For a long time women’s saddles didn’t exist, making it harder and less accessible for women to ride bikes comfortably.
Times have thankfully now changed and our list of saddles will help support comfortable riding for all women, something everyone deserve.
In this guide, we’ll take a look at what makes a comfy saddle as well as helping find the most comfortable bike saddle for women.
Most Comfortable Bike Seat for Ladies
Do Women Need Different Bike Saddles?
Many women will feel that they need a different saddle to the ones that come as standard on their bicycle. This is because most bicycles come with saddles that tend to be basic and orientated towards male anatomical needs.
Moreover, it’s really important to note that although women’s anatomy differs, male and female anatomy is of course very different, thus demanding a difference in needs regarding saddle comfort and suitability.
Difference Between Men’s and Women’s Bike Saddle
First and foremost, men’s saddles do tend to be overall narrower. This is because male sit bones tend to be slightly narrower than women’s in general. Additionally, men’s saddles also tend to have a longer nose as men often sit more towards the front of the saddle.
On the other hand, women’s saddles tend to be wider and more padded in order to offer more support towards the back as women tend to sit towards the back. Women’s saddles will often have a shorter nose as well to relieve pressure that longer saddles would otherwise cause.
Therefore, overall women often need more support on their sit bones and pressure relieving aspects for soft tissue, unlike men who often sit more towards the front of the saddle.
Men’s vs Women’s Bike Saddle
Why Do Women’s Bike Saddle Have Holes?
Many women’s saddles now have cut outs in the middle or at the front. This is a popular feature which helps to prevent numbness by promoting blood flow when riding in the saddle.
Additionally, the holes also benefit women as it helps prevent weight being predominantly on their highly sensitive soft tissue, thus allowing women to sit more towards the front of their saddle: something many women find far too painful to do.
How Do You Choose a Woman’s Bike Saddle?
The best way to choose a saddle would firstly include figuring out the type of riding you would like to use the saddle for, then the width of your sit bones. Then I’d highly recommend testing different ones out.
Many bike shops, brand and online retailers will allow customers to test saddles out for around 30 days. This period of time should help you to identity which saddle best suits you before fully committing to one.
Is a Wide Bike Saddle More Comfortable?
Wide saddles can offer more support for your bottom and sit bones, however they can be too wide for you personally. As previously mentioned, everyone has different sized bodies so it’s best to test the saddles out.
However, if you do have wider sit bones a wider saddle will be far more comfortable in comparison to a narrower saddle. This will improve comfort, reduce bottom numbness and improve your power transfer.
Can a Bike Saddle Be Too Wide?
Saddles can be too wide, this is dependent on the individual’s sit bone width and personal needs. But, people are all built differently and like many things will therefore need a different width to suit their needs.
However, sit bones can surprise you: they don’t necessarily correlate with your weight and instead are a specific width for each individual.
How Wide Should My Bike Saddle Be?
Your saddle should be as wide as you want or as wide as your sit bones. To be specific, a measurement can be taken, from home following a video tutorial, or in most bike shops using a simple (or sometimes complex) device.
When measuring sit bones, a foam like seat is placed on a hard surface to sit on. Once sat on it will create two indentations. The measurement is then taken from the middle of each indentation, thus revealing the width of the saddle that is most suitable.
Most Comfy Bike Seats for Women [Top 5]
- Specialized Power Comp with Mimic [REVIEW]
- ISM PL 1.0 [REVIEW]
- Liv Contact Comfort Plus [REVIEW]
- Specialized Expedition [REVIEW]
- Fizik Luce S-Alloy [REVIEW]
Best Bike Saddle for Female Commuters
Best Bike Saddle for Plus Size Females
Most Comfortable Bicycle Saddle for Older Women
How Can I Make My Bike Saddle Less Painful?
First and foremost, the most cost effective solution to make your bike saddle less painful would be to buy a gel saddle cover. This simply fastens around your current saddle to make it more squishy and comfortable.
Next, another solid solution would be to invest in a comfy pair of padded short / padded liners. The extra support from the chamois in either will make a huge difference for your overall comfort.
What Helps a Sore Bum from Cycling?
Undercarriage discomfort from broken, irritated or chafed skin can be eased by investing in a PH friendly chamois cream to use while riding and a nappy rash style cream post-ride to treat the sore area. This may sound bizarre but it does work very effectively.
However, in the long run riding will get easier this is because your body, especially your sit bones and skin, become accustom to the positionining in the saddle. Therefore, the pain will thankfully more than likely subside. Just like wearing-in a new pair of shoes.
Read More:
- Best Gel Bikes Seats
- Safest Bike Helmets for Commuting