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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

Fabric saddle widths?

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Old 06-12-19 | 04:05 PM
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Fabric saddle widths?

I've long subscribed to the "sit bones + 2cm" guideline for saddle width. However, I was shopping Fabric saddles, and their recommendations are somewhat wider. They recommend their 134mm wide saddles only for riders with sit bones between 85-100mm, which statistically speaking is almost no one. If I recall, 100mm is the bottom 5% of the male distribution. My 110mm put me squarely in the middle of their 142mm size chart.

I guess guidelines are changing? And if so, how do 130-ish saddles sell to anyone? I'm probably going to buy the narrow Fabric anyway...heck with their size charts. I'm a rebel like that.
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Old 06-12-19 | 05:25 PM
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sit bones get narrower the more rolled forward they are.
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Old 06-12-19 | 07:50 PM
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Not sure. I measure ~113mm and ride (142mm width) Scoop Shallow and a Line Wide per Fabric's recommendation. Both fit me well are are super comfy. I've tried narrower saddles, not so great. Try both see which size you prefer and return the other?
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Old 06-13-19 | 08:48 AM
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Sorry, can't help you on the width, but have you determined which of their shapes to go with? I have only tried the flat and the shallow, and it was a night and day difference for me. So, it may not be the width that is the deciding factor for your anatomy. The shallow is perfect for me, the most comfortable saddle I've used in years, whereas the flat was one of the worst...
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Old 06-13-19 | 01:44 PM
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For a while the Line was only available in the narrow width. Considering that almost zero percent of the population meets the recommended size, I wonder who they sold them to?
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Old 06-14-19 | 06:59 AM
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Me, they sold them to me! I normally use a middle width saddle but the 142 offered by Fabric was perfect for some reason. The shape didn’t work unfortunately I’m more a flat saddle guy. So heck if you want a carbon rail line shallow pro hit me up, used two weeks!
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Old 06-14-19 | 09:12 AM
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Originally Posted by robbyville
Me, they sold them to me! I normally use a middle width saddle but the 142 offered by Fabric was perfect for some reason. The shape didn’t work unfortunately I’m more a flat saddle guy. So heck if you want a carbon rail line shallow pro hit me up, used two weeks!
You should actually just return it. Fabric has a 60 day trial guarantee.
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Old 06-14-19 | 12:10 PM
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Well if all manufactures made things exactly the same way, we wouldn't need different manufacturers. So instead of using a general rule that helps you when no other information is available, why not use the manufacturers specification of how to size it when you have that information.
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Old 06-14-19 | 01:14 PM
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Originally Posted by Banzai
You should actually just return it. Fabric has a 60 day trial guarantee.
Yep I know. I actually tend to keep most saddles until I have a bit of a collection. Since I live in a small area with a large club I let people demo saddles often before they buy one retail
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Old 06-14-19 | 09:03 PM
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Here's one maker's explicit directions toward determining what width to look for.. if buying their saddle.

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