SADDLES:
[Or as Steve Hogg prefers, Seats… “Saddles are for horses!”]
All cyclists can have significant challenges with saddles. The only way to figure out which saddle is your best solution is to try lots of saddles.
Finding the perfect saddle is a puzzle that every cyclist should attempt to solve. Often, riders simply ride whatever came on their bike, or change saddles once from something that was “a pile of screwdrivers” to something that is marginally acceptable. This is unfortunate as cycling should not necessitate compromise in the health of your pelvic floor, genitalia or perineum, but this is quite common in my experience. Worse, riders often justify this outcome in their minds because they equate cycling and sport with “being tough” or glorify suffering. This is at best, ignorant and at worst, willful unwitnessed self flagellation. I have a lot of thoughts on why people do this to themselves but they are for another time.
Three lessons I have seen over and over working with clients and in my own cycling are:
Saddle comfort is relative: someone can perceive that their current choice is an 8.5/10 in terms of comfort, until they try a saddle that is completely different and have a realization that they have been accommodating a solution that is actually quite a long way from optimal. The realization is that their previous 8.5 is actually a 4/10. This is in part because we are all conditioned to believe that discomfort is part of sport and cycling. However, over time we learn to discern necessary discomfort from unnecessary discomfort. In order to truly define what is a good saddle, you need lots of data points. This means: try lots of saddles.
Saddle comfort is dynamic. Cyclists often like to believe that once they figure out what saddle or shoes work for them, they never had to make the choice again and can simply buy the same model forever. Like figuring out what couch to buy. However, the body is always adapting to total life stress, and this means that physiological presentation will change over time. Which means a saddle or shoe that worked for a given rider well for a decade may suddenly no longer work. Hamstring tone changes when an athlete stops or starts alpine skiing in the winter; foot shape changes when we choose shoes with a wider toe box.
Saddle comfort is specific to the individual: Bio-Individuality rules everything. In fact, this principle is axiomatic and not only applies to saddle choice, but everything in bike fitting, health, movement, and life. This means that just because your buddy loves brand X, it may not be anywhere close to what works for you. The only way to know is to sit on it, on your bike, on the roads you normally ride on, and have the experience of riding it. A pressure map or sit bones won’t answer this question, only experience will.
ON THE TOPIC OF SIT BONES: Please do not send me your “sit bone width” and ask which saddle pack to order or try, sit bone width is a nearly useless metric on it’s own. Why? Here is a list of physical characteristics that contribute to saddle fit:
Pelvic floor tone
Pudendal nerve tone / perineal nerve tone / inflammation
Adductor / hamstring tone
Core function / hip stability, which is related to shoulder stability
Pelvic tilt
Pedaling style [technique, smoothness, intent, force patterns]
Fascial and muscular tone from glutes to plantar fascia [at least]
Sit bone width is only one aspect of how a human pelvis interacts with a bicycle seat. It is the same thing as telling me your current bike has a 110 stem on it and asking me what the rest of your bike fit dimensions are.
Women may find this article enlightening and helpful:
https://www.bicycling.com/health-nutrition/a60412469/cycling-saddle-pain-women-surgery
I have a saddle test program and testing sessions which can be scheduled using the button below. Remote testing is also possible via email. I carry a wide selection of saddles, some of which I sell and some of which I do not. My goal is to get you on the best saddle for you, independent of the outcome or my financial interests. I sell SMP and they are a final solution for many of my male clients, and some of my women clients. In the shop I also have:
Gelu
Infinity
SQ Labs
Shimano Pro
Specialized, including some models with Mimic
Wove
Prologo
A few miscellaneous others
Some notes:
In my experience, Specialized saddles with Mimic are very polarizing. Women either love them or hate them, and they can usually tell in seconds. This makes them a quick box to tick when searching for a saddle solution for women.
Infinity saddles are very unusual in their design but can be a solution for some riders who have nerve inflammation or entrapment, or pelvic floor trauma
Gelu saddles are best for riders who have high but not overly high pelvic floor tone, stable hips, and good core / breathing function
SMP saddles will enable more anterior pelvic rotation for most riders, without increasing perineal pressure. This outcome may or may not be desirable depending on how the rider presents as they walk through the door
3D printed saddles such as the Fizik Adaptive and Specialized Mirror are not often final solutions in my experience, they are very squishy and unstable, which is not desirable in most cases when a rider is looking for a performance saddle. However there are a few exceptions.
There are a lot of saddles on the market that are effectively identical. Key landmarks to help you find your way in saddle testing are: nose width, nose shape [round? boxy?], size and shape of cutout [almost every rider is better off with a cutout or at least a differential in material], side profile [flat? semi-cupped? deep cup?] padding level and density, overall length. Figure out which of these is not working for you and find a saddle that goes the other direction. For example, the difference between the Fizik Antares Vento and the Prologo Nano R4 is probably insignificant; but the difference between either of these and the SMP Dynamic is night and day.
SMP SADDLE TEST PROGRAM
This program was created to allow riders to test one or more SMP saddles at home, so they can decide which model works best.
There are two pathways for testing SMP saddles [either by mail or in person].
You can either test individual saddles, or you can order a 3 pack of saddles to compare models back to back.
OPTION ONE: Individual Test Saddle
For someone who has a good idea of what saddle they want to try, an individual test saddle can be ordered. The deposit is $155 [ 50% of retail for a saddle with hollow stainless rails + $10 shipping each way ]. $135 will be refunded if you don’t make a purchase, upon return of the test saddle.
If you elect to order a saddle after the test period, simply place another order on the site for the retail saddle you would like [select rail type and color]. You will get a return label emailed to you for the test saddle, which can be shipped back after you receive the retail saddle, so you have have a seamless experience [IE you don’t have to ride your former saddle in the gap between test and retail].
NOTE: in most instances a test saddle will be a red and yellow “4 TEST” color scheme. However in some cases, all the test saddles may be in use and I may opt to send you a retail saddle. If you elect to purchase a retail saddle directly, simply email me and I will send you an invoice for the balance, minus return shipping.
OPTION TWO: Test Saddle 3 Pack
If you have no idea where to start, a 3 pack is a good way to go. This allows you to test 3 saddles back to back, which can help clarify which saddle works best for you.
There are two options available: SMP 3 Pack “L” and SMP 3 Pack “S”.
SMP 3 Pack L: Forma, F30C s.i., Vulkor
SMP 3 Pack S: Forma, F20C s.i., Composit
Are you under 172cm tall and about 70kg? The S is your best stating point.
If you are over 175cm and 80kg, start with the L.
If you are close or between these two points, flip a coin or use your instincts. We have to start somewhere.
To learn more about SMP saddles, see my product videos HERE [link to be inserted]
The demand for SMP TEST saddles in the demo program is very high. Thus, I kindly request that you do not keep TEST saddles longer than 2 weeks, as this prevents other customers from being able to try the saddles in a timely manner.
NOTE: you may receive red and yellow [ketchup and mustard] TEST saddles in your box. This is my first choice to send to clients for a test period. Normally, once a client decides which / if a model works for them, I will mail a retail saddle. On some occasions, you may receive a retail saddle in place of a TEST saddle. This is due to the high volume of riders requesting this service. If I waited to only send TEST saddles out, the wait would be very long.
If you receive a retail saddle [any saddle in any model that is not red and yellow or “ketchup and mustard” , please treat it with care as this saddle may be sold to a future customer at a slight discount as “lightly used”.
Thank you for your understanding.
Email me for your return label.
Your saddle or saddles may arrive in a miscellaneous box. As a small business, I use every effort to reduce, reuse and recycle. So please don’t be surprised if your box has seen some prior shipping use.
OPTION 3: IN PERSON SADDLE FITTING
You can also book an in person saddle fitting with me to try SMP saddles or any other saddle I have in my studio. We can try these on your bike or on the SRM fit bike, which is adjustable and can be fit to match or approximate your position. I have helped hundreds of riders find a better saddle home and will use my experience and expertise to guide you to a better solution.
To book an appointment, select one option below:
email me to book an appointment: cwpcoaching@me.com
In this session, we will try as many saddles as necessary to get you dialed given the time constraints. After the session, you will take home a saddle or saddles to test for a few weeks. In the studio, we can refine our choices; the real test of any saddle is over a few of your typical rides, including some intensity, some duration, and some elevation gain and loss.
A $100 deposit may be collected for each of the test saddles, which is applicable towards the final purchase price of a retail saddle. if you opt to not buy a saddle, the deposit is fully refunded.
Once we find the saddle you prefer, the test saddle is replaced with a retail saddle. This can be done by mail if needed.
