Narrow saddles for narrow sit bones?

Almost every saddle I try ends up being really uncomfortable and it really spoils my enjoyment of mountain biking. Last night I read about a way to measure ones sit bones:

http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/health-are-you-sitting-comfortably-30179/

I’m not sure how accurate this method is but it seems I’m on the narrow side (around 100mm). So basically I’m looking for a narrow saddle suitable for a skinny arsed freak. My most comfortable and narrow saddle is the Fizik Gobi but I still get pain on my sit bones. Can anyone recommend anything please?

The only way to go in that case…

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If that looks too narrow – B17 Narrow

Cheers

Danny B

Thanks.

I have a narrow backside as well and find the Specialized saddles in a 130 width very comfortable.

I have on of them Brooks on my Fixie. Work of art but is like sitting on the edge of a ruler for me.

Looks the part though…

Cheers

Danny B

Got a barely used Spec Henge 130 that i mistakenly bought before realizing I needed the wider version. Yours for £20 posted.

Um, I don’t want to spoil the narrow saddle party, but surely, if your sitbones are narrow, any width saddle will do.

You don’t ask for a narrow chair in a restaurant, do you?

Marketing….. it’s easy if people don’t think.

Narrow butt here and after decades of painful bums I have found peace on a Charge Knife saddle.

Try one!

Flite ti Classic. I have very narrow bones too. Arione is also comfy, and the Aliante. Had a B17 too that was always comfortable. Needed a lot of love when used off road though.

Specialized – they measure your aerse for you in the store.

Don’t specialised offer some kind of measuring service where you can then try the saddle for a period and get a refund if you don’t like it? I think some LBS do it.

I’ve no idea of the size of my sit bone but I thought my Fizik Gobi XM on my Zesty was the best saddle I’d ever had until I sat on a cheap Charge Spoon.

@crikey – no because a wider saddle is designed to give maximum support and comfort to seat bones that are further apart.

Not marketing at all…

Cheers

Danny B

@crikey – no because a wider saddle is designed to give maximum support and comfort to seat bones that are further apart.

How?

If sitbones are x cms apart, any saddle with width x plus y will work.

It’s marketing; it’s OOh look, here’s a way to sell our saddles, rather than their saddles.

How did we manage for the last 70 years without different width saddles?

Brooks have been making different width saddles for many many many years.

And no, saddles start curving away just after where the seat bones sit. If you have narrow seat bones on a wide saddle then they are sat too flat and can cause undue pressure and discomfort.

You get yourself on a ladies saddle (wider to support the wider anatomical form of the lady species) and tell me that it is in any way comfortable for us more lithe men.

Cheers

Danny B

a) Brooks are a special case; an anachronistic appeal to the vintage..
b) A ladies saddle is for a lady.

It’s marketing fella, it’s marketing that has convinced you that it’s not marketing, which is very good marketing indeed. 😉

How?

If sitbones are x cms apart, any saddle with width x plus y will work.

It’s marketing; it’s OOh look, here’s a way to sell our saddles, rather than their saddles.

How did we manage for the last 70 years without different width saddles?

You obviously don’t have narrow sit bones or a basic grasp of anatomy.

You obviously don’t have narrow sit bones or a basic grasp of anatomy.

So why are the pads in bib shorts all the same width?

Yes, there are variations in the width of ischial tuberosities, but given that cyclists have managed for 70 odd years without measuring sitbone distance, is it likely that we have stumbled upon a major problem, or is it more likely that we have stumbled upon something that can be used to set our saddle selling procedure apart from our competitors?

My grasp of basic anatomy is probably a good deal better than yours; I’ve been looking at it for 25 years.

Then you can appreciate that people with narrow sit bones and the narrower ‘gap in the middle’ that sometimes comes with them get friction from the edges of wider saddles at the top of the thights, especially if they ride a road bike with a narrower Q-factor. People come in different shapes and sizes, that is why some saddles are narrower than others.
Never had my sit bones measured but I did have a brooks B17 saddle given to me after a friend had broken it in over a few 1000miles, his sit bones were clearly marked in the leather and after some use mine were visible 2cm narrower and further back, I swapped it for a brooks swift that was narrower and more comfortable.

As for padded shorts? No idea if they are size specific, they certainly are more flexible and conform to the body more than a saddle. 🙄

Specialized toupe, San Marco Regale and the narrower pro-logos work for me.

The main difference with a lady seat is that it is wider to support the wider pubis so by your argument (@crikey) should be comfy for us men folk.

Yes they tend to be a little shower also but it is the width that makes them feel odd.

And Brooks make (and always have made) saddles of different widths because different folk need different widths. Don’t forget they weren’t considered vintage when they were the king of saddles.

Manufacturers went to one or two widths due to cost savings and nothing else…

Cheers

Danny B

I don’t understand how offering a saddle in a range of sizes is a marketing ploy seeing as you’d buy the one in the ‘right’ size and have a saddle. If they didn’t offer a range of sizes you’d buy a saddle. Either way you’ve bought a saddle, are they more expensive in different sizes?

Crikey – I have 2 specialized toupe saddles one in 130 and the other 143, I can sit on the 130 for any length of time and have done 100 mile sportives on it, yet the 143 has my ariss numb and painful and me crying in 15 min or so, could you explain why this is?

Thanks

Jay

could you explain why this is?

Marketing induced paranoia?

Charge Knife has a pretty narrow hull- I’ve got the body dimensions of a scaffold pipe and most saddles just feel daft to me, it’s not so much pressure points (I have a cast iron arse) as just being in the bloody way- it’s the same effect as a wider person using a saddle that’s about half again as wide as it needs to be.

Course, the Knife also has almost no padding so fit’s really critical, try before you buy if you can.

Thanks for your help folks.

Crikey: You’re fighting a losing battle here. Anyone who cycles knows some saddles are comfier than others and everyone has their own favourites because we’re all built differently.

can having a saddle which is too wide cause numb peenor as well or just arse ache?

Struggling to find one which works for my road bike, no speci dealers nearby to take the test. Getting achey arse as well as numb gentlemans vegetables 🙁 tried different angles etc, and various saddles (bel air, spoon, etc) thinking maybe a knife might be worth a shot.

edit: knife saddle, not lopping my willy off

If you don’t like the Gobi, try a WTB? Feels like the opposite kind of shape to me. I can’t sit on a Gobi for 5mins. The Volt and Rocket V are under 127mm wide and the most comfy saddles I’ve used. Pure V and Laser Vs are also good but a bit wider. I have a Pure V FS if you’re interested, as I use Rocket/Volts on all my bikes now. No idea of how my sit bones measure up but the saddles are comfy for me.

@retro83 – Brooks B17 Imperial – sorts your gentlemanly area out lovely…

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Cheers

Danny B

For what’s its worth …just read a few forums where folk have had both 143 and 130 versions of same saddle. Conclusion is that it seems to make a huge difference to comfort…

So just been for a spin on new saddle and arse as sore as ever! Dropping to a narrower saddle ain’t made much difference other than better pedalling efficiency..
Will tweak about with position before returning!