Back to previous page



This months Topic - Saddle Choice 16/6/2011

Choosing the correct saddle can be a difficult and sometimes painful decision. the most common things to consider when choosing a saddle are

• Width
• The need for a cutout.
• Gender

Width

Saddles generally range in widths between 120-150 although you can find saddles that are outside these perimeters.
The width of a saddle is designed to match the width of your ischium or sit bones as they are more commonly known. (We use a special measuring process that takes an accurate mould of the center-center points of your sit bones.

Cut Out or no Cut Out?


You may have seen a lot of saddles with pressure relieving cut outs down the center of the saddle.

Sit bone depth determines how much pressure somebody puts in to the the saddle, if you have relatively shallow sit bones then you will be putting excess pressure through the center line of the saddle which can be very uncomfortable and in some cases can cause numbness and even chaffing, the sit bones are designed to take the majority of the load allowing good blood flow to the entire area and minimal pressure.

the best way of knowing if this type of saddle works for you would be to hire a test saddle for a week or two as there are many different saddles with different sized cut outs and every human is an individual, a saddle which works for 30 of your friends may not work for you.

Ladies Saddles

Ladies saddles as a rule are generally wider in the sit bone area and shorter to suit the female pelvis more accurately, although women normally have wider sit bones than men this is not always the case again everybody is individual and should be treated as such. Always get measured before you buy a saddle and also remember where possible try before you buy.

Back to previous page