for some reason this past year i’ve had real issues with seats i’ve been fine on 200km a week and then some…i have(had) a narrow 135mm lovely sella italia leather seat but started having quite bad left hand side back trouble, from hip to middle back….
cause – well i was told my sitbones required a wider seat, and i was “falling off” the seat….so moved up to 145,
problem is
i now find that that saddle cuts into my backside just where the glute/cheek meets the inner of the leg, it makes the legs feel numb, awkward and chaffed…
so after about 3 months of this but no back pain, i went back to a narrow seat.
back issues returned.
rock … hardplace. the usual seat quandry

perhaps i should buy a recumbant !

Try a different saddle?

Find a shop that can demo saddles, SDG offer this at my LBS. Maybe specialized do the same?

It’s not just about width – shape & length can also make a massive difference. Ideally, you should get your butt measured properly (any dealer with an ass-ometer should be able to help) then look at what suits.

Art may be a bit too smiley but these explain it all if you want to DIY:

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7j9LUVJrjA[/video]

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4yqVzjE9_Y[/video]

sorry didnt say better, yeah i had the site bones measurement done and the 143 size was recommended – and given as an explanation of my back issues…when i explained i’ve ridden for like 7 years on narrow saddles the answer was about “getting older”….

i’m wondering if this is duff advice!

If the wider saddle has solved the previous issue, but introduced a new one it sounds like it’s the wrong shape saddle for you.

From what you describe, I think you need a saddle with the same width but one that narrows down a bit quicker as it heads towards the nose, so there is less material to chafe you.

I had a similar problem with the saddle that came with my road bike; it didn’t taper quickly enough as it went forward and the part of your saddle that your inner thigh moves against as you pedal, rubbed me completely raw on a short ride.
Bought a Specialized Avatar Comp as a replacement and laying one on top of the other it was quickly apparent why the original one was rubbing.

I’d second trying a few saddles from a dealer who does trial saddles, I know Fizik and Selle Italia let you try before you commit. If you’re in the Midlands I can let you know a few shops who have a good stock to try.

….or saddle a smidge too high on the original narrow saddle? Did you try lowering it 10mm or so?

ta for all the adivce – i’m trying to google a saddle loaner shop, looking thin on the ground here in highlands! looks like it might be edinburgh, they may post if i call them and pay for postage (cheaper than buying new and selling on here a month later!)

as for saddle height, yup changed that, and also moved it back and forward (~1cm), then back to original…

@stumpy01 – this is the kind of thing i like to hear , i’ll look up that saddle and see if it is noticable and see if i can see it in the flesh somewhere close…

who told you you needed a different saddle as the saddle was the issue ?

a shop selling saddles perhaps ?

Were the old and new saddles similar shapes but different widths?
If not try and find a wider saddle that’s similar in shape to the original.

My bum seems to suit saddles with quite a rounded top as viewed from the rear so currently using a Seller italia Concor lite and a Turbo, tried the famous Charge spoon but just not for me especially the raised seams which caused chafing.

Also tried a saddle in the past(can’t remember the name) but was supposedly designed to be anatomical correct by some kind of doctor, never seemed comfy from day 1 but persisted with it and ended up with pain from my glutes down to the rear of my knee had physio which helped but changing saddle cured it.

There’s a lot more to saddle shape than just the width.

rear width
nose width
rear->nose taper
rounded vs flat topped laterally
flat vs scooped longitudinally
droopy wings vs stiff wings
combos of the above and more!

Sadly one of the best ways to find out what works for you is a slow process of trying a lot of different saddles, working out which ones kinda work and why, and trying to find something that *really* works.

From what you’ve described it sounds like you need somethins with the correct width rear, but then a very quick taper, ie: shaped more like a T than a V if that makes sense, and possibly rounding/drooping at the front of the wings into that taper, rather than a flatter profile.

Time to start looking around the shops! Don’t be afraid of buying the cheaper steel railed version of a saddle to try it out, if it works you can buy the light posh version later.

you know thinking about it, that sella i mentioned at the start the 135mm width, is a very flat top, i didnt even think that the saddle it replaces had a slight curve on it,
perhaps even though “technically” its too narrow my wee sit bones might have suited a curved top…..

i need to move to somewhere with lots of bike shops :/

Shape is a very good point. I too like a curved saddle and am yet to find anything I like more than an old fashioned Flite though I am currently trying an unpadded carbon eBay special which is not as bad as I was expecting.

Has anything else changed with regards to your bike setup?

The sit bone width measurement thingy posted above is a load of bollox in my opinion. You don’t sit on your sit bones on a road bike; if you are then you’re doing it wrong.

ok so decided to get 3 saddles from CRC to test them out, all cheapo, so i can decide if i want to keep them, based on advice above

fizik aliante at 35quid to test curved saddle fit 142mm
Selle Italia Q-Bik Flow Saddle – dirt cheap at crc for 10quid – more curved in nature that my current sella 140mm wide
and brand-x trail saddle at 12.99 136mm wide

i can always return “unused” if they immediately dont suit a turbo trainer ride.

check your old selle italia against a new one. has the shape sagged
or twisted due to age and use ? that could account for your lower
back pain too as you try to stay level.

i had weeks of agony until i spotted that the saddle on the bike was
actually twisted across the rear so i was riding with one hip lower
down ! that turned out to be duff manufacture not age though …

That ‘Brand X trail’ saddle looks pretty much the same as a Charge spoon but with a plain/smooth cover.

Fiziks take on saddle got seems to be more emphasis on saddle shape varying depending on how flexible you are i.e. a more upright position would be more suited to a certain style, a more stretched out racy position suits a different style.

Might be worth looking at there site for more details and seeing if any of it seems relevant to you.

@therevokid – looks ok, although the nose looks a little like its twisted to one side

anyway – saddles arrived today, first off the block is the cheapest BRAND-X 136mm wide – padding is generous but strong, fitted just now and feels good – will get a few rides on it,
the sella italia, allegedly wider that the current one and more curved, however putting it up to my exiting, width looks the same, and the curve is only minor – so that will be tried last
the fizik looks lovely , that will be the next to try after the brand x.

50K on the 10quid brand x saddle and its feeling very very good,
there’s a slight slippyness to it , and i feel i’m more perched on my – how can i put this – between the rear of my jewels and my sheriffs badge – rather than on the 2 sit bones at the back.
no loss of feeling anywhere so far
lower left had side felt a little better, not much, but that might take time anyway….

You have done 50000 k in 6 days!!!

I tried that arts cutlery measurement, either my butt is super light and doesn’t leave an impression of it doesn’t work!

Sorry just realised my epic failure at reading!

Maybe you need different handlebars…something with more rearward sweep?

Your 135 saddle may be comfortable again if you were sitting upright, with your weight on your sit bones, and then experiment with saddle tilt to see if it helps alleviate the back pain.

Maybe your lower back is curved outwards too much and you need to tilt the saddle forward?

This is from my own experience and is no substitute for a good physio.