09/08/2026
Saddle woes??
One of the more common, if not THE most common challenge riders run into is saddle discomfort, and finding the right saddle and positioning can be a tricky, often frustrating experience!
In general, the more upright your trunk is while pedaling, the WIDER the saddle you’ll need— this is because when we sit more vertical on a saddle, our sitting bones are making contact with the widest part, the ischial tuberosities, and then as we lean forwards, such as with a longer or lower reach road / gravel bikes , the pelvic bones taper inwards and the majority of the contact is focused to the anterior portion of those sitting bones, aka the p***c rami— this is why using ‘sitting bone measuring’ devices is more of an art than science, as it will measure the wider ischial tuberosity, versus the p***c rami.
Now, saddle width and general pelvic width are definitely important components to look at, but what is often neglected in is a comprehensive assessment of rider flexibility, riding style/bike — For example, having the ‘correct’ saddle but the wrong height, fore/aft, or tilt can all still lead to unwanted saddle pains — so it really matters who is performs the BikeFit, and the ability to look at allllll the variables, and no two riders are the same!
