Previous research I’ve shared suggests e-bike cyclists ride longer and more often than regular cyclists. This is great news and a bonus for long term health. But it also means attention needs to be paid to ensure you have the right bike seat. An uncomfortable seat reduces your riding enjoyment and can be painful.
Significantly, there also is evidence a poor bike seat might also have some unintended consequences on your sex life. More on this issue later in the post.
Despite the seat (or more properly saddle) being critically important to enjoy your e-bike, it is often not a priority for new e-bikers. More attention is paid to the motor size or battery capacity than having the right bike seat. However, after being on your bike for a couple hours, it becomes readily apparent why more attention on having the right bike seat is important.
Getting a proper bike seat fit
To start, it is helpful to understand some basic anatomy that impacts how your body weight is distributed in the saddle. The sit bones which form part of the pelvis carry most of the body weight on your bike seat. If they are not properly supported, it is difficult to sit for long periods of time on the bike. As well, you are likely to experience chafing or bruising on parts of your body you don’t want chafing or bruising.
There is a difference in width of sit bones for individuals which determines the proper seat width. As the images below show, this difference is especially apparent between females and males.
Female Pelvis – Wider Sit Bones 
Male Plevis – Narrow Sit Bones
As well, between the sit bones is a network of nerves and blood vessels of the perineal area. This network extends from the anus via the genitals to the upper pubic bone arch. Unlike the sit bones, this area is capable of only carrying a small amount of your body weight. While sitting on your bike, your seat needs to be suitable for supporting the sits bones in a flat position on the seat to ensure minimal pressure on this more sensitive area.
Riding type impacts seat selection
Having the right seat is further complicated by the type of riding you do. For the purposes of this post, I assume many e-bikers ride upright on urban or commuter style e-bikes. This means that your weight will be largely centered on the back of the seat rather than towards the front of the seat that occurs when riding a road or mountain bike.
Keeping these physical factors in mind should make you wary of recommendations for a specific brand or type of bike seat. A seat one person finds comfortable may not be suitable for you based on your physical needs or riding style.
Best bike seat for you?
As a general rule, the more upright you ride, the wider the saddle should be.
While getting the right seat is important, the wide range of styles and price points makes it a bit overwhelming to select the “right” bike seat. It may take some trial and error to find the seat that isn’t painful in the first hour of your ride, doesn’t cause chafing of the groin area or tenderness in the perineal area.
As a general rule, the more upright you ride, the wider the saddle should be.
Guidelines to help you select the right bike seat
- Measure your sit bone width to determine how wide the seat should be. Most bike shops are able to provide a measurement to ensure the seat is neither too narrow nor too wide. Or you can do a rough measurement at home using the method outlined in this video. Kind of corny but seems to work.
- Ride on the seat for an extended period of time to ensure it provides the support and comfort you want. Take the seat home for an extended ride or check with your local bike shop if they can provide a saddle to test. Be sure to check on the return policy to allow you to return a seat if it doesn’t meet your needs.
- Determine if a seat with a cutout would be the right choice for you. In the past, many bike seats were designed for men and slightly modified for women. As a result, the use of a saddle with a cut out has been considered more appropriate for women. This post in Women’s Total Cycling provides some further insight on the right type of saddle for women. However, the jury is out on the effectiveness of saddles with cutouts. It really becomes a matter of personal preference and comfort.
- Position the seat correctly. Even a great seat may not be enough to ensure ride is comfortable. This post by REI provides some solid tips on selecting the right seat and how to position it.
Consequences of poor seat selection
I may have got your attention earlier with the teaser comment about how the wrong seat may affect your love life, especially for men. This would be a good place to explore this topic further.
Anyone who has ridden a bike with an uncomfortable seat knows some of the short term consequences – numbness in your seat or chafing and bruising in the groin area. Both are uncomfortable and reduce the enjoyment of your ride.
More significantly, however, there is evidence that an improper seat may contribute to either short or longer term sexual dysfunction. An article published by Harvard Medical School suggests prolonged use of an improperly fitted bike seat can cause nerve injury to produce temporary or prolonged erectile dysfunction.
A study of police officers who ride bicycles on a daily basis showed they also experienced a higher incidence of sexual dysfunction.
The above is more cautionary than predictive. It appears extended periods of cycling may have an adverse impact on your sexual health. And the main culprit seems to be the nose on the bike seat applying too much pressure on the perineal area. So, if you aren’t feeling as frisky as you think you should, it just might be your bike seat.
Innovation in bike seats
As a result of the research done on the negative impact bike seats can have, a new design in bike seats has been developed. The “noseless” bike saddle has been tested and found to be effective in reducing some of the undesirable affects of traditional bike seat designs. The video produced by NOISH is helpful in understanding what a noseless bike seat is and how it may improve rider comfort.
I haven’t tried this type of seat but am curious to see how it performs for the average cyclist. There are some concerns expressed that riders may slide off their seat and balance may be affected. However, these concerns were only identified for high performance, competitive riders.
Riding tips to reduce pain, discomfort or numbness
In addition to getting the right bike seat, there are several riding tips to reduce discomfort and increase your cycling enjoyment.
- Ride in an upright position if you have an urban or commuter style bike
- Ride out of the saddle more often – every 10 minutes or so stand up on your pedals
- Avoid riding with a heavy backpack
- More pedal pressure reduces the pressure from the saddle – consider using your pedal assist more and throttle less
- Sit as far back as possible on the widest part of the saddle
- If you can, stand slightly over bumps, using your legs as shock absorbers.
- A full-suspension bike or a suspension seat post can be helpful.
- Wear padded bike shorts. They can help minimize friction, wick moisture and cushion bumps.
Final Tip
Ultimately the best bike seat is the one that fits you and provides you the support and comfort you want. The only way to really know if a bike saddle works for you is to actually ride on it.
A very effective teaser Volker, it was all I could do to refrain when skipping through the article to get to the good stuff. Seriously, thanks again for a well written, thoroughly researched, and informative article.
Thanks Dale. Gotta have some fun with these topics. Glad you are finding these posts of interest. Let me know if there are any topics of interest you think I should write about.