Are you sitting comfortably? You may already have a favourite saddle, or the perch supplied with your bike might suit your just fine – but if not, a new saddle should be near the top of your upgrade list. There’s little use in striving to ride further and faster if you’ll be doing it in perennial discomfort.

The saddle is your main contact point on the bike and approximately 70 per cent of your body weight rests on a slender perch that sits atop the seatpost. Saddle choice is very personal, however, and what one rider’s armchair may be another’s bed of thorns.

Shape is key, but materials, pressure relief and padding (less is often more) should also be considered when buying a new saddle, and the best way to find your throne is to try before your buy. A good local bike shop should be able to let you test ride a number of saddles, while an increasing number of saddle manufacturers, including Fizik and Selle Italia, offer a saddle fitting programme through their dealer network. That said, neither option offers a foolproof solution and for some riders trial and error remains the only way to find a comfortable saddle.

The best saddle is the one you don’t notice, and if you find comfort first, speed will follow.