Every once in a while something new comes along and changes the way you do what you do.  Several bike shops in the area have a cool new toy that fits that description.

 Drop by to find a new saddle and you’re no longer forced to hold your old favorite over those on display to find one that’s shaped mostly the same.  NOW you are asked to plop your sit bones on a new gadget that will tell you just how wide your….

Saddle should be.  Hey – here’s an interesting fact…big bottoms can have narrow sit bones…little butts sometimes have wide sit bones.  But (no pun intended), your saddle HAS to match YOUR sit bones.  So, how do you know which saddle to buy?

Well, the local cycling news team dropped by the Epic Bike & Sport shop in North Kansas City the other day, and discovered that you can actually MEASURE your sit bones right there in the store.  We tried it between trying the size 40 and size 39 women’s road shoes (which were on sale and much more practical than the Manolo Blahnik pumps at the mall).  Both Mark and I spent a few moments perched upon the edge of the shoe bench with our sit bones indenting the new measuring device. 

Mark went first and discovered that his sit bone indentations (measured AFTER his tush had been removed from the device…Some shops drop beads onto the surface to mark the indentations so you can see them.) indicated that he should ride a saddle where his sit bones would rest at a comfortable 143mm apart.  Teresa’s sit bones, while more widely spaced than Mark’s also indicated a 143mm saddle would be best for her because she sits a bit more upright on her saddle than Mark does.

Specialized has begun marking their saddles with measurements that match those you’ll get from the tool…choose your best fit, 130mm, 143mm, or 150mm  A wide range of sit bone measurements fit best on each depending on whether you prefer to ride in a more forward or a more upright position..

There are still other variables in finding the right saddle for you and your bikes – how hard, or soft, how long, whether or not you prefer a cutout…but, this new tool will quickly narrow your choices down to a manageable few.