How do you choose the right bicycle saddle? Step 1
1. Measure the distance between your Sit Bones, also known as Ischial Tuberosity. This is to find the RIGHT SIZE SADDLE for you to ensure you get adequate support - anatomical.
Some bike shops provide the technology to measure you in their store either by sitting on a gel seat or using a digital measure, however you can DIY at home. Simply take a piece of cardboard, place it on a hard surface like a bench or stool and sit on it with your knees at a 90° angle. Then raise your heels up for a few seconds until you feel your sit bones have made an impression on the cardboard. Stand up and use a marker to find the middle of the 2 indentations you have made on the cardboard. Mark them with a dot. Use a tape measure or ruler to measure the distance between these two dots and this is your Ischial distance which will gage if you need a small, medium or large saddle size (width). Please note, a lot of women are 130mm or more irrelevant of their body size, because anatomically they need to have a wider structure to ensure humanity carries on…
Below are Sit Bone Measurements and approximate saddle sizes to aim for: BUT, please remember to incorporate riding position as well (see step 2.) as this will help determine the Saddle Shape for you.
Small = < 110mm (Saddle sizes 125mm - 170mm)
Medium = 110 – 130mm (Saddle sizes 145mm - 195mm)
Large = > 130mm (Saddle sizes 160mm - 225mm)
We have not included measurements for "Cruise" saddles which go up to as wide as 335mm and are not regarded as long distance cycling saddles.
This super image of the sacral iliac joint is by talented Scientific and Medical Illustrator, Aron Cserveny of Science Visual.