* Support your sit bones

* Alleviate pressure from soft-tissue areas

* Provide good power transfer for each pedal stroke

* Largely fade into the background to the point that you don’t really have to think about it.

A new saddle can take a few days to get used to. A week should be enough time to determine if it is a comfortable fit. Try to take it out for a regular commute or a 10+ mile bike ride if you’re able. If you’re just generally “sore” (especially on your sit bones) that’s typical and should subside over the course of the week as your butt gets used to the saddle. If you’re experiencing specific pressure points or localized pain that doesn’t improve with adjusting the saddle or using padded bike shorts, it’s likely not the correct saddle for you. 

Play around with the angle of your saddle. Some people need the nose of their seat to be angled slightly up or down. Your saddle is also adjustable forward and back. There is a maximum amount the saddle can go back or forwards that is indicated by hash marks on the rails underneath the saddle. Make sure the saddle rails don’t clamp beyond the hash marks, as the rails will crack. We are happy to help you with this at the shop. If you want to try it on your own most seatposts are adjustable with a 5 or 6mm allen wrench. Take care not to overtighten.

We recommend wearing lightly padded bike shorts/bibs for rides over 10 miles. Some favorite brands include Wild Rye, Assos, Terry Cycling and Rapha. Some people find chamoix butter useful to help prevent chafing. Saddles should not cause pain, numbness, or extreme discomfort.

Be prepared to answer questions about your saddle experience each week when you come into the shop. You should know, after a week, what was better/worse and how it impacted your ride in terms of specific saddle contact points. We can’t tell you if something is comfortable for your body, and frankly, we don’t have the time or expertise to tease out the answers. Our role here is to provide the saddle options for you to be able to do that investigation. All of our employees are comfortable using language like “soft tissue” and “sit bones” to generally assess your issues, but if you’d prefer to chat with someone of the same sex to explain a more detailed issue we’re happy to make that accomodation.

It’s important to remember that the saddle isn’t the only piece of the puzzle. If you’ve tried a few saddles and positions and padded shorts and you’re still struggling to get comfy on the bike, it’s time to check in with a professional bike fitter. Here at the shop we’re really good at bike mechanics, but we leave body mechanics up to the pros. A fitter who specializes in both physical therapy and bike fits can help make some postural changes to the bike and work with you to rehabilitate old injuries and build supportive muscles to support your biking position. Ask us for recommendations! We work with a few fitters that have proven track records for getting folks comfy on the bike.