Padding and cut-outs
Padding and cut-outs
Having decided what shape of saddle is right for you, it’s time to think about the next level of comfort – the amount of padding it has.
This is yet another area where common sense suggests one thing, but hard facts dictate otherwise. Just like many new cyclists think the widest seat they can find will be the most comfortable, they are also under the impression that the more padding it has the better.
Lots of padding on a saddle really isn’t needed, after all, you’ve already got a layer of anatomically designed padding with the chamois inside your shorts to aid comfort. However, many new cyclists are drawn to the idea of gel inserts in a saddle, but there’s a good reason why the vast majority of road saddles are minimally padded. Sure, the gel filled saddle will feel nice and forgiving as you first sit on it, but as you settle into the ride the gel will be compressed by your weight and pushed out to the edge of the saddle or into the centre where in extreme cases it can put pressure on your perineum creating all sort of issues.
Indeed, such is the concern about the potential long-term effects of sustained pressure on the perineum and genitals while cycling – and not to mention the discomfort – that many saddle manufacturers are now offering the option of seat with a strategically placed cut-out to provide some relief in that area. In some cases, the cut-out can be nothing more than a reduction in the padding on the shell of the seat or can be as extreme as a hole right through the saddle. The placement of the cut-outs is also often gender specific. Women’s saddles favour the hole nearer the front of the saddle while the boys get it more towards the centre.
Some seat designers have taken the idea of cut-outs to extremes with one such example being the range of saddles from ISM Seat. The entire line has a wider than usual nose that is split into two, creating an inverted U-shape at the front of the saddle.