Saddle width

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Poonjabby
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by Poonjabby

I was at my local bike shop last week and I was purchasing a 155mm Romin Comp Gel saddle and one of the guys working at the store made mention that he noticed that wider saddles were becoming the norm. I was wonder if that was the case everywhere. I'm not 100% sure I shouldn't have got something wider than 155mm.


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nemeseri
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by nemeseri

155mm is pretty wide for a road saddle and it'd be quite hard to find a wider one.
I think it's not about the norm, but more like better bike fitting process. People realized that it's better to measure their sit bones and buy the proper saddle for themselves. If you are male, than 155mm should be wide enough. In general going wider is always better than going narrower, so you shouldn't worry about it if it's comfy.

spdntrxi
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by spdntrxi

I'm currently using a 148... Bontrager .. But I am going to buy a 143 spesh Power this afternoon.. I don't wanna do 155... Looks really big

130s don't work for me
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by Citizenfox

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r3awak3n
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by r3awak3n

nemeseri wrote:155mm is pretty wide for a road saddle and it'd be quite hard to find a wider one.
I think it's not about the norm, but more like better bike fitting process. People realized that it's better to measure their sit bones and buy the proper saddle for themselves. If you are male, than 155mm should be wide enough. In general going wider is always better than going narrower, so you shouldn't worry about it if it's comfy.



actually there are a lot of specialized models that come in 168mm. Its a new size for 2015 (or middle of 2014). I think they got rid of 130mm and added 168mm.

I definitely prefer a wider saddle but 155 works with me. Would like to try a 168 though.

eric
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by eric

I like my 130mm Specialized saddles. I don't understand why they're getting rid of them.

sanrensho
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by sanrensho

^^^Same here. 130mm4evr. I'm going to copyright that.

em3
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by em3

There is more to saddle fit then width...don't get caught up on width. What matter more is the shape of the saddle. Specifically, a wide round saddle may actually feel narrower then a flat narrow saddle. Also, a saddle with a slight tail and deep seating area seating will feel very different then a flat saddle. Ultimately, what matters is what fits your ass AND your riding style, and the only way to know is to try a saddle.
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bombertodd
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by bombertodd

Image

Code: Select all

Percentile     5th      50th          95th
Men         100mm   118mm   137mm
Women   112mm   130mm   148mm



According to Cervelo engineers, your seat should be about 20mm wider than your sit bones. According to this data most men should be riding a saddle around 138mm in width while women should be 150mm in width.


I do wonder if saddle companies will start measuring an effective fit sort of idea. It would be nice to see what the recommendations would be for width since saddle shape affects width.
Last edited by bombertodd on Wed Apr 08, 2015 3:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Bogan
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by Bogan

I am running a 125mm MCFK. Best saddle I have had. All depends on the sit bones. And sit bone width is not related to height or any other physical feature. I don't understand what Specialized are doing with all these wide saddles. I have looked at them and they look like a front bench seat from an early 60's car.
As a previous poster has already stated, saddle shape is also critical.
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bura
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by bura

130 or less.
I do not believe in anything becoming a "norm" in cycling. The industry does want us to make believe that something is becoming a norm. They need "trends" to sell new stuff. But again a trend is not a norm.
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singlespeedscott
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by singlespeedscott

There definitely does seem to be a narrow/wide trend in saddles over the years. Narrow seems to be the go since the mid 90's but appears to be waning now.

Hopefully we'll see the same with the correct trend for ridiculously small frames.

Poonjabby
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by Poonjabby

I think my biggest problem is simply my weight. I'm about 110kg (50 lbs) overweight, its the biggest reason I started cycling. I'm assuming because of my weight I'm putting more pressure on my sit bones. As I continue to lose weight I'm hoping my comfort level will increase.

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Dowks
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by Dowks

I went from 106kg (155mm saddle) to 88kg (134mm saddle)

Biggest change for me was position on bike from flexibility and miles on the road. Also found a flat saddle works best for regardless of width.

I tried the old saddle a while back and found it uncomfortable versus my current perch (Prologo Zero II)

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bombertodd
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by bombertodd

eric wrote:I like my 130mm Specialized saddles. I don't understand why they're getting rid of them.



My local specialized dealer said they still make 130mm Toupe saddles.

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