cyclezen

ass-o-meter does not provide the final word, but it does provide a start point for someone who has no clue, has no experience with saddles, and needs a start point. It gives a shop guy a reasonable place to start in showing saddles.
Ultimately the rider must decide what works.

Steve Hoggs article - couldn't really sit thru the whole SMP thing - but one striking comment which puts real doubt in my mind is the one that says there is no difference between male & female pelvis. I mean, come on, anomalies aside, the pelvis is one of the very obvious places where differences exist. Credibility? Saddle Gnomes. I mean it's one place where looking 'fast' is almost more important than actually fitting someone's (anyone's) ass... I mean, who actually thinks that there is more technology, science, quality in a $250+ saddle VS one which is a third as costly.
There is no tool, no science which can guarantee a good saddle fit - it still needs saddle time and maybe setup variation
The ass-o-meter - better with one around than not...
one things for sure, load width is no indicator of the chassis it's riding on...

Campag4life

This I suppose is about degree of credibility of the A-meter. It seems a very large percentage of those measured by that tool end up riding a different size saddle and therefore I don't agree with the thesis that it is even a worthwhile data point. In fact I will assert a better data point that is independent of anatomy. I will say a starting road cyclist is better off on a wider saddle. I would say this is a more universal truth for the simple reason that most that begin life on a road bike ride more upright versus lets say a more 'proper' position on a road bike for lack of a better description which rotates the pelvis to the narrower inferior ramus of the pelvis which is best supported less obtrusively to soft tissue by a narrower saddle. There is a much higher correlation I believe in riding position and saddle width and comfort versus that of human anatomy.

A funny story...or at least one that is relevant here. I just moved south so I can ride year around and have been off my road bike for about two months...tore it down and put it in a box. Reassembled and ungraded it a bit and have been back riding for about 2 weeks. I basically had to re-learn how to ride and after about 2 weeks on the bike I had my best and fastest ride yesterday. My posture was very poor initially when getting back on the bike. I had very poor pelvis rotation and as a result too much weight on my hands. My poor posture lead to neck fatigue in the drops. Biggest issue? My trusty Toupe 155...a saddle I have done multiple centuries on hurt my ass because I had too much pressure on the rear of my pelvis aka sit bones because my weight distribution wasn't right. I have been riding road bikes for 45 years. I 'rediscovered' how to ride and now I am both faster and more comfortable on the bike. Same saddle and completely different experience based upon riding position. Yes anatomy matters but riding position on the bike is king basically when it comes to saddle comfort.

RollCNY

Congrats on the move. The never ending struggle between the wife and I is she wants to move "to the South" and I want to move farther north east. Any lottery winning discussions involve two houses and frequent flyer miles.

Campag4life

Thanks Roll. Decision to move south is made easier with age I believe. My capacity to deal with the long harsh mid-western winters has diminished as I have gotten older. I used to be an avid skier for example and lost the urge to drive to the hill. I also didn't want to mess up my aging knees for cycling which is my favorite thing. When you no longer have to go to work formerly...I can dabble a bit from my new location...then the decision becomes a lot easier. Good jobs which aren't easy to come by change the equation. Many of us live where we can find a good job. Sand through the hour glass. When it starts to get well over half full or empty...you gotts to go with your gut and for me that means riding on two wheels though I did sell my last motorbike prior to moving. No doubt you will figure out the best solution for you and yours. Btw, no regrets in the least. Love it.
Thanks again.

George

That's just about what I did. I couldn't wait to leave Chicago. I went to Florida first, lived there for 3 years and came over to Texas and I couldn't be happier. I miss Florida once in a while, but it's not bad here.

Poonjabby

The ass-o-meter is just the first step.

Poon

kbarch

When Mr. Spellcheck moved to America.

rpenmanparker 

Labeling has had one interior l for a very long time...i think.

rpenmanparker 

Come on down, Roll. The Mrs. has it right. The South is where it is at. If you can't afford California that is.

bruce19

The ass-o-meter tells me that my saddle should be 143 wide.Truth is a 130-135 with a rounded profile when viewed from the rear works MUCH better.

GravelMN

Are we overthinking this a bit? The Ass-o-meter is just a measuring device, like the Brannock is for footwear. The measurement is just a starting point and you still have to take into account many variables such as shape, padding, materials, preferred riding position and personal preferences. The Ass-o-meter isn't flawed, it is just limited in the information it can give you. My feet measure 10E but that doesn't mean I can grab any Men's size 10 wide shoe off the shelf and be comfortable. I have to try on several pair, maybe go up or down a half size, get a different footbed, whatever, but you get the point. Same goes for picking a saddle, the Ass-o-meter recommendation, if you use it, is only the first step.

bruce19

Maybe but in the hands of the LBS guy it all too often becomes "this is the size you need."

bruce19

The San Marco Concor Race (non-ergo) is working well for me.

Rowan

I would just like to say that for most people there aren't three points of contact on a bicycle. And anyone who says so doesn't have a clue.

There are in fact five. And each might have some idiosyncratic issues that need to be resolved individually.

I also wasn't aware that sitbones were measured by slouching. But that is something I learned from this thread.

Rowan

The old method of measuring sitbones was a kids' sandbox, with dampish sand, and a tape measure.

The thing about ordinary saddles is that they do not take into account differences in sitbone depth and rotation of the pelvis left or right. If you want an ample demonstration of this, look at a leather saddle that is well broken in and see how the sitbone divots vary in size and orientation.

Having said that, it could be that someone who is going to spend all of one hour a ride on a bike really isn't going to notice if the saddle is impervious to the idiosyncracies of their sitbones or pelvis. But get in the saddle for five or six hours every day (as in a touring cyclist) and 30 or 40 hours (as in a randonneur) and those issues can have dramatic effects.