How To Choose A Road Bike Saddle

By admin | October 10, 2020 |

How To Choose A Road Bike Saddle

So you want to buy a new saddle for your road bike. Chances are, this is because your current saddle isn’t very comfortable for you. Choosing a saddle can be an absolute minefield – with different widths, cut outs, and shapes to contend with. But don’t worry, there’s plenty of options out there for riders of all different shapes and sizes and, in this video, Ollie talks you through everything you’ll need to know next time you buy a road bike saddle.

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What do you look for when purchasing a new road bike saddle?

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Posted in Seats

50 Comments

  1. Alcin Malveaux on October 10, 2020 at 4:06 am

    Could someone elaborate more on the saddle rails, Ollie was saying there are oval and round rails. If your saddle clamp is setup for a round saddle rail, can you change to a oval clamp? I see that some carbon saddle rails have a carbon tape does that help to make it round?



  2. ovener on October 10, 2020 at 4:09 am

    You should speak about SMP best saddles ever made



  3. Gobekadam on October 10, 2020 at 4:10 am

    Can you also make a video on how to find these well equipped bicycle shops?? I have never seen a bike shop with trial saddles, let alone the bum-o-meter.



  4. ian lang on October 10, 2020 at 4:11 am

    Thanks Bryan Adams



  5. Nic Spence on October 10, 2020 at 4:15 am

    This video was helpful



  6. Samir Gasimov on October 10, 2020 at 4:16 am

    Yeah, the road bike saddle is never gonna be the armchair. Just accustom your lazy ass to this!



  7. Jeff Coulter on October 10, 2020 at 4:16 am

    The correct word for that soft tissue is the perineum, just as easy to say as ā€œguchā€ or whatever that silly word is šŸ˜



  8. Default Mode Music on October 10, 2020 at 4:16 am

    6:45 I hope nobody is riding on their pubic bone. That sounds like the end of your private parts.



  9. Jiffy Pangestu on October 10, 2020 at 4:17 am

    Center hole saddle for who have a big D šŸ˜„šŸ‘ŒšŸ»



  10. AF AAG on October 10, 2020 at 4:18 am

    Im disturb by every squicky sound of you catching breath



  11. J. Reynolds on October 10, 2020 at 4:18 am

    I bought a Giddy-up seat. Nice padding and a rear light! None of this narrow crap.



  12. silpeamak on October 10, 2020 at 4:19 am

    I wonder… for an ultra comfortable saddle, what if someone made one with a Y frame with a strap of fabric in between like those foldable seats. As such, there’s no hard piece under you but rather, a stretched piece of fabric holding you up.



  13. ruan13o on October 10, 2020 at 4:19 am

    Is there an element of letting your body adjust to the saddle as well? When I got my current saddle (which came with the bike) it was very uncomfortable but after a week of riding it became no issue at all.



  14. Roksva on October 10, 2020 at 4:19 am

    Bum-0-meter, classic Ollie.



  15. Lacy Leech on October 10, 2020 at 4:20 am

    Only trial and error works.



  16. sayan sarkar on October 10, 2020 at 4:20 am

    What about wider seat with spring…



  17. LeglessLex on October 10, 2020 at 4:24 am

    I got a semi gel saddle and i tell ya my ass thanks me



  18. domiii1911 on October 10, 2020 at 4:25 am

    > Go visit your local bike shop
    Usually good advice but I live in an area with very few bike shops and every single one of them is staffed with the biggest leeches and most dishonest people I’ve come across. Every time I go to a bike shop for something simple (to replace braking cables, adjust the derailleur or literally just replacing the bottle holder), they tried to sell me a new bike. A NEW BIKE. They’re the apple of the bike world – they say my bike is too old or cannot be fixed. Joke’s on them! I’ve been binging GCN videos and I’m now able to perform nearly all of the repairs myself. The only thing I need is a new saddle since mine has become somewhat uncomfortable since I lost weight. Thanks GCN for the video, that’s exactly what I needed! <3



  19. Yadhu Krishnan on October 10, 2020 at 4:25 am

    Heyy, anyone please help me with a bicycle….šŸ™šŸ¤˜šŸ¤˜



  20. Jason Prezant on October 10, 2020 at 4:26 am

    I tend to get numbness in my toes after about 20 minutes of riding. Itā€™s alleviated usually by unclipping and shaking out my foot. Is this usually a result of too much pressure in the wrong places from the saddle?



  21. Jocko Tolentino on October 10, 2020 at 4:30 am

    Watching this hurts my butt and *uhm uhn



  22. pnut beurre on October 10, 2020 at 4:30 am

    you had my attention at ischial tuberosities. love the technicality. great video once again ollie!!!!



  23. Christos Lagos on October 10, 2020 at 4:30 am

    How flexible you must be in order to get the arione?



  24. Peter Lukaszewski on October 10, 2020 at 4:31 am

    So what would be a reason (for a man) to NOT get a cutout or is it really just personal preference as the video implies?



  25. EnSane Gamer on October 10, 2020 at 4:32 am

    If you’re black geta cut-out saddle.



  26. West Wynd Media on October 10, 2020 at 4:33 am

    Great Fizik saddle ad. Now can you really do a video about road bike saddles?



  27. crnkspinnr on October 10, 2020 at 4:34 am

    Selle San Marco Zoncolan is the best fit saddle for me.
    Bum-O-meter!



  28. DOM TV on October 10, 2020 at 4:35 am

    Thanks for reviews. Very good, understandable English)



  29. MrBuddha on October 10, 2020 at 4:35 am

    Get a haircut ya, beggar.



  30. PinPointEnts on October 10, 2020 at 4:35 am

    Big bums are great. Don’t be ashamed of it.



  31. dedi putra on October 10, 2020 at 4:35 am

    nice video, a lot info in less than 12minutes
    thanks



  32. I Am Maximus on October 10, 2020 at 4:36 am

    I say…..
    Protect your šŸŒ°z & šŸ‘z



  33. Hoser7 on October 10, 2020 at 4:38 am

    ā€œBumometerā€!! Brilliant and nice new word
    Thanks for another interesting rundown on tech.



  34. bikebudha01 on October 10, 2020 at 4:38 am

    Pressure = Weight x Surface Area. The larger the saddle, the more you spread out the weight, the less pressure is applied. And of course cuts outs take pressure of the most sensitive bits (if the cut out is wide enough). I ride a Selle SMP Martin Touring Saddle. Yes it’s huge. Yes it’s funny looking. Yes it weighs a ton. In 5 years of riding, not numb once. Not a single saddle sore. Even after winter break when hopping back on the road bike for the first ride of the season, no ‘break back in’ period. (Had tried 20-25 other saddles before I discovered this one. Can’t recommend this enough for larger riders… (or smaller riders, no numb simply can’t be beat…)



  35. VEC7ORlt on October 10, 2020 at 4:43 am

    Saddle, butt cream, dorky pants, here’s a better advice – ride a recumbent!



  36. Carlos Contreras on October 10, 2020 at 4:43 am

    When all else fails,
    INFINITY Saddle! Without it I would have quit cycling years ago..



  37. REALITY BITES on October 10, 2020 at 4:45 am

    Are these things you mentioned also apply on MTB saddles?



  38. Deepak Babu on October 10, 2020 at 4:45 am

    Hi. I use a brooks b17 saddle. I am told that changing the saddle will increase my speed. Is this true. If yes. Then what kind of sale should I go. Unfortunately we do not have bike shops who provide worth sample saddles to test them out and also they do not have many varieties to choose from. So I ask left with no option than to buy online. So keeping that in mind I am also vary that I cannot afford to buy one and that not suiting me. Looking forward to your reply. Thanks



  39. D G on October 10, 2020 at 4:47 am

    The requirements of the UCI are such that the distance from the vertical line along the axis of the bicycle carriage to the saddle should not be less than 5 cm. Therefore, the saddle for TT is made short.



  40. JoĆ£o Pereira on October 10, 2020 at 4:47 am

    9:53 Jesus, the guy is 3m tall? Look at the size of that Pinarello!



  41. infinati on October 10, 2020 at 4:47 am

    6:21 Ewwww that stain



  42. roadracer1584 on October 10, 2020 at 4:50 am

    Can you recommend a saddle for old farts with prostate issues?



  43. Dr StrangeLove on October 10, 2020 at 4:51 am

    If you truly care about the quality of your seat, I highly recommend getting the latest model crafted to perfection by brilliant Philadelphia-based engineer Mac. Look no further than the saddle used in the world class bike, the Ass Pounder 4000.



  44. Stoffendous on October 10, 2020 at 4:54 am

    Shows Assos, Assos & Assos, recommends buying Castelli in the shop.



  45. b g on October 10, 2020 at 4:54 am

    Can I hang my bols down from the cut out saddle or it might wrap around the bick chain ?



  46. N Rieh on October 10, 2020 at 4:56 am

    Nice video. I wish there was more info about the modifications made specifically for women, though. Is ‘gender-specific’ saddle really a thing, or is it more of marketing? From what I can see, there are not too many ‘female’ models to chose from, are they worth looking for? Where I live, most of the local stores barely have any cycling gear for ladies, unfortunately. No idea why. Must be some kind of marketing stereotype, like ‘girls only wear pretty skirts and ride pink glittery city bikes with baskets’.



  47. Jamesmichael Cabrera on October 10, 2020 at 4:59 am

    Cut out are for men with big balls that’s why you don’t notice the difference šŸ˜œ



  48. Q.D. White on October 10, 2020 at 4:59 am

    ā€˜Bumometreā€
    *OED has entered the chat*



  49. b g on October 10, 2020 at 5:03 am

    Lol



  50. Katrin on October 10, 2020 at 5:05 am

    Went cycling today, can’t sit on my ass now… I guess I need to change my saddle šŸ˜¬