Hey all, i just wanted to see if anyone had any ideas or solutions for this. My girlfriend and i recently got bikes (Poseidon redwood with drop bars) to take bike packing/just riding around but the problem is she has a bigger butt (no complaints here) and finds the stock saddle to be a bit too small. Are there any recommendations for other saddles or anything of that sort?
Is she an experienced cyclist or brand new to extended riding? Is she wearing padded cycling shorts? Her sit bones should be supported by the saddle, and there are different brands and sizes of saddles that different people definitely prefer, but usually it is not proportional to butt size. I personally have a similar bike and I LOVE the Fizik Terra Argo
Brand new cyclist and no, should we go to a local shop and get her fitted to a proper saddle? (I only ask because ive never had to do anything like that, ive rode bmx, fixed and now my redwood and usually just ride what it came with)
Yes! The issue is not the size of her bum, but the width of her sit bones. They are typically wider in women (~12-14 cm) than in men (~9-14 cm). Some models of saddle will give the sit bone width on the packaging, like Ergon or WTB, while other brands will just show the overall width of the saddle, which seems less interesting to me.
Okay perfect, we can do some window shopping around the area and talk to some folks at some shops and see what we can find to fit her better. thank you!
That honestly depends on how good of a bike shop is near you. Fit is the number one thing that influences if a bike is comfortable or not, and that would be me primary concern for her. Seat height, handlebar height and reach. Make sure she wears real cycling shorts. That makes a HUGE difference for road bikes. For hybrid or cruiser style bikes that you can ride mostly sitting upright and slow it doesn't matter so much, but as soon as the angle on your saddle rolls forward a bit (as it will when you have drop bars), the ass to saddle relationship changes dramatically. There are many YouTube videos dedicated to finding the right saddle and fit. Seat height too can be very important to how your ass shifts in the saddle or if it is comfortably planted with minimal hip sway.
Rad, thank you for your time and effort for typing out your explanation! We live in the Portland Oregon area im confident i can find at least 1 good shop. Ill send her your response and we’ll do some more research for sure.
I used to live there and can recommend good bike shops, for used parts that are infinitely more affordable but still very useable and great staff, go to Bike Farm or the Community Cycling Center. For a more traditional shop, Splendid Cycles and Clever Cycles both have cool people I know working there.
Go here: https://www.bikeseatguru.com/
Also check out Terry Seats: https://www.terrybicycles.com/
In my area, both REI and Performance Bikes have this little gel thing you sit on and it shows hip bone width that you can then match up with saddle width.
Oh rad! We frequent rei, but never wonder into the bike section as we’re normally just car camping or backpacking . I’ll let her know we need to check it out! Thank you!
One thing I'd recommend for her is when riding try to sit so her sit bones (you can feel them as you sit, trust me) should be supported by the saddle. You should not be sitting so any of your soft fleshy bits are supporting your body weight. If the problem persists even when she correctly positions herself this way then try other suggestions. All I'm going to say is a wider/bigger/cushier saddle is rarely an actual answer to saddle pain problems.
She should definitely try a few out, but I would throw the Brooks Flyer Short or B67 Short as options. A bit spendy but worth a look if you can invest. My spouse had the same issue when we got her bikepacking rig set up, the stock saddle was a bit narrow. The ride stance on her bike is relatively upright. She found a Flyer secondhand from someone in the neighbourhood and loves it. Even transferred it to her commuter for the winter because it was so much more comfortable. Leather saddles aren't for everyone, you need to maintain them and protect them from the rain, but it's all I ride anymore.
Just a comment on cycling shorts for women, as they've been mentioned a few times- try a few kinds, and don't get caught on the idea they will definitely make it more comfortable. They might not, depending on anatomy/ saddle/ riding position. Some I tried even made it less comfy, so if you can, try various types.
There's a good (if old) blog post about women's saddles and bike shorts somewhere, which I found a good beginner's guide, I'll see if I can find it later.
Have your girlfriend do the sit test to help measure their sit bones. This will help your girlfriend narrow down the correct width seat. (note: sit bone width is what matters, not hip or butt width)
Then check your local bicycle stores to see if any of them have something like a "saddle library" where they let you try out saddles. This is great way to find the right type of seat for your girlfriend without having to commit to buying until you find a good match.
Another, though more expensive, option is going in for a professional bike fit that will help make sure your girlfriend's bike it set up so she is sitting properly on her seat. Much seat discomfort is simply poor bicycle setup. Then once the bike is set up properly they will access the seat itself. Truly if you are going to spend a lot of time on a bicycle this is worth the cost.
You can take a square of cardboard and sit on it in a hard chair. The indentations will be the sit bones. Measure the distance between them in millimeters. I learned my saddle was a full 10 millimeters too small, so it was really uncomfortable. Once you know the width needed, then you can try different ones. I like the Ergon brand, and they have a variety to choose from.
Definitely getting her sitz bones width measured will help in choosing a saddle that it the right fit (stock saddles are too narrow for a lot of folks and especially estrogen people). I recently got a saddle with the 'mimic' technology - a few companies make saddles using it and it's really good for reducing pressure and stress on the undercarriage for people with labia, so she may want to check that out too!
Saddles are designed to support your ischial tuberosities aka sit bones, not the fleshy cheeks. Using a big puffy saddle usually causes more pain.
ISM Comfort Series Noseless Bike Saddle for Upright Riders - Anatomic Relief Bicycle Saddle for Hybrid, Police, Commuter Bikes, and Beach Cruisers - Wide and Thick Comfortable Bike Seat for Men/Women https://a.co/d/9NTiHnM
Less saddle, not more. More saddle, more surface for rubbing etc.
Tbh there are loads of saddles out there and what works for us won't necessarily work for you, the best way is to go into a bike shop and choose one you like the look of - and if you're lucky they'll have some test saddles you can try out.
Just to add an alternative take to those that say bike shorts are also an important element- I ride without them and don’t have an issue, saddle is more important for me. When bikepacking, I find the lack of proper washing or drying time an issue - she doesn’t want to end up with yeast infection or bacterial friction problem, and the ole ‘airing out’ that men seem to get by with doesn’t hold for me. I know other women have different strategies tho, so it’s not universal, but a chamois isn’t a must imo. Not for my style of bikepacking anyway, with frequent time out of the saddle and stoppage.