Cycling for Women: Have a Seat

Have a Seat

Women have spent years on hard, narrow saddles designed with no regard for the female anatomy. Fortunately, manufacturers now understand that we are shaped differently than men (surprise!). Because we have wider, shallower pelvises, we can benefit from saddles with shorter noses and wider rear sections.

Avocet, a California company, started the revolution in saddle technology with the introduction of an “anatomic” seat back in 1977. One longtime user told me, “It was the first truly comfortable seat I’d ever used. It changed my whole attitude toward riding.” She’s still using that seat today. Many other women also discovered how much more pleasurable cycling can be on a saddle that fits, creating success for Avocet and inspiring other companies to design models for the female market. The result is numerous shorter, wider seats with features such as gel inserts or even holes through the top to lessen pressure on tender body parts.

Saddle contact occurs in three places: two in the rear, where your ischial tuberosities (“sit bones”) support most of your weight; and up front where your pudendum (the soft, external genitalia) rests on the saddle nose. Because women are built for bearing children, our pelvises are shaped in a way that puts our sit bones farther apart. If a saddle isn’t wide enough, these bones fall outside the sitting surface and much more weight rests on the soft tissue between them. Finding a seat that’s wide enough to fully support your sit bones is the key factor in the selection process.

Here’s a way to get a sense of your sit-bone width and how they feel when in full contact with something. Simply squat down and sit on a curb. In this position, your sit bones are prominent and easily felt through your butt’s soft padding. A saddle should be wide enough to support them in a similar way.

Saddle Softeners

You’ve chosen a saddle that fits your anatomy, and your riding position is on the money. But your comfort still isn’t what you’d like it to be, especially when you’re traveling on rough roads or trails. You’re a good candidate for a product that is gaining favor with many cyclists–a shock-absorbing seatpost. It’s an effective and relatively affordable ($60 and up) way to add rear suspension to any bike. There are two basic types.

The simpler design looks much like a regular seatpost. It contains elastomers or a spring and slides up and down in line with the bike’s bottom bracket. This works, but it has the disadvantage of changing your seat height as you ride over big bumps (more of a concern off-road than on). Also, because your weight isn’t always centered on the saddle, the forces applied to the post aren’t always in line with its movement. This increases friction and wear, possibly resulting in looseness over time.

The other type is more complex, which makes it heavier and more costly, but most riders agree that it also works better. Atop this post is a parallelogram, a four-bar linkage that absorbs bumps by moving the saddle more horizontally than vertically. It makes sort of an arc, relative to the bottom bracket. This keeps your saddle’s height quite constant, though it does vary its distance to the handlebar. The amount is too small to notice (or at least make a difference) for most riders.

How effective are these devices? According to pro racer Ned Overend in his book Mountain Bike like a Champion, “I put a suspension seatpost on my wife’s bike. It made a ton of difference to her enjoyment because she doesn’t ride enough to develop great technique. Now she no longer fears being pounded by the saddle.”

Women’s pelvises also tend to tilt forward, putting weight on their pudenda. For this reason, it helps to have a saddle with a shorter, well-padded nose. Then it must be positioned correctly, with the top horizontal or tilted nose-down just a degree or two. Be careful–greater tilt may cause you to lean too far forward, putting uncomfortable pressure on your hands and arms. To judge tilt, set your bike against a wall and lay a yardstick lengthwise along the center of the seat. Stand back to see if the yardstick is horizontal with the ground or tilted in either direction. Saddle height and other elements of correct position are essential for comfort, too, so carefully follow the guidelines in chapters 11 and 12.

Choice Seating

Saddle models come and go, so it’s possible that some seats mentioned here may have been replaced by even better designs when you read this book. Prices also can change. Check at your local bike shops to see what is current. Ask for permission to test-ride any saddle before you buy, or get a 30-day satisfaction guarantee.

The following saddles are far from the only ones designed for women, but as I write this in 1999, they represent some of the newest or most innovative. Subjective comments are compiled from several women, including myself, who tested these saddles for Bicycling magazine. By reading about these saddles, you’ll pick up tips for choosing the best one for yourself.

Mountain Bike Saddles

Avocet X-Country Women’s

This pioneer company’s latest line of women’s saddles includes this one, which is an inch wider than its racing model. The broader rear with ample padding offers comfortable support for the sit bones. The sides (“hips”) are squared off and reinforced with carbon fiber, providing a place to push against with your thighs when bike-handling in tricky terrain. The rear slopes down to help you slide off and on. This saddle should please the recreational off-road rider, while racers may want something trimmer and lighter. Weight with leather cover and titanium rails is 260 grams. $99.

Selle San Marco Race Day

Judging from the name, you can guess that this saddle is meant for racers. It’s available in slightly different versions that are named after former world champions Juli Furtado or Paola Pezzo. The Race Day has lopped-off hips, making it great for technical terrain–easy to get behind and to grip and steer with your thighs. Its slightly down-turned nose helps prevent shorts from getting snagged, and the top padding does a good job of cushioning bumps on the trail. There’s an oval gel insert right where you roll forward on your pudendum. Weight with leather cover and steel rails is 250 grams. $99.

Wilderness Trail Bikes SST-X

This is actually a unisex model, but it works for most women like it was made for them. As one tester commented, “While there’s nothing remarkable–no cutouts, no cushions–it does what a good saddle should.” It looks ordinary from the top, but from the side the company’s distinctive down-turned nose is apparent. This allows you to move easily from sitting to standing and back without getting your shorts caught on the nose. The rounded rear helps you get off and on the back easily, too. The SST-X has just enough padding, and the dip between the nose and rear is positioned so a woman’s soft parts don’t get crushed. There are several models in the SST family of saddles, including ones with different padding thicknesses, rail materials, and Kevlar panels to protect the hips. Weight with leather cover and steel rails is 290 grams. $38.

Road Bike Seats

Avocet O2 Air 40W

This saddle looks like a T, having a broad rear that tapers to a narrow nose. The nose is 1 ½ inches shorter than the men’s model and has a cutout to relieve pressure on soft genitalia. (The hole is covered, not visible.) This seat supports the theory that there’s no saddle that will please every rider. One woman who tested it absolutely loved its cushioning and support, while another couldn’t get comfortable at all. It’s wider and softer than a typical racing saddle, making it a good choice for recreational or long-distance riders. Weight is 264 grams with a leather cover and titanium rails. $80. A version with steel rails and a synthetic cover costs $60.

Giro Fi’zi:k Vitesse

This is a stylin’ saddle. All of our testers liked its sleek profile and split rear section. It sits high above the rails, which makes it easy to adjust, and the spotted suede cover enables shorts to “stick” so you don’t slide unintentionally. The Vitesse has minimal padding. In fact, the only concession to the female form seems to be the wider rear. Serious road riders liked this saddle best, while casual cyclists found it uncomfortably firm. One tester said that its raised rear end gave her support that seemed to help her pedal more powerfully on climbs. Weight with titanium rails is 252 grams. $80.

Serfas Ladies Performance Dual Density

CFW0901 “Dual density” means that a hard plastic shell provides support while softer, flexible rubber inserts provide cushioning for the sit bones and genitalia. The women’s model is shorter, wider, and a bit softer than the men’s. Our testers thought that the broad rear enabled them to move back and climb better. One tester found the padding comfortable initially but too cushy on long rides. She sank into it so much that her crotch went numb. This seat is probably best for occasional riders. Weight with leather cover and titanium rails is 343 grams. $80. A version with steel rails costs $50.

Terry Pro Liberator

The Liberator has been around for years, but now it’s also available in a lighter, narrower Pro version. Terry Precision Cycling for Women took a simple approach with the Liberator, cutting a hole in the nose of this saddle to relieve pressure. Our testers found it effective. The cutout eliminates contact and provides ventilation (particularly appreciated by those who’ve had to deal with yeast infections). Most felt that the padding was adequate and there was enough support CFW0902 for the sit bones. The only complaint: When you rotate forward to a low riding position, you can feel the edges of the hole. Some women find this uncomfortable. Weight is 254 grams with a leather cover and manganese rails. $60. The original Women’s Liberator (slightly wider, shorter, and with steel rails) weighs 343 grams and costs $45.

Specialized Body Geometry

This unisex seat works for many CFW0903 women for the same reason that it helps men avoid genital numbness. The moderately padded top has a wedge-shaped cutout extending from the rear almost to the tip of the nose. This removes material where it would contact the crotch’s soft tissues, but the sit bones remain fully supported. The nice thing is that you can’t sense the edges of the wedge when riding, so this seat feels natural. Because the rear of the seat is open, ventilation is enhanced. The $40 Sport model has steel rails and a synthetic cover and weighs 440 grams. A slimmer Comp model has manganese rails and a leather cover, weighs 290 grams, and costs $99.