Intro
Bike seats come in all shapes and sizes and the difference between pleasure and pain depends on many factors. Seats (or saddles) are one of the three touch points, which include the saddle, the grips and the pedals. The distribution of weight among the three points depends mostly on the type of bike and how it is ridden. Categories of saddles include road, mountain, hybrid and cruiser. There are also several innovative and sometimes wacky variations of saddles attempting to calm the fears of those who find bike seats unnerving. Let’s take a look at the bike seat, how to select the best for your needs and other considerations.
Bike Size
Believe it or not, the comfort of your saddle begins with choosing the right sized bike. The distance from your butt to your pedals and from your butt to your bars are part of the saddle comfort equation. These measurements have a profound impact on how you are perched upon whatever saddle you choose. Think about weight distribution and the three touch points. A proper bike sizing by a trained professional, like my friend Matt at All American Bikes in Damascus is well worth the time and money.
Road Bike Saddles
On a road bike, your saddle supports abut half of your weight when pedaling, and your pedals support most of the remaining weight. That changes when you’re out of the saddle, It changes when you sprint. It changes when you climb. It changes when you’re in the drops. And it changes when your on the hoods. Come to think of it, a roadie climbs all over his or her bike. The best saddle is a minimal one which supports the seat bones with little padding or no padding at all. One piece of advice for finding comfort on a road bike – keep moving around, change bar positions, push a hard gear, push an easier gear and get out of the saddle occasionally. In doing so, you use different muscle groups which is a good thing.
Mountain Bike Saddles
In most cases, the saddle on a mountain bike is set higher than the bars. This can make a mountain bike less than ideal for cruising around town for longer periods of time. On level terrain, discomfort comes from too much pressure on your wrists and on your tender parts due to leaning down to your bars. Think about it – if you use a mountain bike for what it’s designed for, a larger portion of your time is spent climbing, simply because what takes 20 minutes to climb, takes 5 minutes to descend. The position of a mountain biker, when climbing, levels out the plane between the saddle and the bars. An ideal mountain bike saddle is longer than a road saddle, has dense foam padding where you sit to cushion the bumps, and extra padding on the nose for when the trail gets steep and you slide forward to keep the front wheel down. Mountain bikers are constantly in and out of the saddle, maneuvering their bikes with their thighs, shifting weight and variations of pedal stroke. Just like the roadies, they’re best served by a minimal saddle which supports the seat bones.
Hybrid and Cruiser Saddles
These types of bikes are designed for comfort. For hybrids, there’s a large range of gears, so the rider is not inclined to get out of the saddle very often. A cruiser has one gear and is best suited for level terrain . Since the rider sits more upright, the majority of weight is on the saddle. Ideal saddles are cushioned with dense foam, can flare out a bit wider for fleshier butts, but really only need to support the sit bones, and sometimes even have springs or are mounted on a suspension seat post. Most people who dislike the idea of sitting on a bike seat would be best suited for this type of bike and the saddle it comes with.
One thing that I want to note at this point is that among my over 125 mobile tuneups performed by Bike Werks, probably about 1/3 of the saddles were not set up level. Nose up or nose down – each situations cause discomfort the further you go down the road. I actually use a torpedo level when setting a seat – I feel that it’s that important.
Bike Shorts
Enthusiasts don’t think twice about wearing bike shorts. The built in padding (or chamois) does wonders for comfort. Non-enthusiasts can feel silly in the tight fitting shorts but they don’t have to give up the benefits. The industry offers plenty of normal looking clothing for cycling with padded shorts.
You can even purchase a liner to wear under your favorite clothes. But, don’t feel as if you have to get the gear. With the correct size and type of bike, the correct fitting, and the correct supportive saddle you’re good to go. It’s not until you really start logging in the miles that bike specific shorts are necessary.
Final Thoughts
Things that make your Lazy-Boy a comfortable seat are entirely different than things which make a bike seat comfortable. Don’t go out and get the plushest, cushiest saddle you can find. I know that they’re out there. Such a seat might be great for a Harley, but you don’t pedal a Harley.
Oh and one more thing – don’t use one of those gel seat covers unless you want chafing and saddle sores. Nothing like a glob of gel causing friction down there – not a good thing in my opinion.
