# Best seat for my boney, skinny butt.



## Zukfanatic (Apr 17, 2009)

Hey guys - what's the best seat for my 5'10" 135 pound skinny behind? I have a Bontrager race lux right now and loathe it. My bike is a Fisher Paragon 19" 29er and now that I have had it for a while I think the seat really needs to be changed. Also gotta shorten the stem down to 90 from 105 I think. I don't know if I wanna mess with more than the rise is (7 degrees) because I feel like it might change the handling too much to go shorter and higher. I am one of those weird in between sizes where things need to be customized a bit to fit me right and I like slightly large and more stretched out rather than cramped and pushing against the handlebars on a 17.5" frame. Let me know what you guys think about the seat and if you want, what you think about the stem. Thanks in advance!


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## kisada (Mar 28, 2010)

Go get your butt bones measured and pick yourself up the proper size Specialized seat that fits in your budget.

I hated the seat that came with my bike (it was a 130mm Specialized Format) ... my LBS and their butt measuring tool (foam cushion you sit on) said I should be riding a 143mm.

I purchased a 143mm and have never looked back. Best compliment I can give is that I don't think about the seat anymore


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## jdreher55 (Jun 26, 2010)

How long have you been riding on that saddle? I never feel comfortable when I sit on a new seat or if I haven't been riding for a while.


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## Zukfanatic (Apr 17, 2009)

Been riding it for about 6 months. Had a cheaper Speed V on my old bike and that was better but not perfect. That bike was not worth upgrading though whereas this one most definitely is.


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## jdreher55 (Jun 26, 2010)

Zukfanatic said:


> Been riding it for about 6 months. Had a cheaper Speed V on my old bike and that was better but not perfect. That bike was not worth upgrading though whereas this one most definitely is.


Yeah that is a nice bike! :thumbsup: It sounds like you'll probably have to see what your lbs can do for you. Check out some WTB saddles as well, I've had good luck with them.


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## Dogbrain (Mar 4, 2008)

I'm really skinny and I love the WTB saddles. Rocket V on the MTB and a Pure V on the commuter.


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## willrace4food (Jan 11, 2009)

a lot of shops have the orange fizik test saddles that you can ride for a while and figure out if they work for you or not. Way better than guessing what will fit best.


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## Zukfanatic (Apr 17, 2009)

Ironically enough, I work part time at a bike shop in the summer (I am a teacher for my day job), but I have not been there long enough to really get into the ergonomics of seats. Most people come in, know exactly what they want, and don't really consult. I know A TON about shifting and brake componentry because that's what people ask about most of the time. That, or they ask about pedals and forks if they ride MTB. Always have people coming in and asking about the benefits of carbon fiber as well. It's funny. We also don't have a test fleet of seats, which I am going to suggest that we get, so it's kind of a trial and error process...Anyway, thanks for the info guys!


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## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

*most* people like wtb saddles, or at least one of their saddles. they seem to fit the largest range of people.


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## KevinB (Oct 5, 2004)

I've tried a bunch of saddles. For me the Terry Fly turned out to be the most comfortable. I've tried a bunch of WTB saddles. Some fit pretty well, and were reasonably comfortable for shorter rides, but painful on longer rides. That said, everyone's butt is different, and what works for me might not work for you. The only way to really find a saddle that'll be comfortable for you is to ride a lot of miles with a bunch of different ones.

With regard to the stem, keep in mind that shortening the stem, but keeping the same angle of rise will not only bring the bar closer to you, but will lower it slightly. If you want to keep the bar at exactly the same height, you'll have to increase the rise somewhat. Assuming that I've done math correctly, and assuming a 69.9 degree HTA (which I got from the fisherbikes.com site for a 19" GF Paragon), you'll need a 12 degree 90mm stem to keep the bars at the same height as what you're currently getting with a 7 degree 105mm stem. Here's the computation so that you can check it:

r2d(asin((105*sin(d2r(90-69.9+7)))/90))-90+69.9
=> 12.0047670234977

(r2d and d2r just convert radians to degrees and vice versa.)

Some other numbers to consider:

That 7 degree 105mm stem is extending your bar 93.5mm horizontally and is raising it 47.8mm vertically.

A 7 degree 90mm stem will extend your bars 80.1mm horizontally and raise it 41.0mm vertically.

A 12 degree 90mm stem will extend your bar 76.2mm horizontally and raise it 47.8mm vertically.

(Again, this is assuming a 69.9 degree head tube angle. Due to this angle, a zero degree stem mounted on your fork will form a 90-69.9=20.1 degree angle from the horizontal. Thus, you must add the stem's rise to 20.1 when making the calculations.)

Hope this helps...


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## Mount Dora Cycles (May 29, 2009)

You work at a shop and call it a "seat"?


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## Zukfanatic (Apr 17, 2009)

Kevin B - Thanks for all the info - I appreciate it and I am trying to learn as much as I can and pass it on to others who have the same questions. 

I really appreciate all of the HELPFUL information on here from experienced riders which, in turn allows be to broaden my knowledge base and help others who ask me the same question. I have been riding since 1991, but will always consider myself a noob in some areas because there is always more to learn.


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