The bicycle is a transport that is equally popular with men and women. Adults and children ride it. Today you can meet anyone driving an environmentally friendly two-wheeled vehicle - a student, an office clerk, a builder, and a housewife.
However, in order for the bike to bring exclusively pleasure and benefit, it is necessary to take seriously the choice of not only the transport model as a whole, but also every little thing in it. Moreover, some "little things" are not so insignificant in terms of health and comfort.
It's about a bicycle saddle. And not just a "saddle", but bike seats for women, designed for the anatomical and physiological characteristics of women.
Bike seat pain female
seat pain femaleObviously, it is the pelvis in the human body that experiences the greatest stress during cycling. And especially the female pelvis. And therefore it is very important to choose the best bike seat for women, which will allow you to cover even long distances by pedaling without pain and blisters.
Scientists from Yale University (USA) conducted a series of serious studies and found that a bicycle saddle can become a threat to the sexual health of women! And if earlier it was believed that the wrongly chosen bicycle seat causes erectile dysfunction only in men, now there is proven medical data on the negative consequences for women.
Many ladies who regularly travel by bike or use exercise bikes in the fitness room complain of numbness and discomfort in the perineum after travel and workouts. This means that the wrong saddle has already begun its "dirty work". A little more, and these women will have (and may have already) a real reason to see a doctor.
Most comfortable bike seat for ladies
- Durable V-shaped frame that can be made of steel, carbon fiber, titanium wire, chrome molybdenum, aluminum alloy, etc. The saddle frame is attached to the base at three points. Some frames are equipped with springs, which create shock absorption and wiggle when riding.
- Saddle base, usually made of high-strength ultra-modern plastic - solid or with an opening in the middle (for greater comfort and ventilation).
- Softening pad to reduce saddle stiffness. It can be made with foam rubber or a gel pad inside. It is the gel pad that guarantees maximum comfort for the cyclist, even at very long distances. Women will not experience pain on the bike seat.
- An outer cover that can be made of genuine leather, leatherette, synthetic fabrics or carbon. Naturally, the better the coating material, the longer the bike saddle will last while maintaining a presentable appearance. The most modern, high-quality and comfortable for a cyclist today is considered to be a covering made of genuine leather with Kevlar inserts.
- Those who buy a bicycle or simply exchange an old bicycle saddle for a new one should take into account that it will take some time, as they say, to "get used" to the new part under their own bottom.
Correct adjustment of the female bike seat
It is not enough just to buy a quality and individually suitable ladies bike seat, it is important to set it up correctly by adjusting the height and angle of inclination. This is easy to do, performing the simplest operations step by step:
- The saddle itself is inserted into the seatpost clamps (and the seatpost itself is inserted into the seat tube of the bike frame).
- The height of the saddle is selected (the cyclist sits in the saddle and conveniently arranges himself so that the outstretched toes of the legs reach the ground). There is a mark on the seatpost that simply cannot be positioned below it.
- The seat post is clamped with a seat clamp. And you must make sure that the nose of the saddle is parallel to the frame tube.
- Adjusts the position of the saddle relative to the bicycle handlebars. Here you need to focus only on the convenience of a particular cyclist's landing.
- Adjustable seat tilt height. The saddle should be parallel to the ground. If the nose of the seat is set too low, then the cyclist will constantly "move out", but if it is lifted too much, the saddle will begin to press excessively on the pelvis.
Experts recommend the special position of the female bike saddle only in some situations:
- racing on cross-country models, when the saddle must be 5 or more centimeters higher than the handlebars;
- during long tourist trips, when the saddle is installed 2-5 cm above the handlebars;
- while walking, when the saddle should be level (or 2 cm lower) with the handlebars.
Perfectly matched women's bike saddle
Female cyclists (even the most emancipated of them) are advised to choose “female” saddles for three very good reasons:
- It's better for "women's" health.
- This is correct from an anatomical point of view.
- And finally, it's much more comfortable this way.
- In women, the distance between the ischial tubercles of the pelvis is significantly greater than in men (132 mm versus 90-100 mm), so riding on a narrow men's bike saddle will cause women discomfort, if not pain.
A women's bike saddle is shorter and wider than a man's. But every cyclist should choose it exactly "for herself" in order to avoid when moving (including prolonged) squeezing of blood vessels in the perineum and, as a result, numbness of some parts of the body.
Bicycle saddle manufacturers produce entire women's product lines. Their main difference from men, of course, is in size and softness. But many firms also focus on a special "feminine" design.
