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How to choose the perfect bike saddle for you

Find out how to choose the perfect bike saddle. Put an end to discomfort, saddle sores and numbness and get back to enjoying your bike rides.

Are you sitting comfortably?

Riding a bike should not hurt. If you’re feeling pain anywhere, it’s your body telling you something is wrong. Don’t ignore your body – with the right advice there will be a solution.

Saddle sores, pressure, numbness are not a normal consequence of cycling, so don’t put up with them. Read on to hear our suggestions.

Uncomfortably numb

Saddle sores and intimate numbness can ruin cycling – don’t be afraid or embarrassed to get help. For men, pressure on the pudendal nerve, which runs through the middle of the base of the penis and perineum, can lead to numbness and erectile dysfunction. This can cause alarm as well as discomfort. Saddles designed with gaps or grooves support your body weight through your sit bones and reduce the pressure beneath your perineum.

Gap saddles can also work for some women, but not all – it really depends on your own shape and tissues. Women have far more variation in their soft tissues than men: for some, the sensitive areas fit within the gap, for others their tissue folds overlap the gaps and actually increase the pressure. For women, the first concern when choosing a saddle is getting the length and the width right, as women have wider pelvises than men.

Selecting the right saddle

Finding the right saddle – whatever your comfort issue – is annoyingly down to trial and error, as you need a saddle that fits with your own unique soft tissue presentation. However, there are some general rules of thumb for saddle choice,

Your saddle offers best support when its width correlates with the width of your sit bones.

You can measure the distance between your sit bones by sitting on a bit of memory foam and measuring centre-to-centre of the two dents left by the pointy bones of your bottom when you sit down. Some bike shops offer this as part of saddle purchasing. The length of the ‘nose’ of the saddle is also important, particularly for women who naturally tend to roll further forward onto this part of the saddle because of their hip rotation.

Men’s saddles tend to be narrower and longer, whereas women’s tend to be shorter and wider. Saddles and shorts are one of the few areas of biking where having gender specific products really matter.

Saddles don’t solve everything

If you cannot find a saddle that feels comfortable then there is likely to be something else at play. Look at the layers between your skin and the saddle. First up: cycling shorts. Are you wearing shorts with enough padding and protection in the parts you sit on? Do they fit snugly or move around as you pedal? Quick public service announcement – do not wear pants, boxers or briefs with cycle shorts, they are designed to be worn next to skin.

Using some lubrication on your skin, such as chamois cream or a medicated ointment like Sudocrem, helps your skin to slide smoothly, reducing friction and preventing aggravation of your hair follicles, which can cause saddle sores.

Perfect your position

How comfortable you are when sitting on your bike is about more than just your saddle. You can buy the best saddle, wear the best shorts and slap on the chamois cream, but if your position is wrong it will compromise every part of you. Posture is everything and you need good core strength to maintain your riding position. Think of your bike saddle as a bar stool you perch on, not an armchair that you slump in.

Saddle height and reach to the bars influences your pelvic angle and weight distribution. If you feel discomfort at the front of your pelvis, lower back, or in your wrists, the reach of your bike (how much you lean forward) toward the bars may be wrong. Discomfort in your ankle or knee joints suggests your saddle height may be wrong for you. If you have any aches, pains or saddle sores, start with getting your bike properly fitted to you by a bike-fit expert.

Check your saddle position frequently

Check your saddle as part of your regular bike maintenance, or after a crash, as it is easy to knock your saddle out of alignment. A saddle that is a few degrees off centre can leave you sitting twisted and a knock to the front or rear of the saddle can move it slightly nose-up or nose-down.

Final tip

When you do find the saddle that works best for you, buy two so that you have a spare if your first is damaged or wears out. You can guarantee that if you don’t have a spare the manufacturer will discontinue that model and you will be back to square one!

For more information about our services or to start your claim, call 0808 100 9995 and speak to one of our specialist solicitors. We’re here to help. You can email us or schedule a callback.

 

Written By:

Emily Pheysey

Litigation Executive

Emily has over 7 years of experience in the legal sector, handling road traffic accident claims to recover compensation and support her clients. Her focus is to ensure all clients feel comfortable and at ease with the claims process so that they can focus on their recovery.

Emily considers rapport to be an essential part of the role and strives to always provide excellent client care.

Away from work, Emily enjoys spending time with her family and friends and travelling as much possible.

Diane Holderness

Litigation Executive

Diane is a Ministry of Justice (TOJ) Team Leader within our Cycle Department. She has 11 years’ experience managing road traffic accident claims, and 6 years’ experience managing MOJ claims.

Diane enjoys a challenge and always strives for the very best results for her customers; something that is clear in the way her team continually adapts its strategies in order to secure the most desired outcome. Diane has worked her way through the legal ranks here, and is proud to now have a strong, specialist team that is committed to customer satisfaction.

Diane believes that happy clients make a happy working environment, and it is this that ensures a productive and efficient workforce.

Nina Haddock

Chartered Legal Executive

Nina has over 30 years’ experience in the legal sector. She specialises in recovering compensation for injury claimants as a result of road traffic accidents. Her focus for each and every claim is to help her clients secure the funding that they need to pay for ongoing treatment and support.

Nina became a CILEX Fellow in 2006 and now helps her clients and their families at a time when they have been through a traumatic experience, and everything they hold dear to them appears to be changing.

One case Nina is particularly proud of is supporting a client who had successfully sought asylum in the UK, following a road traffic accident. The claim was successfully pursued through the MIB and the client was left with significant injuries. Her client was able to use the compensation to aid family members with their applications to seek asylum in the UK.

Julian Fox

Cycling Accident Solicitor

Julian qualified as a Solicitor in 2005 and has worked in all areas of personal injury since 2000. Julian has a well-rounded understanding of personal injury law, having represented both claimants and defendants.

Julian always aims for maximum damages to meet his clients’ needs for injury and rehabilitation expenses, and can often secure interim payments to help meet clients’ financial needs. Julian is highly proactive in ensuring cases are progressed, ensuring a timely conclusion.

When not at the office, Julian is a keen cyclist, both on roads and virtually -he will often do an hour of ‘Zwifting’ in the mornings before starting work.

Richard Atherton

Cycling Accident Solicitor

Richard has 12 years of legal experience and qualified as a Solicitor in February 2014. He has been a Team Manager with us since 2019. Throughout his career, Richard has specialised in personal injury, handling an array of Road Traffic Accident cases, in addition to employer and public liability.

Richard prides himself on his very strong strategic and planning skills, which come into their own in complex injury cases where more technical arguments are involved. On every case, he is committed to ensuring that his clients receive full compensation for their injuries.

Away from work, Richard enjoys sport; he is a season ticket holder at St Helens Rugby Club and a Liverpool FC fan. Not only a spectator, Richard also likes going to play golf as often as he can.

Dave Gardner

Litigation Executive

Dave has over 20 years of experience in the legal sector. His specialism is personal injury and he has dealt with hundreds of cycling injury claims during his career. Excellent client care and communication is paramount to Dave. He prides himself on being accessible and available, attending court hearings where damages are in dispute to ensure the best outcome for his clients. One case Dave is particularly proud of is when he supported an elderly client who suffered serious injuries following a road traffic incident. The police had not taken any action against the defendant, so Dave had to be proactive and act within a 24-hour window. The case proceeded and the client was in receipt of £30,000 in damages, which he would not have been entitled to had the client not approached Dave. He is also an avid supporter of Glasgow Rangers and travelled abroad on many occasions to see them play in European competitions.

Gerard Horton

Partner

Gerard is a Senior Solicitor at Cycle SOS. In his 13 years of experience, Gerard has built a national reputation in the catastrophic injury sector, dealing with high value and complex cases. Alongside his legal role, Gerard supports several charities including Headway Central Lancashire, Northwest Regional Spinal Injuries Centre and spinal injury charity, Back Up.

Julia Eyton

Partner

Julia brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the Cycle SOS team.

Specialising in representing those who have had life changing injuries, Julia handles some of the most serious and complex personal injury cases both within Cycle SOS and nationally.

She often works on high value claims and is skilled in winning complex liability cases.

NADIA KERR

Partner

Nadia has over 30 years of legal expertise and has represented hundreds of vulnerable road users. With a focus on ensuring timely rehabilitation, speedy repair or replacement of bikes and kit, and securing fair compensation, Nadia is committed to advocating for justice and client rights. Alongside her legal career, Nadia actively participates in national campaigns to benefit vulnerable road users and acts as a Trustee/Director for the national cycling charity, Cycling UK. Nadia was named in Cycling UK’s ‘100 women’ and was a founding member, now running a women’s cycling group, TeamGlow in South Manchester. Among her many achievements, Nadia takes pride in her spot on BBC Breakfast, where she provided expert commentary on long term government funding for pothole repairs.

Caroline Morris

DIRECTOR OF SERIOUS INJURY

Caroline has specialised in personal injury for over 25 years, recovering more than £56 million in damages during that time, to help clients rebuild their lives after injury.

Caroline is committed to achieving rehabilitation options early, meaning her clients benefits from the best care and treatment at the earliest stage possible.