Saddle width: your sit bones have a measurement — find yours at home

Saddle discomfort is rarely solved with more foam — if your weight isn't landing on the right bones, gel just spreads pressure to where it shouldn't go. The right bones are the sit bones (ischial tuberosities), and the distance between them defines your saddle width.

Measure your sit bones with cardboard

1. Take a piece of corrugated cardboard and put it on a hard surface (bench, step).
2. Sit upright on it, feet supported, lean slightly forward to simulate your riding posture, then stand up carefully.
3. Mark the centre of the two depressions your sit bones left and measure the distance between the marks, in mm.

From measurement to saddle

Add allowance to your sit-bone spacing according to posture: the more upright you ride, the more weight lands squarely on the sit bones and the more width you need; the more inclined, the more support migrates to the pubic rami and the narrower the saddle can (and should) be.

• Sporty/inclined posture: sit bones + ~10–20 mm.
• Moderate posture (endurance road, gravel): sit bones + ~20–30 mm.
• Upright posture (city): sit bones + ~30 mm or more.

Numbness or perineal pressure is not something to 'get used to' — it's the wrong saddle (width, shape or tilt) or a torso angle too low for your current saddle. A central cut-out helps in many cases.

Judge a new saddle from the right position: confirm height, setback and tilt (start level) before blaming the model.