"What saddle should I use?"

"What saddle should I use?"

Five innocent words.
Zero useful information.

The real answer—the only honest one—is: it depends.
And if that annoys you, good. It should.

Why are you asking and what are you trying to find a solution for?
Numbness? Hot spots? Soft-tissue pressure? Feeling like your soul is being slowly crushed after mile 20?

What's your position on the bike?
Does your bike fit you… or did you buy it because it was on sale and assume your body would figure it out?

Because here's the thing: cyclists LOVE to evangelize saddles.

"I ride this."
"This one's the best."
"I've done centuries on it."

Cool. Are you also the same height, flexibility, anatomy, riding style, and bike setup as that
person? No? Then that advice is about as helpful as asking strangers what size jeans you should buy.

Sure—people like to start with sit bone width (ischial tuberosities, if we're being fancy). And yes, that matters. But let's not pretend most people are riding around perched politely on their sit bones like they're sitting at a café.

Unless you're on a beach cruiser, you're rotated forward. Road, gravel, mountain—your pelvis is doing things. Which leads to more uncomfortable questions:

Can your hips actually rotate forward?
Or are you folding your spine like a lawn chair to fake it?
Do you even know you're doing that?

And now for the part everyone tiptoes around.

Female anatomy is not standard-issue.
We are not built from the same mold.
Different widths. Different shapes. Different soft-tissue structures.

Yes, innie and outie are real terms.
No, most women don't want a random dude in a bike shop bringing that up like it's no big deal.

And yet—it matters.

Pressure is pressure. Soft tissue is soft tissue. Ignoring it doesn't make it go away.

Saddle choice lives at the messy intersection of anatomy, flexibility, bike fit, posture, and honesty. There is no magical "best saddle." There is only the saddle that works for your body in your position on your bike.

So if someone gives you a one-word answer to a five-word question, feel free to smile, nod, and ignore them.

The right saddle isn't a brand.
It's a conversation. And sometimes, an uncomfortable one.

Worth it though. 😏

Okay—So Now What?

If you can't get to a workshop that walks through all of this in person, where do you even start?

Here's the short list of tips—the stuff that matters:

1. Identify the problem.
Chafing on one side is not the same problem as numbness.
Soft-tissue pressure is not the same as sit bone pain.
Be specific. Vague discomfort gets vague solutions.

2. Saddles are expensive.
The saddle may not be your issue, so know check the other items before you buy a new saddle.
Reputable shops will let you try saddles, so try before you buy.

3. Know your sit bone width.
It's not the whole story, but it's a starting point.
There are plenty of solid videos online that show you how to measure it correctly at home.

4. Get a bike fit.
And not just any bike fit.

You need to know:

• Is your saddle too high or too low?
• Too far forward or too far back?
• Tilted up? Down? Level but still wrong?

And let's be clear: not all fitters are created equal.

Experience, education, and willingness to ask uncomfortable questions matter.

5. If you can't make it to the workshop—stay tuned.

A video series is coming that breaks all of this down: anatomy, fit, saddle selection, and how to stop guessing.

Or—if you see me in the wild—hunt me down.

And let's talk. 😏