Bicycle saddles are a topic of many conversations. Who hasn’t tried out different bicycle saddles? Saddle pain comes in many types. Read more here.

Saddle pain is a common complaint among cyclists. But what exactly is that.

First of all, I would like to divide the concept of saddle pain into 3 groups:

  • Saddle pain in the sit bones
  • Saddle pain at the tailbone
  • Saddle pain in the front (M/F)

First up: Saddle pain in the front.

The ISM bicycle saddles are ideal for this!

I’ll divide them into 2 groups:

  • City bike saddles: Like the Touring, Metro, Cruise and the Berkley
  • Sporty bicycle saddles: The PR, PL, PM and the PN series

The model names explained:

– Bicycle saddles especially for the road bike: PL
– Bicycle saddles especially for ATB: PM
– Bicycle saddles especially for time trial triathlon: PN
– Bicycle saddles for trekking/touring bikes and hybrids: PR

PR stands for Performance Recreation
PN stands for Performance Narrow
PM stands for Performance Mountain
PL stands for Performance Long

All ISM saddles are for both men and women. Due to the special shape and the groove on the front, pressure on the noble parts is avoided. Both in man and in woman.

– Special shape: The nose has been removed from the saddle! Sometimes the saddles look the same length, but that is, especially with the Adamo saddles, because they have to meet the requirements of the UCI. This association prescribes a minimum saddle length for competition bicycles. The tip of the ISM saddles should end mid-thigh. So you have to SIT RIGHT IN THE SADDLE!

– The slot in the saddle is of course very typical for the ISM saddles. This provides relief for the ladies, but the gentlemen may benefit the most from this. The perineum falls in the groove of the saddle! As a result, no more adhesion of the urethra, no vibrations that are transmitted to the prostate, which prevents a lot of misery and no other nerves that are pinched.

You make the right choice based on:

  • Cycling position
  • Way of cycling
  • Cycling distance
  • Age (!)

Cycling position

Upright cycling position: Choose a saddle from the city bike line
Sporty cycling position: Choose a saddle from the hybrid bike line
Cycling position road bike: Choose a saddle from the racing bike line
Cycling position time trial or triathlon: Choose a saddle from the triathlon bike line
For ATB: Choose a saddle from the ATB bike line

On these pages some saddles will be double. In the more than 10 years of experience that Rosiir has with the ISM saddles, we have learned to think along with the customer.

Second: saddle pain at the tailbone.

That is a very annoying saddle sore! In this case, many bicycle mechanics also recommend a softer saddle. A big mistake! You sink even further into the filling, which only puts more pressure on the tailbone.
One of the characteristics of tailbone pain is very characteristic: “The dismounting hurts so much” “Cycling is fine, but after cycling I no longer dare to get off the saddle” It is not the case that these are the only characteristics, but sometimes people don’t know what it is. If these characteristics look familiar to you, then you know for sure that it concerns “coccyx problems.” This saddle pain is often very simple to solve with an EasySeat:

The tailbone saddle! The slit relieves the perineum but also the tailbone. The filling is firm but continues to give back pressure. You don’t sink far into this and the tailbone remains free.

Third: saddle pain in the seat bones

That’s the most difficult. There are several muscles around the sit bones that have to absorb the pressure. At the beginning of the cycling season, many people suffer from this kind of saddle pain because the muscles are somewhat relaxed. After a few rides the saddle soreness is gone. But not everyone. Then you start looking for a bicycle saddle that relieves your saddle pain. A somewhat softer saddle is often a solution, but not always. Many brands make the saddle somewhat spherical. You sit a bit more on the inside of your sit bones. The ISM saddles are usually flat (reason why you should always set an ISM saddle a little lower). This makes it a lot more comfortable to sit on.

Often it is also a matter of “looking for a nice spot”. What is meant by this is the following:

By playing with both the height of the saddle and the height of the handlebars and the distance between handlebars and saddle, your hip will tilt. With this you can achieve that you can find just the right place where your sit bones can tolerate the pressure where they can’t otherwise.

But if that’s not the solution either, we have the bicycle saddle especially for sit bones. The “tempur-like” filling makes this a very pleasant bicycle saddle.

Way of cycling

If you cycle in competitions: choose a saddle that is as hard as possible: you want to feel how your bike reacts when you crash through a bend at 50 km/h!
If it is only for recreation, then it is best to opt for comfort!
Distance

If large distances are covered, a somewhat harder saddle is often pleasant. But be “kind to yourself” If you cycle long distances and still want a nice soft saddle, there are few objections to this.

Age

As you get older, there is often a need for more comfort, so choose a somewhat softer saddle.

A few more tips below:

It is important with a racing bike to use a good chamois and ensure proper hygiene. It can also help to use Bes-T Anti-Rub cream for skin problems when cycling. If the skin comes out completely open due to the sanding, then your saddle is clearly too high!

Too thick a chamois can undo the effect of the groove of an ISM saddle. The chamois, as it were, forms a bridge between the ends, so that there is still pressure on the perineum.

In a number of cases, the sit bones problem is very difficult to solve. The shape of the sit bones differs per person, if the shape is very flat, there is no problem. If the sit bones taper a bit, then problems arise. It is possible that the sit bones are very tapered, then there is a chance that the saddle pain will always remain a part of cycling. Varying the attitude is often certainly worth a try.

Especially for the sporty saddles applies:

In the beginning there is a chance that you will feel the sit bones. This is due to a different seat on the saddle. This should be progress, in other words: after about 250-300 km you should notice improvement. And really: after that you will never want another saddle!

For special cases we sometimes advise deviating from the above. Many urologists and occupational therapists already refer to our site because these are simply the most relieving saddles.