your bike saddle presses, it goes numb, and after every ride everything hurts hurts? In most cases, it’s not the saddle itself – but because that the saddle width doesn’t fit your body. The crucial value: your sit bone width. Those who know it buy the right saddle. Those who don’t doesn’t know it, advises – and loses.
Here you’ll learn how to measure your sit bone width at home in five minutes measure, how to measure the right saddle size, and which saddle width suits fits your result.
Why sit bone width is so important
Your pelvis has two bony protrusions at the bottom – the so-called sit bones (medical term: Tuber ischiadicum). When you sit on a chair, you feel them as hard points under your buttocks. These exact two bones should rest on the bike saddle and carry your weight.
The problem: the distance between the sit bones varies for every person is different. For men, it typically ranges between 10 and 14 cm, for women often between 11 and 16 cm. A saddle that is perfect for your neighbor works, it can be a source of pain for you – because its sit bones are positioned differently than yours.
If the saddle is too narrow, your sit bones don’t rest on the sitting surface but next to it. Your entire body weight then presses on the soft tissue in the perineal area – on nerves, blood vessels, and sensitive structures. The result: numbness, tingling, and pressure pain that come with getting worse every minute.
If the saddle is too wide, the inner sides of your thighs rub against it during every pedal stroke on the saddle edges. You especially notice this on longer routes – and it doesn’t get better over time, but worse.
The connection is simple: your sit bone width determines how wide your the saddle needs to be. Your sitting position determines how much extra width you add to you calculate this value. Still, most people buy their saddle based on Appearance, price, or "it looks comfortable" – without ever measuring the saddle leave it or measure it yourself.
Measuring sit bone width – 3 methods
You don’t need special tools or an appointment. The first method works with materials you probably have at home.
Method 1: Corrugated cardboard (at home, 5 minutes)
This is the most common method and completely sufficient for most people, to measure the sitting bone distance.
What you need: A piece of corrugated cardboard (approx. 30 × 30 cm, for Example from a box), a hard chair or a hard bench, a Ruler or tape measure and a pen.
Here’s how to proceed:
- Place the corrugated cardboard on a hard, flat surface – a wooden bench, a Wooden chair or a stair step. No sofa, no upholstered chair. The The surface must be hard enough for the cardboard to show the impressions.
- Sit in a normal posture on the cardboard. Your feet are flat on the floor. Lean your upper body slightly forward, about as you do on the bicycle seat – this shifts the pressure exactly to where it lies when also applies to cycling.
- Sit still for 30 seconds. Do not wiggle back and forth.
- Stand up and look at the corrugated cardboard. You see two distinct impressions – those are your sitting bones. For some people, they are clearly recognizable round dents, in others rather oval depressions.
- Measure the distance from the center of the left impression to the center of the right impression. That is your sitting bone distance.
Tip: If the impressions are not clear enough, try it with a second piece of cardboard and sit down a bit more firmly. You can also place a book under each foot so that your knees are slightly higher than your hips – this increases the pressure on the sitting bones.
Measure twice to be sure and take the average. For most For most people, the distance between the sitting bones is between 9 and 16 cm.
Method 2: Aluminum foil (more precise)
The principle is identical – but aluminum foil shows the impressions more clearly than Corrugated cardboard. This method is especially suitable if you corrugated cardboard method you do not see clear impressions.
Here’s how to proceed:
- Fold a piece of aluminum foil twice so that it is four layers thick (approx. 30 × 30 cm).
- Place the foil on a hard surface – preferably on a wooden board or a stair step.
- Sit down exactly as in the corrugated cardboard method: upper body slightly leaning forward. front, feet on the floor, sit still for 30 seconds.
- The aluminum foil deforms permanently. You see two clear indentations, whose Hip points you can easily measure.
The advantage: Aluminum foil does not "forgive" – every pressure point remains visible. This makes the measurement somewhat more precise than with corrugated cardboard.
Method 3: Have it measured in a specialty store
Many bike shops offer professional sit bone measurement You sit on a special pressure measurement foil or a gel cushion, that digitally records the exact distance and pressure distribution.
When is it worth it?
- If despite self-measurement and a suitable saddle you still have complaints have.
- If you ride road or mountain bike ambitiously and every millimeter counts.
- If you have a complete bike fitting analysis done – that includes Saddle measurement usually included.
For most cyclists, home methods are completely sufficient. The corrugated cardboard method delivers results with an accuracy of about ± 5 mm – and that is enough to determine the saddle width and find the right size determine.
Bicycle saddle size chart – Read your result correctly
Have you measured your sit bone distance? Then you can now read in the Read from the table which saddle width suits you. Note: The recommended Saddle width is always somewhat larger than your sit bone distance because your Sit bones should not rest completely at the edge of the saddle but rather in the middle on the sitting surface.
| Sit bone distance (cm) | Recommended saddle width (mm) | Upright riding position | Sporty riding position | Recommended model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9–10 cm | 130–140 mm | 140 mm | 130 mm | Alpensattel 3.0 Race+ |
| 11–12 cm | 143–155 mm | 155 mm | 143 mm | Alpensattel 3.0 Sport+ |
| 13–14 cm | 155–165 mm | 165 mm | 155 mm | Alpensattel 3.0 Comfort+ or Sport+ |
| 15+ cm | 165+ mm | 170+ mm | 165 mm | Alpensattel 3.0 Comfort+ |
Note: Women anatomically have a wider pelvis than men – the sit bone distance is on average 1 to 3 cm higher. That’s why women more often choose wider saddles. If you are If you are a woman looking for a suitable saddle, check out our Bicycle saddles for women For men, you will find the right models in our Men's bicycle saddle collection.
Our Overview of bicycle saddles cover sit bone distances from 9 to over 15 cm – so you will find one for every Measurement result the appropriate width.
