When it Comes to Your Backside More Isn’t Always Better

Your posterior wants what it wants

People are purchasing bicycles in record numbers, to the point where demand has outstripped supply and it is nearly impossible to find entry level bikes anywhere.

According to the New York Times, the United States is facing a severe bicycle shortage and re-sellers and distributors are scrambling in an attempt to keep up with demand.

It makes sense. Not only are mass transit options for commuting being restricted and reduced, but people are likely also finding more opportunity to exercise outdoors and a bicycle is a fantastic way to do so.

I got tipped off to this fact by a Facebook post. Not too much further down the page was a different post by a woman that had recently purchased a bicycle and was complaining that the seat was not wide enough to accommodate her particular body type.

She speculated that her bicycle manufacturer did not account for the fact that she was female, ergo supplied her with a seat that was too skinny. Her bicycle seat gender bias; not mine. I am simply repeating her rant.

My guess is that bicycle manufacturers are reasonably aware that females ride bikes just as much as males do, and that the seat dimensions had much less to do with gender than just the simple physics of bicycle riding.

My electronic personal assistant “Alexa” reminded me today that 1999 was only 21 short years ago. That was the year I started commuting to work by bicycle.

My decision to do so was in the wake of attending paramedic training at the University of Washington in cooperation with the Seattle Fire Department. It was such a time intensive program that exercise went on the back burner for a year.

One day as I sat in the back of a Seattle medic unit lamenting the lack of time to exercise, I made the declaration that, as soon as training was over, I was going to buy a bike and ride it to work! So, I did. Religiously. For 15 years until I moved much closer to work.

At that point it wasn’t worth it to drag out the bike for the trip, so I started to walk to work instead. So, my halcyon days of bicycling have ended, but I have 15 years, two bikes (pretty much wore one completely out) and thousands of miles in the saddle from which to draw some perspective on bicycle seats.

Now this person might be right. I don’t know what kind of seat came on her bike, but generally bike makers put the kind of seat on their product that they think is the best option.

Cruiser bikes, where the person sits more upright, do have wider and more padded seats. But those are designed for shorter and slower trips.

Bikes intended for longer distances and not just idle pedaling often have the rider leaning forward more, taking weight off the seat area and transferring it to pedals and the handlebars. I am guessing this is the type of bike the person bought.

A very common misconception of people that buy more of a sport or distance riding bike is that a wider seat will be more comfortable, but that is generally not the case. The wider seat puts pressure in places that become uncomfortable over time and also create friction between the rider’s legs.

I think I have a pretty good idea how this is going to go for her, assuming she actually rides the bike more than a few miles at a time.

She is going to find and buy a wide padded seat with gel inserts for “comfort”. In the meantime, if she actually rides the bike at all, her body will begin to get accustomed to the skinny seat. She will ride for a week or so, while her new seat is in transit from wherever, and notice that she is more comfortable the more time she spends on the bike.

Then the day will arrive! Amazon will deliver the new seat. So wide. So soft when you press on it with your fingers.

She will install it on her bike and be raring to hit the streets or trail. Off she will go. The first mile will be remarkably uncomfortable because her body has become accustomed to the other saddle. But new seat-owner’s high will allow her to disregard this. After all, it is wider and softer so it must be more comfortable.

Fifteen miles later she pulls into the driveway and dismounts. The ride eventually got better, but she never experienced the cradled-in-cloud bliss that her bottom was looking for. The next morning just sitting on the side of the bed is uncomfortable. Yikes. Wow is she sore!

That’s okay though, the next trip will provide that butt-cradling bliss she is seeking. Nope. It’s just okay. Her body is getting used to this seat, just like the last one. But there is no choir singing while she pedals. In fact, the first little threads of doubt might wisp in. Could it be that the other seat is actually MORE comfortable?

No, that would be insane. This one is wider — and padded. Of course it is more comfortable. Why would her mind consider such heresy? Surely a comfy derriere future is just around the corner. Any time now.

It may be a week of riding, perhaps a month. Maybe longer for some; or perhaps the bicycle and its custom padded wide seat will find that it spends more and more time alone in the garage. Hard to say.

However, at some point, if she keeps riding, either she will have a conversation with someone that convinces her, or that little nagging voice in her head will eventually win her over. Off will come the wide seat, back on with the narrow.

A ride or two to get re-accustomed and then it will be cemented in truth. That skinny seat that came with the bike is actually pretty darn comfortable after all. Especially if you compare it to the gluteus maximus-induced agony of the wide padded one.

You might wonder how I can be so certain of the journey this person is about to undertake with their seat? Valid question. I know because I have been there. You see, I was this person 21 years ago.

I thought about responding to her Facebook post to impart all my wisdom. But I am pretty sure I wouldn’t have listened all those years ago. Sometimes you have to go on the voyage yourself to fully appreciate the secrets the trip will reveal.

She will be much savvier about bicycle seats in a few months. She just might be sleeping on her side a bit more often between now and then, however.

If you liked this article, you may also like:

Timothy Key spent over 26 years in the fire service as a firefighter/paramedic and various fire chief management roles. He firmly believes that bad managers destroy more than companies, and good managers create a passion that is contagious. Compassion, grace and gratitude drive the world; or at least they should. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and join the mail list.