Guidelines to Sitting Right on a Bike

Cycling seems to be one sport that is growing in popularity, mainly because it can now be practiced almost anywhere; from road courses to dirt tracks. All terrain bikes attract a large number of new riders who are turned on by the excitement they witness on television, or perhaps in person when watching a few friends practice this hobby. However, many are soon weary of this activity because the seat is not very comfortable, and this leads to an extreme discomfort level, which unfortunately means that a great many new riders don’t last very long.

The search for a comfortable bike seat has many avenues to explore because not all humans are built the same, so this indicates a need by manufacturers to make a great variety of these items in an attempt to appeal to every segment of the market. The starting point begins with each person’s style and riding ability, because these two are the basis for selecting the proper seat for the bike. A hard seat will soon cause discomfort to the buttocks — in particular the Ischia tuberosities, which are the points of contact for the human body when seated on a hard flat surface. They support most of the body weight when perched on a bicycle seat as well, so it is extremely important that the saddle is able to comfortably support this weight without causing too much pressure. Nobody wants to feel the irritating chafing and pinching of the skin when performing this activity, so a good seat will bear the load with comfort, so the width has to be the proper fit for each person’s particular backside.

A good bike retailer will be able to take a reading of these bones in order to properly select a seat for the bicycle before purchase. But it can also be done by anybody who might be embarrassed to have this done in public. It can be accomplished in private with any type of material that would leave an indentation after sitting for a brief time, such as a seat cushion or thin layer of foam. The key for any rider is to adopt the same position when seated on this material as he would be when riding on the bicycle. After rising from this position after being seated for a suitable length of time, it is easy to measure the amount of space between the two bones from the impression left in the foam or other material that was used. The proper way this distance to measure is to get a ruler and measure between the center point of each indentation and take the total length. While this doesn’t have all the technical know how of a professional in a bicycle shop, it certainly is good enough for sizing up a seat.

Now a proper bicycle seat can be fitted using the measurements found from the cushion. Ladies must keep in mind that most of the seats were designed for male riders, and thus the width will be slightly smaller than what is needed for them since women’s posterior bones are slightly larger than mens. This is important because the great majority of the seats will be of the wrong size, and thus will cause many of the symptoms that were previously mentioned. A number of producers have now manufactured specific versions of this product to market to female riders, giving them a greater variety of comfortable items in which to choose from.

Most new riders, and even some experienced ones are truly astounded when they select a new seat which matches up well with their build, and they can ride in comfort. This is truly one of the best investments that can be made by any rider who wishes to get more out of this activity and not experience the usual soreness afterwards.

These can be purchased through any major bicycle shop or even online through many of the different retailers who have now established an online presence. Finding the right bicycle seat is a matter of research and personal preference, but getting one that is tailored to a person’s particular physique will mean all the difference in the world to the novice rider.