saddle width question
 

I bought a new saddle last week from my LBS and tried it out with a friend saturday. My friend asked me if the fitted me for the saddle, I didnt know they did that. Anyway, I went back the was fitted... it said I was 134mm, the LBS said 145mm would be great. So when I got home I checked to see what width my new saddle was. It is 187mm wide. So it it not the right "fit" for me...

my question is, does 40mm really make a difference??? I am able to return the saddle if need be.

I've never heard of an official saddle fitting (which doesn't mean they aren't done). Everybody pretty much just gets on and decides if it's comfortable or uncomfortable, then whines about it in forums... But I haven't ridden anything but Brooks B-17s in years, and they break in, so your "sit bones" fit into the little dimples they form in the saddle. Plastic saddles don't do that, so maybe there's something to buying one that matches your butt width.
How did they determine what width you needed? Measure between the bones, or what?
I secretly suspect this is a bogus issue, but if it's not, 40mm would certainly make a difference. That's more than an inch and a half on something that's typically six inches wide--that's a significant fraction. And 187 is a WIDE saddle. Often those will feel good in the shop, but start to hurt after you ride a few miles. Even my B-17s are only 170mm.

Is the saddle marked "145"? 145 is not the actual width of the saddle. It is the sit bone width.
Specialized dealers will do a fitting for a saddle. They have a "tool" used to measure your sit bone width. I was fit for a new saddle last April. I got a Specialized Phenom "143". It is marked 143 on the nose of the saddle. Fits great. :thumb:

They had me sit on this thing, doing so left marks. They measured the marks and said that was the width I needed..... As for my saddle it says Men's RX 187mm width on the box. I think I'm going to return it and get the right size.

Needed or desired width is also determined by your riding position. The more upright you are the wider the saddle can be w/o any problems. The Specialized fitting method should give the MINIMUM saddle width you would want to use, not necessarily the maximum. Otherwise no one would be selling saddles as wide as some Brooks and cruiser saddles are at up to 250+mm wide. No one is going to have sit bones that wide.