General Cycling Discussion - How do you know a saddle is safe?

Hi,

If a saddle is comfortable and doesn't give you numbness does that mean it fits you or are there some other criteria to look for?
And by safe I mean won't cause injury given long term use.

Thanks

Daven

Hi,

If a saddle is comfortable and doesn't give you numbness does that mean it fits you or are there some other criteria to look for?
And by safe I mean won't cause injury given long term use.

Thanks

Daven

That's it. There's nothing more except perhaps chafing from being too wide.

excellent :)

I got back from a 10 mile ride yesterday and my a*** hurt like hell! So I went on ebay and bought a selle royal viper which is the same saddle as I have on my road bike which never hurts at all!

Was just making sure I wasn't too swift to purchase!

Thanks

If a saddle hurts- give it a month or a couple of hundred miles to get the saddle and butt attuned. If it still hurts after that time- get a new saddle----But you have already done that.

I would have given it time, but seriously my arse is still hurting! It was a very cheap saddle so I'm not too bothered about ditching it and will take it as a lesson learnt.

If you have a saddle on another bike that you know works well for you, it seems perfectly reasonable to buy another one for another bike. Buy what you know, buy what works!

I bought a $100 mountain bike a couple of years ago, and the seat on it was like sitting on a 2x4. Some seats, you don't need to give a lot of time to.

If the seat has a biohazard symbol on it or a skull and crossbones then
maybe you might want not to ride on it.

It depends on where it hurts. You have little muscles around your sit bones. They might hurt after a ride if you haven't ridden lately or if the saddle is new. Those muscles toughen up fairly quickly.

If your gluteus maximus muscles hurt, that means you got good exercise.

If the saddle hurts around your pubic bone, it might be because the saddle is wrong for you or because it's not adjusted right. Your saddle should be level or very, very slightly higher at the nose. It should not point down (lower at the nose).

It hurts right on my sit bones! The saddle is level and not pointed down. Thanks for the help but I think this is one for the bin tbh!

I would have given it time, but seriously my arse is still hurting! It was a very cheap saddle so I'm not too bothered about ditching it and will take it as a lesson learnt.

Have only ever had one saddle that I never felt from new and It broke. The warranty saddle was never the same.

And I did have one saddle- in fact I think I still have- that is a torture implement. I loan it out to people that moan about uncomfortable saddles.