# Does sitbone measurements oversimplify saddle fit?



## Guest (Sep 15, 2014)

Petey and I have been talking about saddles, and she pointed this out to me:

Why the Ass-O-meter is flawed....

For the longest time, I rode nothing by Spesh saddles--all measuring 143mm. Recently, my old standby was starting to creak (gawd that's freaking annoying), so it was time to look for another saddle.

Spesh stopped making the Lithia--my saddle of choice--but I managed to find one at the LBS. Picked it up, and proudly placed my prize on the seatpost of my Mojo HD.

However, I didn't even ride it. It came off after Petey and I started talking about other saddles and the link I posted. So I spent quite a bit on this new saddle, a Selle Italia Diva. This saddle has one measurement: 155ish mm. There are no other varieties.

While it was much more than I've ever spent on a saddle before, but it was ride-changing. Even on a test ride Tuesday, I didn't notice it. On the 16 mile ride on Saturday, I still didn't notice it. I swear my butt is in love.

So this begs the question: how much faith do you put in the sit bone measurement vs a general measurement of women's anatomy on how other companies view saddles?


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## umicheng (Mar 24, 2011)

cool point you bring up...as I've been wondering this myself after unsucessfully not being able to measure my own butt.

i honestly just go straight off reviews for women's specific saddles and I've never had any issues. If it had 5+ strong reviews, I assumed it'd be comfortable. I rode a Serfas Niva ($50 from REI) for a long time and loved it. For my new build, I wanted something lighter. I was super close to get the Selle Italia (best, most # of reviews), but found an SDG Allure (also strong reviews) for a great deal. First ride, I rode 16 miles yesterday and with a chamois...never thought about my seat once.

I'm a fan of Ergon products and their new SME3 saddle is intriguing. It comes in multiple width sizes. I'll most likely try it out in the Spring.

Ergon: "All of our saddles are designed around the male anatomy. With that said, we have plenty of women on our saddles. The SME3 is the most favorable with the female riding crowd due to the shorter nose."


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## mtbxplorer (Dec 25, 2009)

Yes, I think it is 3 parts marketing, 1 part helpful, a 3:1 ratio. But since most models come in 3 widths, I think that's a wash. I have liked a few Spesh saddles, chose the middle width randomly, no a**-o-meter. But shopping in their outlet, I decided to try the narrower model, because, after all, it was ON SALE, and the newer ones available in all widths were weird, and I had only picked the middle width previously by guess-timation. Sure enough, this one was just as comfy as the mid width ones, and perhaps easier to maneuver around on the MTB. I haven't tried it on a road bike though, where you have more a** time.


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## skarin (Jun 2, 2006)

I never bothered to measure my sit bones until very recently. I read lots of reviews and also decided on the Selle Italia Diva. When I finally measured my sit bones, the seat was in my range so I got pretty lucky. I didn't want to go to a shop to have my bones measured so I found a kit online that worked well from this site -- http://www.wekeepyoucycling.com/en/

It's just foam in a box though. You could just buy some foam.


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## sooshee (Jun 16, 2012)

All my saddles are what I measure out to be, but I've never given it much thought. All my bikes came with 143mm widths anyway and they're all comfortable so that's all that matters to me!

Measurements I think are a good guideline, but not the absolute truth. During multiple fits I've been told I needed very narrow bars on my road bike (38 instead of 42). I tried the 38s, and I thought I wasn't stable descending. Went back to the 42s, and I am much more confident on fast descents on my road bike, have better control on the cross bikes, and am just as comfortable. So definitely a guideline, but nobody should feel like they're using the "wrong" stuff just because they use something different.


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## Rae6503 (Jun 30, 2009)

I tried the ass o meter. Got a seat that supposedly fit. Didn't like it. Then I just started trying things, a couple of ones my husband had that came on bikes he bought, then a demo program from WTB. It was then that I found one I liked (the Deva). I have no idea how it's measurements fit those of my seat bones.

But that article on SMP seats was pretty interesting about pelvic roll and how it effects things. I actually like my seat tilted down a few degrees, which I've been told isn't "right". I wonder if it has to do with how I roll my pelvis when riding.


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## RS VR6 (Mar 29, 2007)

I think the ass-o-meter is just a place to start. The ass-o-meter told my GF that she should be on a 155mm.

She went from a Specialized 155mm Ruby, Oura, now a mens 143mm Romin Evo. She's telling me that the Romin feels better than the two women's saddles.

I used to work at a custom bike builder and there was a girl that tried every saddle in the shop...and some that weren't in the shop. We had this saddle quick release mechanism that let you change out the saddle without any tool. I've never swapped so many saddle in one afternoon. I think she finally settled on an SMP saddle...I can't remember which one...I swapped every saddle in the shop.

The only way someone will ever find the right saddle is to try, try, try. Don't be afraid to try mens saddles too. 

I have my GF's saddle set where the middle of the Romin is flat. I pretty much moved her saddle position straight over from her road bike. This is on a Niner EMD 9.


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## p4nh4ndle (Oct 11, 2012)

I'd agree that sit bone measurement is a good place to start; it will at least get you in the ball park of what to try (or maybe just what to avoid).

As others have stated, it's not the end-all-be-all of saddle fitting, for sure. But then again, you don't want to struggle with a saddle that seems nice and light and padded in all the right places, but feels like a hammock full of gravel because it's too narrow where your butt hits it 90% of the time.


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## LadyDi (Apr 17, 2005)

Having tried the ass-o-meter, and the incredibly painful saddle that was recommended after my "fitting", IMO it isn't even a good place to start. 

I also have the Selle Italia Diva (on 3 bikes). A couple of the Terry saddles also work for me, however the ridiculous long wait time has turned me off that company.


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## petey15 (Sep 1, 2006)

Sigh. So, I'm back at it, again. I was off my bike for a couple of months following gallbladder surgery. During this time, I also lost quite a bit of weight (30+ pounds). I gradually got back into mountain biking and regular group rides as my stamina and fitness increased. But, suddenly, my bum was not happy. I started getting saddle sores and I just could not get comfortable on my saddle. Everything about my trusty "old-faithful" felt different. The saddle suddenly seemed far too narrow and unsupportive. 

So, I started looking into a different saddle. I noticed I kept wanting to slide as far back as possible on my saddle, to where I felt like I was finally getting supported. Perhaps something wider was needed? I did a bunch of research and ordered the Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow saddle. I figured the wider width and endorsement from so many women, it'd be the ticket. And, initially, that seemed to be the case. I used chamois cream and rode it for a couple of hours. Things seemed okay at first. But, then, after a couple of rides, I noticed I was shifting around a lot again, and back came the saddle sores (despite chamois cream). 

Frustration ensued. Okay...well if that saddle wasn't going to work, perhaps I'd give the Terry Butterfly a try? I seriously felt like I was grasping at straws. I recently purchased a fat bike and put the Butterfly on. I adjusted everything so the fit/set-up is very close to my FS bike. So, the sores on the side finally dissipated, but I developed new problems "up front". And still I had the urge to scoot back further on the saddle (despite everything else lining up properly - leg bend, knobby knee protrusion with pedal axle, etc.) I found I could not sit on this thing for more than a few minutes without starting to develop some serious discomfort up front (and yes, I was using chamois cream - lots of chamois cream). I made small adjustments here and there (like millimeters at a time), all to no avail.

I went back to the drawing board and looked up ways to measure your own sit bones. I've tried saddles at 143, 155, , and 152mm. I found a site that suggested using tin foil and placing it on a carpeted stair, sit down hard and bend slightly forward to mimic a position you'd be in while riding a mountain bike. Fine. Wait a minute, could that seriously be right? My sit bones appear to be (after several measurements) about 145 mm apart. The site said to add 20mm to the measurement to get the width you should go with...so that puts me around 165mm. Hmmm, so may a wider saddle is what I need. That still doesn't necessarily address the issues I have up front, though. It seems a cutout or some kind of depression up front is needed, too, but all the saddles I have tried thus far have that feature and I've still had a lot of pain and rubbing/chaffing. I seriously thought either the Selle Italia or the Terry (especially given all the positive reviews) would have been "it" for me.  

I'm about to my wit's end. I LOVE being out on my mountain bike and am super-excited to get out on my fat bike and enjoy all that winter has to offer, but being uncomfortable on my saddle is really putting a damper on things. The only thing that has changed is my weight loss. I know your sit bones don't change width, but can losing weight really have that much effect on how a saddle fits? How was it I seemed quite happy on a 143mm saddle that now feels like a medieval torture device?


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## supersedona (Dec 17, 2012)

Losing wieght, gaining or changing muscle tone has everything to do with fit changes. A couple weeks out of tone makes the first ride back hard for me sometimes and when I was in college I had a different one to compensate for the lack of hours and thigh gain  It is possible, too that you could go back to your previous when you resume the old level(unless the wieght loss is maintained). For that reason I tend to keep mine around even if they get changed out.


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## petey15 (Sep 1, 2006)

^ Such a..."bummer" though . I am planning on maintaining most of the weight loss I inadvertently achieved and am starting to do yoga to increase my core strength and flexibility.


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## mtbxplorer (Dec 25, 2009)

^^ Geez, that sounds frustrating, have you tried adjusting the angle as well? I use a level, and like it at pretty much level. A couple months off alone will make anyone saddlesore, I wonder if you just need to callous up a bit, but not all at once. Also, I find winter riding is just more chafe prone, kinda like chapped lips, aquaphor cream is good for healing up chafing.


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## supersedona (Dec 17, 2012)

Angle can help a lot, as does handlebar height. It just becomes a tradeoff between loading wrists or loading butt. Carpal tunnel numbness is a big ouchie for me...


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## petey15 (Sep 1, 2006)

^ Yes to both - I have tried slight angle variations off level (with nose pointed down or up just a degree or two) and neither seemed to help. I did change my stem from the 80mm the bike came with to 45mm as I was reaching too far (at least that's how it felt to me). I also replaced the setback post with a zero offset post and I got a riser bar to replace the stock flat bar. After several rides, I felt the 45mm stem may be a bit too short, so I've now put a 60mm on (haven't had a chance to try it yet). It's been very frustrating - I would only occasionally get some soreness after extended periods in the saddle after riding multiple days. Now it seems I can't go more than 15-20 minutes before the soreness settles in and by the time I'm done, I'm trying not to sit on the saddle at all. I haven't given up though - something is bound to click :thumbsup:


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## sbarnhart (Jun 8, 2011)

If you keep scooting back maybe the stem IS too short. Hope that stem change stretches you out a bit more.


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## petey15 (Sep 1, 2006)

^ Agreed, but I also think I have been scooting back to get comfortable on the saddle, or at least to the point where I'm being supported properly? I just received yet another saddle in the mail and raised the seat up quite a bit (new saddle has less padding). I haven't been able to take it out for more than a few sweeps around the driveway, but, without having padded shorts on, I didn't seem to be in any discomfort up front. I'm hoping to get out for a longer ride tomorrow. Hopefully between the longer stem and new saddle, I'll finally be comfortable.


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## RS VR6 (Mar 29, 2007)

If you keep scooting back...maybe move the saddle forward?

Saddle position and reach should be independent of each other. First you would set your saddle position(height and setback)...then you set your reach.


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