Saddle width change (narrow to wider)

Hey everyone,

I have recently started suffering with some saddle discomfort. This is mainly whilst riding indoor on my trainer that is attached to a rocker plate, whilst riding outdoors I don’t seem to suffer with any discomfort until maybe after 3 hours of riding, and then its only very mild, which I would expect is normal.

Both my trainer and road bike have the same saddle fitted (Prologo Scratch 2 PAS), and it is 134mm wide. I have been using the same saddle for a few years now. I measured my sit bones last week, and it turns out I should be using a 155mm saddle. (sit bones measure 137mm apart) Therefore I have just purchased a new saddle that is 155mm wide (Specialized Romin Evo Pro) the Prologo and Specialized saddle look very similar in shape apart from the width change.

Since riding the new saddle on my trainer I feel my sit bones are perched on the wings of the saddle a lot more. Which in itself feels strange, probably because I am not used to a wider saddle.

My question is, should it just be a case of my rear end adjusting to the new wider saddle, or could it be that even though I measure for a 155cm saddle I could actually be more suited to a narrower saddle?

Has anyone else made a similar change and if so how long did it take for your bum to adjust to its new perch?

Pretty common to have more soreness on the area now supporting you that was “floating” before with the narrower saddle. Hard to pin a number on it, but if you are not feeling better after a couple weeks, maybe 4-8 rides over that time, you may be on the wrong saddle. Most saddle makers now include a 30-day return policy just for this reason.

That could be a width issue, but could just as easily be the saddle itself regardless of width. It can be surprising, but even if two saddles look nearly identical, there can be very real differences in the ride feel. Things like shell material and stiffness, foam material and stiffness and even differences in rails and attachment points all affect the final feel of a saddle. So, despite similar looks, I wouldn’t be surprised to have different experiences between the saddle brands and models mentioned, even if you had exactly the same size.

That aspect is part of what makes saddle selection one of the most difficult aspects of fitting a bike.

I gave the Specialized 30 day return policy a chance to give their saddles a try. I’ve always ridden narrow saddles but their measurements had me on a Med width. Only about a 10mm difference but the Power saddle was very uncomfortable for me, tried a Toupee next and had no more success. I went back to my narrow Arione 00 and not looking back. I can ride the Arione for 6 plus hours without issues. The same was true of the Selle Italian SLR’s I used for years. One aspect I’ve read about is pelvic tilt. A more upright seating position may well benefit from a saddle closer to sit bone width versus an aggressive low rotated pelvic position that changes the relationship of sitbone width to saddle width. This has seemed to ring true for me. There are so many fit variables though but I’d caution against fitting yourself into any charts, they are merely a starting guide.