Saddle Selection
There are many factors that contribute to comfort on the bike, the saddle is the foundation on which your comfortable position will be built. The shape of your body, style of riding and your experience as a cyclist will all factor into saddle selection. While some riders can make almost any saddle work, many are extremely loyal to the one particular saddle that suits them best.
Finding the perfect saddle is often a case of trial and error. Our best advice for newer riders is to find a middle-of-the-road saddle and go from there. Something like the Fizik Aliante Gamma Saddle with K:ium Rails or Selle Italia Flite Genuine Gel Saddle are great benchmarks, both provide a fairly wide platform with a moderate amount of padding. After a couple months on the saddles, you will be able to more accurately determine your ideal saddle.
Experience?
Before we get too far into the different types of saddles, let's clarify some of the "experience" issues that factor into comfort on the bike. Sit-bones are often mentioned as effecting saddle selection, there are also muscles down there. The more time spent riding, the more those muscles adapt to the shape of a bike saddle. It is difficult to measure the distance between your sit bones, if saddle is much too wide or narrow, you will know very quickly.
The words saddle and seat are often used interchangeably when discussing bike saddles. On a road bike, the ideal position has the rider "perched" on the bike, rather than "sitting" on a seat. This position involves distributing weight between your pedals, handlebars and saddle. This "perch" is developed over time, as muscle groups adapt to the shape of your body on the bike. A visit to the physiologist for a real bike fitting will also greatly increase the likelihood of finding that perfect position.
Padding
While it may seem logical that saddles with more padding are more comfortable, that is not the case for road or mountain riders who regularly spend upwards of an hour or two on the bike. Saddles with excessive padding often inhibit proper fit on the bike and an efficient pedal stroke. A proper saddle will absorb road vibration, yet provide a solid platform to maintain leverage while pedaling.
For purely recreational riders, on "commuter" or "hybrid" bikes with a more upright position, a saddle with plenty of padding should work fine. Though proper positioning and a shape compatible with the rider's body are no less important. Seat covers that increase the amount of padding are generally unnecessary on a properly adjusted saddle.
Sizing
The dimensions of a saddle's contact area is given in our descriptions. The width is taken at the saddle's widest point. If your Fizik Arione Wing Flex with K:ium Rails (300x132) keeps knocking you in the backside when you are out of the saddle, it might be worth trying a Selle Italia 2008 SLR Flow Saddle (275x131) which is 2.5cm shorter, but about the same width.
Saddle Types
There are as many different types of saddles as their are uses of a bicycle. Here is a quick synopsis of the types of saddles that the recreational road or mountain biker will encounter.
Race - 
Race weight saddles are the lightest saddles and often provide a minimum amount of padding. Designed for riders who have developed a relatively aggressive position on the bike, good flexibility and are comfortable logging many hours of high tempo riding. They are designed to be used in conjunction with cycling shorts. The saddle provides support, while the shorts' chamois provides padding . Examples: Selle Italia 2008 SLR Flow Saddle (favored by lighter road racers), Fizik Arione Wing Flex with K:ium Rails (for those with narrower sit bones), Fizik Aliante Gamma Saddle with K:ium Rails(slightly more padding, designed for those with wider sit bones), Selle San Marco Concor Light (a favorite with racers throughout the years).
Cut-Away - Not surprisingly, undercarriage discomfort is a common problem with cyclists at all levels. While there is scant evidence that a properly adjusted saddle will cause long term damage "down there", many cyclists rely on road saddles with a Cut-Away design. Cut-Away saddles are based on the theory that relieving pressure will lead to a more comfortable ride. If nothing else, cut-away saddles are more flexible which alllows them to absorb more shock, increasing rider comfort. As the benefits of a cut-away saddle are debatable, some manufacturers (Selle Italia, Selle SMP) embrace these designs while some (Fizik) do not make a cut-away model. Examples: Selle Italia Gel Flow, Selle SMP Stratos Saddle, Selle An-Atomica Titanico LD Watershed Saddle.
Mountain Bike Saddles - Compared to road saddles, MTB saddles tend to have more padding, more durable cover and often smaller shape, as MTB riders tend to bear weight with their arms and legs and use the saddle for leverage when descending and cornering. While MTB specific saddles are designed with the avid cross-country rider in mind, it is not uncommon to see MTB racer use road saddles. Racers rely on suspension systems for rough trails, they look for the same things most road racers look for in a saddle: comfort and light weight. Examples: Fizik Gobi XM Saddle, Fizik Tundra K:ium Saddle.
Women's Specific
- While it seems obvious that men and women will have different needs in the bike saddle department, it wasn't until recently that major manufacturers introduced female specific saddles. Terry began designing saddles specifically for women in the early 1990's, they remain a leader in the category and other manufacturers have followed suit with female specific lines of their own. Women tend to have wider sit bones than men and their bodies tend to be smaller. Female specific saddles tend to be a bit wider towards the rear and shorter in length. Examples: Terry Womens Butterfly Cromoly Gel Saddle, Selle Italia Diva Genuine Gel Womens Saddle, Fizik Vitesse HP Women.
Classic Leather - Back in the day, performance oriented saddles were made of thick leather stretched over a frame. While most road riders prefer the light weight and rigid ride of saddles with carbon or composite bodies, many riders are loyal to leather saddles both for their traditional appearance and comfortable ride. Leather saddles do require a bit of maintenance: They must be tightened as they stretch (wrench is usually included), and Brooks Proofide Tin used to prevent the leather from drying out. Brooks is the undisputed king of the leather saddle world, but Selle An-Atomica is gaining fans with their ergonomic designs.Examples: Brooks Swallow Classic , Selle An-Atomica Titanico LD Watershed Saddle.
Comfort - Comfort saddles are designed with a wide platform and plenty of padding. Ideal for the rider who simply needs a comfortable seat for recreational riding. Riders should be comfortable on these saddles in street clothes. Being the most economical of the saddle varieties, they are designed to be comfortable and durable. For example: Terry Cite Y Mens Gel Saddle.
As with many bike components, there is plenty of overlap in the saddle world. It is common to see road saddles on MTBs, women commonly use standard issue (non-female specific) saddles.
Saddle selection can be very problematic for some riders while others can ride any old piece of plastic strapped to a seatpost. For assistance selecting a saddle that best suits you, contact us at (800)682-0570 or sales@biketiresdirect.com.
