SITTING COMFORTABLY?

Six key things to consider before you saddle up with a new platform…

Try as many different saddles as you can before deciding the one for you

TRY BEFORE YOU BUY 01

If saddle possible, choice given is, try how as subjective many different saddles as possible before deciding the one for you.

If you’re a member of a cycling club, ask your clubmates if they have saddles that you can take for a spin; that said, a number of bike shops also keep stocks of test saddles of the models they sell.

You may make the decision within minutes – certainly if it doesn’t work for you – but we’d suggest getting in as many miles as possible, and riding for at least an hour, to see whether you feel any numbness. In a perfect world, the saddle should be as unobtrusive as possible with no bits digging into you.

Oh, and make sure you wear your usual cycling shorts.

If you’re having a professional bike fit, you may also be able to experiment with different saddles as part of the process.

Finally, several component brands allow you to return the saddle if you find you and the saddle are incompatible.

Bontrager, for instance, offers an unconditional 30-day guarantee, which it likens to a ‘30-day test ride’.

ON THE RAILS 02

The most common material used for constructing saddle rails is steel – usually a chromoly alloy – though you can spend more and save a small amount of weight by going for titanium rails. There’s a claimed eight grams difference between titanium and chromoly rails on a Fabric Line-S saddle, for instance. Titanium also has a reputation for offering a more comfortable ride, but I can’t say this is something I’ve ever noticed during both leisure and more competitive rides.

Today, pretty much all saddle manufacturers have short saddles in their range

Both steel and titanium rails are round and 7mm in diameter, but in the last few years carbon fibre has joined the party.

Carbon fibre naturally brings with it a low weight, but to make carbon rails strong enough they have a 7x9mm profile with flattened sides that allow them to fit most saddle clamps that clamp the top and bottom. If in doubt, check with your retailer first. Some seatposts clamp from the side – you will definitely need a 7x9mm replacement clamp in these circumstances – and to make matters even more complicated, Bontrager uses 7x10mm carbon rails!

IS SMALL BEAUTIFUL? 03

Until road 260-280mm mentioned saddles a few years earlier, in were length back in around 2015 but, virtually as all

Specialized saddles. While launched there were its short doubts Power from the industry and riders alike, Specialized were convinced of the benefits, telling us recently, “Riders assumed that a 2-3cm shorter saddle would result in an inability to move fore and aft on the saddle. Over the years, it’s become clear that riders can still move around and get right on the nose of the saddle, just as they would with a traditional long-nose saddle.” Today, pretty much all saddle

manufacturers saddle range. have shorties in their

One of the main claimed advantages is that because you there’s can ride less in a pressure lower position from the nose on your more delicate parts. And while originally designed for racier riders, my experience as a long-distance commuter is that a short saddle can work just as well for the less competitive among us, as it keeps you in the most comfortable and supported part of the saddle for longer. Mind you, if you’re a short-saddle newbie, the importance of trying before you buy becomes even more important.

FIX YOUR FIT 04

This said this isn’t and the it first won’t time be we’ve the last

– we’d thoroughly recommend having a professional bike-fitting session. If you’re spending a lot of money on a new bike, you want it to fit you perfectly. A bike fit can also help you perfect your riding position and improve comfort on your existing bike. It’ll help you get the right saddle for you, too, and ensure you’re in the perfection position for your fitness and experience. That also means the correct saddle height and reach to the handlebar. I know from experience that even a change of a few millimetres can make a genuine difference to your riding.

Undoubtedly the most important measurement to take is the distance between your sit bones – or your ischial tuberosities if you’re going all University

Challenge – which are the bits of you that actually bear your bodyweight.

Remember: none of us are identical, which is why quite a few of our test saddles are available in two or three different widths, from around 132mm to around 155mm.

INTO THE GROOVE 05

consider. While width factor saddle, Pressure-relieving is sorting in there the finding most are the your other correct important channels ideal factors saddle or to cutouts of told these, our are sister but among as website Specialized’ the BikeRadar, most s important Scott Holz

“If you don’t get the correct width in the first place, no amount of cutout or channels is going to work.”

Like shorter saddles, Specialized was instrumental in popularising the use of deep cutaways, cutouts and grooves, to models such bar a degree Brooks’s that touring- all of our and test commuting-oriented Cambium saddle have some form of central channel, many of them running the entire length of the saddle.

Dr Roger Minkow, later of Specialized, discovered that traditionally shaped saddles measurably restrict bloodflow.

His experiments led to the first Body

Geometry saddle, featuring a prominent cutaway channel that resulted in significantly greater bloodflow than a non-cutout version.

PADDING 06

Don’t be fooled into thinking that oodles of soft, plush padding will translate into greater cycling comfort, as the opposite is often the case. An overly padded saddle can be your enemy, as it can put pressure on your soft tissue where you really don’t want it. As a result of testing e-bikes with over-padded, sofa-like saddles, I developed greater trochanteric pain syndrome, which lived up to its name and left me unable to walk for a week and unable to ride for six weeks. Less is usually best when it comes to padding, which again emphasises the importance of getting the right fit.

The other factor to consider is shape, which is determined by your specific type of cycling. Saddles with curved tops

– such as that of our Cambium on test – tend to suit more upright riding such as touring and commuting, while if you’re riding in a lower, more aerodynamic position you’re probably better off with a saddle with a slightly flatter profile, such as the triathlon- and TT-friendly

Bontrager Hilo Comp, which are now often truncated at the front. Right, onto the test…

If you don’t get the correct width, no amount of cutout is going to work