on your spine angle, pelvic pressure, gender, and/or riding style. : One of the major reasons for getting saddle discomfort is an improper bike fit. Now let us see the pressure map of different saddle designs. You can get the saddles here: bike seats that protect the perineum. Surely not over the edge, so the 130mm saddle would be out, but is a 143mm saddle reasonable? Also, if the saddle is too low, you’ll feel discomfort, especially at the knees. Also, you should lean the front part of the saddle by just a little bit. Rails should be … In the more inclined spine angle, the distance will become shorter as the contact points move from the seat bones toward the pubic bones.” Result: if you ride with a 90 degree spine angle, then the sit bone measurement may be somewhat accurate (more on this later). But it is very uncomfortable. Make sure it has plenty of flat surface in area you sit. Then as the pressure level increases, the color transforms from turquoise to green, then yellow to orange, and finally to red indicating that it is at maximum pressure. 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