Saddle Up!

One of the most important contact points on your bike is your saddle.  For some, it can seem like a never ending search trying to find one that you feel comfortable with.  If you check out eBay, you'll see lots of 'only ridden once' ad, always a bargain or two to be had!

Starting out, I tested a few and finally settled on the Selle Italia Gel Flow saddle as being the one that suited me best.  I now ride this saddle on all three of my bikes as it seems to provide the right balance between comfort and performance, with minimal chafing and rub (that's not a sales pitch for Selle Italia by the way, just my preferred choice after a lot of trial and error).

Saddles are quite an individual thing.  Each of us has different sit bones, so the search for the right fit can be a long one.  You can narrow your choices down by figuring out how wide apart your sit bones are (one of those things that I wish I'd known before trialling so many saddles).  The short video at the end of this article will quickly demonstrate how you can figure that out.

It's not just about your sit bones, it's also about your physique and position on the bike.  If you big muscly legs, you'll likely want a saddle with a narrow profile at the front.  If you ride with quite an aggressive position, you'll likely want a short stubby front end.  My position on the bike is quite neutral and the top of my legs are not huge, so the Selle Italia saddle above is perfect for me.

The other thing you might want to consider is a cut out in the saddle (see picture).  This provides some relief to your 'crown jewels' whether male or female, handy on longer rides.  When you've found the right saddle it's also important to sort out the right height plus fore/aft position.  You can find some previous articles I've written on this below: -

Tips for saddle comfort.  Click here.
Configuring the Correct Saddle height.  Click here.
Configuring your saddle Fore/Aft position.  Click here. 

If you're planning to get into road cycling in a big way, then I'd recommend that you think about upgrading your saddle.  When you buy your first bike, they generally come with a basic saddle, which may not be best for you.  You can upgrade for around £50, which is well worth the investment if you're planning to spend a long time out munching the miles.