I know this might seem a daft question, but why when they make bicycles, they make the seat so thin?

Question

To say there uncomfortable, is an understatement!

Answer 1

Great question....Lord knows my big ol butt needs more padding than comes on those little things. My husband actually switched seats with another bike for me when we bought ours. Then he wanted to ride it all the time cause it was more comfy......

Answer 2

Thin or wide? Well here's both.

Thin:
That's an easy one. If there's too much padding, the ischeal spines (butt bones) still crush through the padding, but now the squishy padding presses against your vitals with your full body weight. There's a bad idea. FIRM padding seems to work well, but squishy gell can cut off the circulation to reproductive organs and cause them to hurt. Avoid soft, squishy padding.


Wide:
That's not so easy. . .

Even the most knock knee'd person can ride an extremely wide saddle with the most narrow pedal tread possible. . .IF the handlebars are high enough to facilitate this.

Handlebar height puts a limit on saddle width. The space between the legs gets progressively narrower the more a person leans forward. Leaning forward is very popular in order to avoid the painful effects and slowness of headwinds.

So, the narrow saddle faciliates using lower handlebars for a more pleasant experience into the winds.
However, one MUST have a saddle that contacts both ischeal spines (butt bones) simultaneously.

If you're having trouble with an overly narrow saddle, one that is far wider than the bike is designed for will actually be worse. Still, you can go a bit wider to get some comfort.

Go to the Specialized Bicycle dealer and take a ride on the measurement tool we've all nicknamed the "Assometer" for it to tell you what size saddle is required by your body.

Or you could use the traditional "Saddle Box" method whereby you get a large cardboard box to put unsuitable saddles, keep trying trial and error, and the right saddle comes along as soon as the box is brim full.

Answer 3

If you are riding more than recreationally, you will never ever use a wide bicycle saddle with lots of padding. Those are extremely uncomfortable for longer rides. The only part of you that should really be sitting on a bike seat is your sit bones, the two little bony points in your butt. You should have no real pressure on any of the soft tissue down there, otherwise you will get saddle sores, numbness and potentially nerve damage. Preventing this is why many seats now have cutouts in the middle.

There are varying widths of sit bones, so different seats work for different people. When you look at high quality saddles, many even list the width with regard to sit bones. Some companies now make their saddles in different widths to accomodate varying sit bones.

If you were to use a wide saddle or one with a lot of padding, your soft tissue will be what your weight is resting on, which is bad.

Also, for mountain biking, you often need to get behind your seat, which is harder if it is wider. And a really wide seat would get in the way of pedaling for any kind of riding.

If you are just cruising around, or you don't ride much, a wide "comfort" saddle is probably better because your sit bones do have to get used to riding a bike. They will hurt for about a week or so, or if you go for a long ride after not riding for awhile.

If you want to learn more about this, Specialized has some good information at the link below. Their Body Geometry saddles are my personal favorite.

Answer 4

A thinner seat promotes less chaffing, and more circulation. Additional padding is provided in the cyclist shorts, known as a chamois. With this combination, it is not uncomfortable. Wide seats are mainly on recreational bikes, where your length of stay is sometimes not that arduous, and a soft comfy seat is more appropriate. Proper position and fitting of the seat is as important as the proper size of your bike. To get the proper size, go to your local bike shop and they should have a pad for you to sit on for <5 min. When you get up you will leave an imprint of your sit bones. They will measure the imprint and suggest a proper width. This is a good starting point, however, it will only be a suggestion. You need to try out various widths to finally nail down the right size, and brand. Bike shops understand this and will help you out. Don't expect this service at Wal-Mart.

Ladies, in this case big isn't always better!

Answer 5

A bicycle seat must be supportive, comfortable and ergonomic. If you have narrow sit bones like me, you can get away with one of those "uncomfortable" seats because it fits the way you ride.

If a seat is TOO padded, then your pelvic bones can be pushed apart causing back pain and numbness. If the seat is too wide, you will get chafing on your inner thighs and won't be able to get proper leg extension.

You would want more padding on a mountain bike seat because of the upright riding position putting more of your body weight on your rear end, whereas on a road bike you are more forward and need to be able to pedal with a skinny seat between your thighs.

Pro racers live with pain on a daily basis, so to them the lightest seat they can find is the best choice.

If your seat is uncomfortable, try getting some suggestions from a good shop. My wife has been very happy with seats from Terry and WTB, and the Specialized seats are also very popular.

Answer 6

a lot depends on the type of riding you are doing. If you are riding long distances or racing the saddle is only used for stabilization your weight should be on the pedals and not on the seat. you will need to get the seat high enough to get your weight on the pedals if you find your seat end sore you do not have the seat high enough if your legs and thighs get sore you are reaching to much for the pedals and the seat should be lowered. even as much as 1/8" can make a big difference.
In riding as a leisure type riding where you intend to sit on your butt you would want a softer seat but make sure you get a rest from it occasionally.

Answer 7

A bicycle seat is not intended to emulate a chair seat. Because you are moving your legs on a bicycle seat, you need greater clearance to allow for free leg motion and less chafing and muscle bruising.

BTW, the reason why women's seats are wider is that a woman's pelvic width is greater and more accommodating to a wide seat. If you are buying a stock bike, you will definitely need to ensure that you get a woman's seat installed.

Answer 8

Bike seats aren't truly made to be sat on. Most seats are of a racing design and for racing, the rider is generally only lightly perched on the nose. Because weight and aerodynamics are also issues, the seats are made light and thin. All this results in a seat that is uncomfortable to sit on for long periods of time.

Answer 9

The idea is to get more power out of the legs. The legs need to go straight up and down and not at an angle. If the seat was wider and more comfy, the legs would also be separated more. The angle of your legs to the bike petals would not be vertical. You would work harder with less work being done.

Answer 10

Not only does the narrow seat allow you to pedal more freely, leaning your weight to one side or the other in turns is a lot easier with a narrow seat with a wide one.