1. Size
your sit bones with memory foam, or aluminum foil on carpet
2. Determine
saddle width by seating position:
Different manufacturers use slightly varying fit methods, for
example Selle Italia uses S & L for widths and 1-2-3 for position in order
of more aggressive, e.g. their 145mm aggressive fit is L3. Bontrager is the
same, using the terminology “Posture 1-2-3”.
3. Identify
your saddle profile. This is the toughest part because it can only be based on
experience. There are 2 lengthwise profiles and 3 sideways profiles.
a. Lengthwise
profiles are Flat or Waved. Flat is best for riders who shift position
quite a bit, while waved is better for those who change less often
and/or sprint (since the wave helps keep you from sliding off the back of the
saddle). Avoid a combination of slippery bib shorts and flat profile saddle
with a smooth finish, because you’ll slip around too much.
b. Sideways
profiles are Round, Semi Round, or Flat. There is no rule of thumb for choosing
a profile, it’s about preference and anatomy. However, in general, Round is a
bit of a legacy profile mostly used by cyclists who started in the ‘80s or ‘90s
with classic saddles like the Regal. When in doubt choose Semi Round.
4. Buy a
saddle with very little padding. Ironically this may raise the
price a bit -- it’s hard to find a low-end saddle with minimal padding because
less experienced cyclists also spend less and want more padding. The pads
should be in your bib shorts, not on the saddle (cue separate bib shorts
thread J).
Particularly avoid saddles with the word “gel” associated.
5. Recommend a cutout (perineal relief), but avoid other gimmicks. You
will talk to lots of folks who have some weird-ass saddle that has been good
for them, but it’s unlikely to be good for you. Particularly avoid anything
with the nose cut off. Those saddles exist because of a wrinkle in UCI
regulations about distance between the tip of the saddle and the handlebars. I
mean no slight to folks who have found success with these saddles, but they are
too fringe to go around recommending to random people. If it looks like it
should be on a TT bike, it probably should stay on a TT bike.
6. Saddle
mounting position, start with the UCI mandated flat fit (using a spirit
level lengthwise) then test ride and adjust to preference. If your hands get
numb, it’s an indication that the saddle is angled too far down in the front.
If the saddle nose feels uncomfortable when you have your hands in the drops,
then it’s probably angled too far up in the front.
No comments:
Post a Comment