Saddles...oooooooh boy!

merely a tiny percentage of the saddles in house

Before we get into this, one thing we would like to express is that we realize that discussing saddle issues can be an uncomfortable topic for some people. Having worked in the industry for a long time and the fact that it's part of our business, these discussions are a daily occurrence and we're quite used to it. Describing one's discomfort or issues can be difficult because we try not to use certain words. Here are a few terms that may make the conversation easier for you. "Soft Tissue", "Frontal Area", "Sit Bones", "Numbness", you don't often have to get that specific. We have a lot of experience and we can help without a graphic, detailed description. Though, you wouldn't believe some of the graphic, detailed and even humorous, sort of "interpretive dance", descriptions I've heard/seen in my years in a retail bike store. Oh the stories. Anyway, let's get to it.

The topic of saddle choice, saddle design and all the symptoms we hear about are hotly debated and almost always over-hyped in the marketing of saddle manufacturers. There are tons of different brands, shapes, amounts of padding and so forth that it becomes hard to know where to start. We are told by manufacturers that their saddle is "anatomically correct" or that their saddles work for everyone...wrong. There is no saddle maker that can honestly make this claim. It's like saying all people come in 5 sizes (hey, that sounds like familiar marketing...another time).

It's very important to note how crucial fit is. If your bike does not fit or you are not properly positioned on your bike, you are far more likely to have issues with your saddle. It all hinges on having an accurate fitting. Saddle choice affects fit as well. We position ourselves differently on different saddles. So the point here is to emphasize how important fit and saddle choice are as a unit.
 
Regardless of the type of riding you do, your saddle should provide support and comfort.

Support - Your saddle should support your pelvis in a way that allows you to maintain stability. Your sit bones should be supported and you should be able to keep your pelvis from rocking side to side with little effort. You should be supported so that you can maintain good posture and physical alignment.

Comfort - Your saddle should not hurt you. That sounds simple right? In conjunction with sit-bone support, your saddle should not put too much pressure on your soft tissue/frontal area. You'll notice our careful language. If you're experiencing numbness or pain, you should look into another saddle. All that aside, if you ride for several hours, it's completely normal to want to get off your saddle. It's important to know the difference between "discomfort" and "pain". A little discomfort is when you get off your bike and you're fine or even during a ride you might take a few pedal strokes out of the saddle to get comfy again and you're fine. Pain is when you are NOT OK after getting off your bike or when your symptoms linger. If you are uncomfortable as soon as you start a ride, that's not so good. So, come and see us if you are uncomfortable and we can help.

We stock saddles from Selle Italia, Sell San Marco, Fizik,  ISM, SMP, Specialized, Terry, Cobb and have access to several more. Each brand makes saddles in various widths, shapes and with varying amounts of padding. We've been doing this a while and we've gotten pretty adept at understanding what saddles work for different people. Observation is part of it. We like to see that a saddle provides support (see above) from a fit standpoint but there is also a component of trial and error. You will have to try them out. If you would like a consultation or would like to schedule a fitting to get this all done properly and scientifically, we're here.