Help with choosing a saddle
 

Hello:

I am interested in purchasing a specialized romin saddle.

I measured my sit bones and found the center of my sit bones measure 111 mm (center to center) and the outer edges of the impression measure 168 mm (outer edge to outer edge). I've heard you need to size up on the Romin, so I'm looking for a recommendation on what size would be appropriate for me the 143 or 155?

Thanks,

LD

Why this particular saddle? I just looked at Specialized's website. There are four or five Romin models. Which one in particular do you have in mind? I ma not at all understanding why one should need to "size up on the Romin". But... if that is true... well I measure 100mm and that puts me on a 145. How could you possibly consider the 145... or the 155 for that matter. Since you can only buy Specialized Saddles through a dealer, why don't you let them measure you properly with their proprietary fit kit and tell you what size saddle to get. I'd get the Avatar myself if I had to buy a Specialized Saddle because someone gave me a Specialized gift card or something, but buying a saddle with my own money? Terry. Liberator, Falcon, FSX. FWIW.

H

First off. The general rule of thumb is to take your sit bones center to center measurement and add 20-30 mm and that equals your saddle size. If you actually measure 100mm you would be more appropriately sized to a 130 mm saddle.

My saddle size is 143, ive measured it myself and done the assometer thing. My question was specifically to people who have a romin saddle and preferably have an ass of similiar dimensions... if they preferred the 143 or 155. If you do a google search of romin you will see many people size up. I prefer to try the saddles out but the only shop around me that carries them didn't have any loaners and have a rather ****ty return policy.

As to why I want a romin. They have great reviews. I own a variety of specialized products and I respect and trust the brand.

Which neither Terry or Specialized make.

So... call me stupid but... why the thread then?

I see... well good luck then, as I understand it you are rather on the wide edge of the bell curve of sit-bone distance at 111mm. This may just be as good as it gets. My educated guess is that people size up because they fall in between sizes and they go up to the next available size (like I did). Ass-uming your sit bones are accommodated ,by the narrower saddle, there are real benefits to sizing down. Less saddle between your thighs means easier movement and lass chafing. FWIW.

What are the reviews of the Avatar like? The reason I like the Avatar is because it is constructed like a pan and you sit in it, rather than on it. This makes sense to me and if it weren't for the fact that my better half needs Terry saddles and I don't really want to mix saddle models on the same tandem I would try one. The price is also reasonable. All very much FWIW.

H

Basics : go to a Bike Shop, and sit on a variety ..

that requires going into a shop with the SBI dealer's account.. after Work ..

As others have said, you should go to a bike shop.

For what it's worth, I have a 168 mm Romin, but I'm a bit of an anatomical weirdo and it's actually a touch too narrow for me: I'd probably be better off purchasing a woman's saddle given how wide apart my sit bones are.

Be that as it may, I recently took a chance on a Brooks B17 and I'm finding that it's wide enough and gives me the support I need even when not broken in. I'm capable of riding it for longer periods of time than I was with the Romin so it's staying.

If you really want to try a Romin, then get to a bike shop that sells Specialized gear and try one out. Many shops will let you return a saddle as long as you don't damage it.

You can do all the measurement and research you want, but in the end (no pun intended) there's no way to tell what saddle is going to work for you until you actually try out several options. Since you're DIYing the measurements, I can only assume that you're looking to purchase via Ebay or the like (since any authorized dealer will do all the fitting for you). If that's the case, buy two or three in the size range you think will work and try them all out. Keep the one that fits best and re-sell the others. Assuming you buy at a decent price, you won't be out anything on the ones you re-sell except shipping.

I just went through this myself. I went to a dealer, and sat on their assometer, and my sit bones are 135mm apart, center to center. I chose the Romin Evo Comp in the 168mm width. If you look at this saddle, the outer edges are turned down, meaning the outer edges would provide no support to your sit bones. The reason I chose the 168mm wide version is because the two high points my sit bones were going to end up sitting on were about 135mm apart on this saddle. Had I chosen a 155mm saddle, my sit bones would not have been resting on the highest points on each side of the saddle.

You do have to take into account the shape of the saddle when decided which width to buy. If a saddle is very flat, all the way out to the edge, you might be able to use a narrower version, but if the saddle is rounded off, you'll need a wider version. I do agree with others - go to a dealer who will take the time to measure and fit you to the proper saddle, and who gives you a guarantee, in case the saddle is not comfortable, despite their best efforts to fit it to you - which often happens.