You weren’t born with a bike saddle between your legs but that doesn’t
mean it has to feel un-natural. You weren’t born with shoes on either. Saddles, like
shoes get better with use and your butt, like your feet, gets used to having something
there. Saddles have to fit your body or else you don’t sit a chance of getting used
to it. I like the shoe/saddle analogy because the same types of materials are used for the
same reasons.
The many designs of saddles can lead to sensory overload. When buying a bike, or
when wondering why you are not comfortable on your current bike, consider the saddle as an
option, not standard equipment. Use your knowledge of shoe purchases the same way you
would for saddles. Leather takes a while to break in but, when it is broken in, can become
your best friend. Do you need extra padding or will a Spartan design suit you.
If you have tried orthotics you know the benefit of anatomically correct products.
There are many saddles designed to relieve common sore spots. It shouldn’t be news to
you that men and woman are different. Many manufacturers design with this in mind. It also
shouldn’t be a surprise that the human shape has a seemingly infinite amount of
variety between manly man and womanly woman. Some woman prefer the hard narrow saddles
which were designed without one thought towards a woman's comfort. Some men prefer the
softer, wider saddles, with pressure relieving cutouts at the front, which were designed
for woman.
I suppose I should mention bicycle seats are also available. Bike seats are made
to be sat on, with your back straight up. They are broad at the back, usually short in
length and spring loaded. Saddles, on the other hand, are made to be straddled, they do
not offer a lot of cushioning, support or shock absorption. The intent of a saddle is to
make it easy to pedal when your body is tilted forward. Shock absorption is meant to be
handled by the knees which means, over rough terrain, you lift your butt up or, at least,
ease the pressure on your saddle.
To take full advantage of a bike saddle it must be positioned properly for your
body. There are three adjustments to position a saddle properly.
Saddle height. The most common error of novice cyclists is to have their saddle to
low. Position the saddle to get full use of your leg muscles but not so high that there is
no bend at the knee. Your hips shouldn’t rock either.
Fore and Aft. The rails underneath your seat allow it slide about two inches,
forward or backward. This adjustment is used to position your knees. Don’t overlook
this adjustment, knee pain can be the result. Position your foot on the pedal so the
knuckle, of your foot, is over the spindle of the pedal. Now rotate the pedal so your foot
is half way between the highest and lowest point of the pedal stroke. You will now have
one foot in front of the other. The back of the knee, or roughly, the dimple at the side
of the knee cap, on the forward foot, should be directly above your foot knuckle.
The last adjustment is tilt. Up and Down. Start with your saddle level. If, after
a ride, you are experiencing numbness, tilt the saddle down. If this adjustment leads to
numb hands, you’ve tilted to far down (assuming your handle bars are in the right
place). Saddle adjustments are too difficult to do properly by yourself. Its hard to tell
if your hips are rocking or how extended your leg is or where your knee is in relation to
your pedals. Have a knowledgeable friend help or go to your trusty local bike store. You
can save yourself a lot of mental and physical aggravation by building a trusting
relationship with your local bike shop.
1. Fore and Aft. (Knee Position) Sitting on the couch, or a chair, position the
dimple of your knee over the knuckle of your foot. Try to stand straight up without
rocking forward. Now move your foot one inch further away. Try again. That extra effort
was required because you weren’t regarding the physical nature of your knee and its
optimum place for strength. Your knees will thank you.
2. Saddle height. To simulate the nature of a bike saddle, sit on a rolling pin.
Slowly stand up until you no longer feel the rolling pin. This is a low saddle. Add a
couple of phone books to your chair, again place the rolling pin on top and sit on it.
This time, when you raise your self up, less effort is required to reach the moment when
you don’t feel the rolling pin. A proper saddle height allows you to raise your butt
off the saddle, at a moments notice, without much effort. Your butt will thank you.
3. Sorry, I couldn’t think of a non life threatening experiment to illustrate
how to avoid genital numbness. Please take my word for it, saddle tilt is important.