Do You Need A Cutout Saddle? | Saddles Explained | Cycling Weekly
Do You Need A Cutout Saddle? | Saddles Explained | Cycling Weekly
If you’ve ever experienced numbness or pain down below when riding your bike, then this is the video for you.
Today, we’re going to talk to you about what different types of discomfort can tell you about what type of saddle you need. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comment section below?
In association with Specialized: https://www.specialized.com/gb/en
Subscribe to Cycling Weekly here: https://www.youtube.com/user/CyclingWeekly1?sub_confirmation=1
More at:
Cycling Weekly: http://www.cyclingweekly.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CyclingWeekly
Instagram: https://instagram.com/cyclingweeklymagazine
Twitter: http://twitter.com/cyclingweekly
Email: cycling@futurenet.com
Tip for next time, wear a light colour top so there is a contrast between the black saddle and the background
I still have no idea if I need a cut out lol.
So, is Cycling Weekly owed by Specialized?
I would like to hear more about the flair shape and its design/function theory. I am about to pull the trigger on a Power Pro Elaston or a Power Arc Pro Elaston (sitting on a board vs a log I hear) and my sitbone width is 118 which rates me on a 143 saddle but close to a 155. Trying to decide if I am so close to a 155 saddle if I will be rolling off of the 143 on my Specialized Epic "XC" bike. Any advice or a video discussing this would be helpful. I find that saddle type, height and position are the greatest mysteries of bike fitting ;-P
Selle Italia SLR TM Flow L2 I’ve got bundled with my new canyon is best saddle I’ve ever had. I don’t event need padding in my pants or bibs to ride less than 20km. It’s really awesome and I’m angry at myself I didn’t bought any cutout saddle earlier.
@Cycling Weekly… Saddles with cutouts are one of the dumbest ideas in cycling. By reducing the saddle area you are effectly increasing the stress (pounds per square inch) on the rest of your posterior that is in contact with the saddle, creating chaffing hot spots. If a cyclist needs to reduce pressure towards the front of the saddle he or she should simply rotate the saddle downward a few degrees to move the center of pressure towards the rear of the saddle.
Anything narrow, flared, minimally padded, kicking up on the back and cutting out/channelled works for me
I ride horses, motorbikes, mtb and road cycles and row c2, dont have a fat arse, any old saddle will do Race saddle, dressage, cut out, non cut out, no padding , gel…..they all feel the same….but get in a car and drive for more than an hour and the back of my legs give me jip……work that out ?
Excellent vid, it’s a shame more LBS’ don’t do test saddles.
Ironically, given this is sponsored by Spesh, I didn’t get on with the Spesh saddle on my SL6!!
I got a short nose Profile Design TT saddle because it looked very confortable but at the time of sitting in it, it is a nightmare in the @ss
I am kinda desperate. ISM looks like the safe option but is very pricey…
Spongy Wonder health page or say "hello" to your urologist for me!
Not really impartial
I found I had to ride a different saddle indoors than outside. As you are sitting in the same position.
Ended up with a Selle SMP well M1
I’m not a pro or ‘serious’ rider. I don’t wear lycra. I’m not built like a greyhound. I’m a woman who has to cycle about 70 miles a week, every week, because I can’t afford a car these days, and can’t afford public transport either.
I’ve got an old (teenaged) steel-framed road bike. It came from Halfords originally ("Ewww!") and has been DIY-converted to carry cargo (25kg of groceries for myself and my immediate neighbours who are elderly and infirm), so it’s basically a mule with wheels.
It’s worth about £30. Yes, that’s right, bike snobs: thirty quid, not three hundred or three thousand. Don’t laugh. It does the job.
I live in the north of England – it’s hilly and windy, and cycling for me is a cold, wet, exhausting, miserable chore. Yay for cycling.
My saddle cost a fiver. I don’t even know the brand. It’s wide and firm, much like my posterior (ho ho), so it’s adequate. I spend most of my time out of it anyway, standing on the pedals, so I’ve not encountered any ‘down there comfort issues’ over the past 16+ years.
One thing I DO like about this kind of pillow-talk saddle-talk is that it forces everyone to acknowledge that men and women really are DIFFERENT. Hooray! No more tiptoeing about the subject. What a joy that is to see in these ludicrous, multi-sex, optional gender, "we’re all identically different on Tuesdays and Fridays" times.
Yes, we’re built differently. Ain’t biology wonderful. C’mon, now – say it loud and say it proud: I’m a human; hear me roar. I’m a rider who’s not sore.
But I am skint.
I’m sure the Specialized peeps are all jolly splendid chaps, but I’m equally sure that a woman who rides a £30 bike couldn’t afford any of their products. Yep, cycling on a budget is a pain in the bum, and no amount of new saddle tech will relieve the agony of parting with cash… 😉
I gave this a thumbs up because it has some useful info. Still a big promo for Speshy lized. With so much commercial interest it is hard to be impartial and keep integrity,which is why I unsubscribed a long time ago.GCN is not much better.
It’s gotten to the point that I cannot find a comfortable saddle. It’s sad, because I want to ride. Used to be able to ride all day with no issues.
Best saddle selection help video I have seen. For those complaining, the same principles apply to all brands…
I liked this video, very brand specific but just changespecialized to Pro and it’s the same content!
I want to know why road bike saddles have to feel like some kind of medieval torture device?
i bought power, romin & toupe. for me toupe is the best comfort for longer ride. however romin is best for fast shorter ride. the power just not fit me, found it too small..
Really interesting video, I have watched many videos & read reviews as it’s an area I always struggle with.
I’m fairly narrow with sit bones, have limited amount of padding overall & as I have had 2 lower spine operations to remove discs I now have very limited movement in my lower spine which means reduced ROM. Most of my riding is done with hands on the top of the bars because of this.
I do find the flare at the rear helpful, don’t have an issue with a longer/shorter nose, however always have issues with 2 specific aspects.
1. Pinching on the upper inside of the legs (both sides) where the pelvis presses against the saddle.
2. Sit Bones almost feel like they are wanting to pierce through the skin.
I ride mostly Gravel/MTB events so use a mix of bikes.
Any suggestions/considerations would be greatly appreciated. The best saddle so far has actually been a completely plastic (No cushion) option which cost approx. £20 lol
I wish people would stop saying “down bellow” and just name the anatomy properly! We are all adults here 🤦♂️
How come there is no "includes paid promotion" in the video? The ad for Specialized is intense.
title pretends like it’s giving you information.
Another Cycling News video bought….oops, brought to you by Specialized.
should be good if you make a list of all the saddles you’ve show of, it would be fantastic if these are all linked in your description. But video helps anyway. Thanks
Dr. Steven Schrader with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH): “When you sit on a bike the pressure on the perineum increases sevenfold. Riders using a classic saddle place 1/4 of their body weight on the perineum. The amount of oxygen reaching the *** typically falls 70% to 80% in 3 minutes. A guy can have his oxygen levels drop 100% but he doesn’t know it. After half an hour he goes numb.
Saddles with splits or holes may make matters worse because they have smaller surface areas, and hence the rider’s weight presses harder on less saddle. The arteries in the perineum run laterally and therefore they come under more pressure when they come into contact with the cutouts’ edges. It is no longer a question of whether or not traditional bike saddles causes ED, but what are you going to do about it?” @t
Maybe I’ll watch this again, I can spend a lot in the saddle on the basis that if I get the right one, I’ll have it beyond the life of the current bike. How do I know which one is right for me out of the options available ?
Lower your seat by 3mm and go for a long ride. Assess before you give money to Specialized.
Don’t worry about the change in height. Your muscles will adapt to the slightly changed position. Give it two months at 30 miles/day use.
I follow this page as it does objective reviews from a client perspective not from a brand perspective. You loose a lot of your credibility when you offer co Mercian information and package it in a way that you are helping us. Your are heading towards GCN way….
Numbness & pain? Then get a SQLab saddle. I have tried at least 25 saddles, Specialized, PRO, Fizik, SelleItalia, Ergon, SMP… from cheap PRO to Fizik 3D… For me, a good test is the ability to sit on a Kickr indoor set up and do a 2+ hour session, only seated and not have any pain, numbness or discomfort. SQLab saddles, not the prettiest, but they work, for me anyways.
If you feel discomfort after several hours of riding it’s potentially because you’ve just done several hours of riding.
Yet another good explainer video, thank you Rupert and Michelle. To help with visualisation of the issues and concepts, it is better with a sponsor
6:42 is that a dropper seat post?
Isn’t that a Bridge Mimic you’re holding and not a Romin?
The theory on cut-out saddles is that "where there is nothing, nothing can cause pressure", but my experience is "where there is nothing, there is something around that nothing that causes pressure", because I would always feel the edge of the hole cutting into my butt. That’s why I prefer saddles with a solid, flat shell to evenly distribute all the pressure.
I thought short nosed cut out saddles were the way to go, but for me the edges of the cutout causes even more discomfort.
Excellent choice of topic, saddles are an important component of a bike, I am glad you made a video on it. Thanks for posting
This should be titled "which SPECIALIZED SADDLE" is right for you. Like most CW output it’s just advertising dressed as journalism!
Lose some mass from your body north of the perineum. LOL
Excuse me, what exactly is a woman?🤣
1:04 where do i get the free saddles? please sign me up
A Selle SMP TRK thats me done for buying saddle after saddle after saddle, have these on three bikes just love it! Ladies listen up !!!
now I see how little I knew about saddles. I use the saddle that came with the bike. After doing some long ride I got nasty boils, sth that never happened with my old bike. On my old bike however I experienced numbness when ridind in low position
Is this a specialized promotion channel? They advertise every time.
I gave up obsessing over it and just got a Brooks Imperial and called it a day. It’s fine.
Which one would you recommend for a tailbone pain ?
They’re real and they are spectacular.
i got so numb down there on rides that i gave up cycling and took up running ….
It was that or finish every ride looking like i had a defrosting Cumberland sausage in my tights