Sitz Bones

[KelOnWheels]

Shelling out for a pre-new-bike good fitting is sounding better and better…

[Dirt]

@GuyContinental 43683 wrote:

Amen- I did the same and discovered that for a pretty skinny guy I have a wide set o’ sit bones. Clovis put me on a 155mm (the widest) Specialized Romin (male specific) and it worked so well that I just put the same saddle on all of my road bikes (kind of scared to mess with it frankly). I’d been using super skinny saddles for years (thought process being skinny butt = skinny butt bones) and never really got comfortable. I think that you *can* do a rough measurement by sitting on a memory foam chair with your feet off the ground and measure the distance between the protrusions but fore/aft measurements are tough.

Working with Clovis at Freshbikes made it possible for me to pick a saddle off the wall and know that it will be a very good fit for me. If it is 143mm wide and flat profile (nose to tail) then it will be a very comfortable saddle for me. That is a starting point. If it is a bike where I’m suing aero bars, then I will get one that has extra padding at the nose.

Cool thing is that I’ve heard that they’re pretty good about swapping saddles if for some reason you get the wrong one. Ask them about that when you get fit for your saddle. The process is free and just takes a few minutes.

[GuyContinental]

@Dirt 43688 wrote:

Working with Clovis at Freshbikes made it possible for me to pick a saddle off the wall and know that it will be a very good fit for me. If it is 143mm wide and flat profile (nose to tail) then it will be a very comfortable saddle for me.

This is a good punctuation to the “get a fit” point- Dirt = large human with a reasonably large human proportioned rear end (no offense) yet skinny 143mm saddle. Me = skinny, not so large human with child-bearing hips needing a 155mm. Without getting intimate with our posteriors you’d never guess that*.

*Note to self, Clovis earns his fee by getting intimate with lots of posteriors

[KLizotte]

The at home fitting method (I learned this from the internet and can vouch that it does work):

Find something that is foamy but moderately firm; a folded yoga mat works really well for this. Stick it on something hard and flat (a coffee table is recommended). Cover with a clean sheet of tinfoil (try not to crease it). Sit on the foil covered foam with your bare bottom for a minute or two. Roll around carefully to ensure that your sit bones fully enmesh themselves in the foam. Get up carefully. If all goes well, you should see two startling clear indentations of your sit bones (they will look like two bulleyes in the tinfoil). Take out a ruler and measure the distance between the two centers of the indentations. Now you know how wide your sitbones are. Throw the tinfoil away! Do not us it to pack your lunch.

When you go to the store to look at saddles, take the tape measure with you so you can measure across the widest part of the saddle and determine where your sitbones would rest. If the saddle is too narrow, you’ll quickly see how your sitbones would slide off the sides.

[Dirt]

@KLizotte 43701 wrote:

The at home fitting method (I learned this from the internet and can vouch that it does work):

That is basically the exact process that happens at Freshbikes, though they don’t use aluminum foil. They have memory foam that they measure. It holds the indentation for long enough to measure.

[consularrider]

@Dirt 43706 wrote:

That is basically the exact process that happens at Freshbikes, though they don’t use aluminum foil. They have memory foam that they measure. It holds the indentation for long enough to measure.

With with or without your bike shorts?

[Dirt]

@consularrider 43708 wrote:

With with or without your bike shorts?

I had cycling shorts on when I did it. I imagine it might be easier without, though I do suggest wearing SOMETHING during the process.

[Bilsko]

I’m halfway through my fitting session with Clovis ( it’s complicated) but the first thing that we were able to take care of was replacing my saddle. I’d been riding a Selle San Marco for *years* and Clovis immediately identified it as too narrow and too cushioned. With my sitz bones measurements taken on the memory foam, he recommended a 143mm flat nose Specialized saddle with significantly less padding. Its taken a couple weeks of getting used to, but so far it seems to be an improvement. I log a lot of miles without padding (knickers, cycling jeans, non-chamois shorts) so it will take a bit of getting used to, but again, well worth getting the fit right.

[JimK]

What would it cost to have Clovis fit someone for just a seat? My wife has tried a number of seats over the years, but none has been comfortable. She was fitted at two local bike shops with no success.

[GuyContinental]

@JimK 43742 wrote:

What would it cost to have Clovis fit someone for just a seat? My wife has tried a number of seats over the years, but none has been comfortable. She was fitted at two local bike shops with no success.

I’m pretty sure that they’d do just a seat for free- saddles are expensive… Dirt?

[Dirt]

@GuyContinental 43743 wrote:

I’m pretty sure that they’d do just a seat for free- saddles are expensive… Dirt?

My saddle fitting was free. If it involves installing and making sure it was set up correctly on the bicycle, there may be additional cost for that.

[JimK]

Thanks. I’ll we’ll give it a try.

[Dirt]

@JimK 43747 wrote:

Thanks. I’ll we’ll give it a try.

Call them and ask. Tell them that you’ve tried many things and see what they suggest. Tell them that they’re getting good reviews from people on the Bike Arlington Forum.

[Bilsko]

@Dirt 43750 wrote:

Call them and ask. Tell them that you’ve tried many things and see what they suggest. Tell them that they’re getting good reviews from people on the Bike Arlington Forum.

This.
I made a point of telling Clovis that he was highly recommended and well regarded by the community – feedback is a good thing.

[Greenbelt]

I’m pretty sure at my LBS and there’s no charge for saddle testing on the trainer, and there is a whole wall of demo saddles that can be checked out for extended tests, also at no charge (although there may be a security deposit). -Jeff

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