Seating Timeline

Bicycle seats are one of the few areas where not a lot of change has taken place. However, the significance of the little changes made to the form of the seat is huge. Minor changes are constantly being made to allow the rider to be more comfortable. It was discovered that the type of riding hugely affects the type of seat required. For example, for a race biker whose intention is to undoubtedly ride fast, a very narrow racing style seat is needed. This is because the faster the bike goes, the more likely the biker is to be pushed forward by the force. This in turn places more weight on the hands and feet, and reduces it considerably from the seat. This means that when the pedals are spinning faster, the biker’s legs are moving vigorously and cannot tolerate the interference from the sides of the seat; hence the narrower seat.

On the other hand, casual bike riders usually have a much higher and wider handle bars, and they sit much more upright. This means that the majority of their weight is supported by the seat. In this case the seat needs to be wide and padded, to support the biker’s body weight and to provide cushioning for extra comfort.

Another area that shows that a bicycle saddle’s form follows its function is the small, yet important, differences between the seat for a woman and a man. Due to the different structures of a man and woman’s pelvis (women’s are usually wider), a saddle designed for a man is generally longer and narrower, while a women’s saddle is normally shorter and wider.