Bicycle Safety - Selecting the Right Bicycle Seats

I've been riding a bike for over forty years and I can't think of any other part of bike that generates as much discussion among novices as the bike seat. Most people simply don't understand why you have to ride on such a hard skinny seat. Many new cyclists use them for a while and then replace them with a "wide cushy seat" only to revert back after using the wide seat for a while. For the cyclist that is only doing short rides of a few miles a wide cushy or springy seat works fine. However, those that are riding more than a few miles eventually realize these nice cushy seats are more uncomfortable.

Fortunately, seat design has come along way and they are being designed to better fit our backends. There is such a variety of seat designs that it easy to be overwhelmed by the choices. It is easier to say, choose a seat that fits your shape than it is to do. It may take some time. The only way to see if the seat works is to use it. You will most likely have to try a couple of different seats. Is it worth the effort? Without a doubt. A poor match could literally be a pain in the butt and possibly numbness in your crotch area.

The seat you select should provide support for your pelvic bones or 'sit bones' and the nose of the seat should be narrow enough to prevent chafing when pedaling. For women it is important to look at saddles designed for a women's pelvic bone. The more padding there is the more pedaling energy is absorbed by the seat and not going to the pedals. You will have to decide between energy efficiency and comfort. I tend to lean to the confront side.

Seats come in variety of materials Ranging from the traditional leather, which mold to your form to plastic which vary in hardness, shape, and padding. There are seats with the centers cut out to eliminate pressure in the crotch and eliminate numbness. While these were originally designed for women, the design has carried over into men's seats. I use this type of seat on both my road bike and mountain bike. By the way, a woman's seat is wider in the back to accommodate wider pelvic bones.

Lastly, unless you want to go through the task of finding and breaking in a new seat when you buy new bike; it makes sense to transfer the seat from your old bike to the new one. For more information on buying bicycle, bicycle safety and minor maintenance go to http://www.learntobicycle.com

Tags : where to find about Cast Iron Skillets you can find more save Mini Digital Camera and canon digital camera where to find the best gaming laptop computer from gaming laptop computer reviews