Saddles for Every Body: A Saturday Night Guide to Your Bum

It's Saturday night. You could go out. Or you could finally sort out the saddle that's been quietly ruining your rides. We know which one's more fun. (It's the saddle.)

First things first: there's no such thing as a men's or women's saddle

There's just your body and how you ride. Whatever your undercarriage, three things matter:

• Sit-bone width. That's your skeleton, and it decides how wide your saddle should be. Sit on a bit of corrugated cardboard, measure the two dents centre to centre, then add about 20–30mm. Upright riders want the wider end, racier riders the narrower.
• Pressure relief. A cutout or channel down the middle (Selle Italia call it Superflow or Flow) takes weight off the soft bits. If you go numb, get tingly, or are riding after surgery, start here.
• How low you ride. Down on the drops, you roll forward onto the nose. A shorter nose means less going on up front.

That's it. No gendered pink, no marketing waffle. Just fit.

The cheat sheet

Wide, big cutout

Selle Italia X3 XP Boost Flow, 155mm wide. Short, wide and a proper hole in the middle. Great for wider sit bones and anyone who wants zero pressure up front.

£15

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Medium, cutout

Selle Italia Model X Green-Tech Superflow, 145mm. The do-everything saddle for road, gravel and commuting. Big channel, waved profile, silly price.

£20

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Long-ride comfy

Selle Italia Novus Superflow X Boost, 145mm, manganese rails. Built for big days out. Your bum will still be talking to you at mile 80.

£40

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Short nose, for riding low

Selle Italia SP-01 Boost TM Superflow, 145mm. Compact, rounded nose and a full cutout. For people who live on the drops and like to pretend they're racing.

£60

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Gel and leather, with cutout

Selle Italia Flite Gel Flow, full leather. A much-loved classic that's out of production. A bit of gel, a cutout and proper leather. One for the connoisseurs.

£50

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Old-school, no cutout

Selle Italia Turbo 1980 Brown Leather, special edition. The 80s racing classic, made for us in dark brown leather. No hole, all style. Perfect for the steel bike.

£40

Have a look

Still not sure?

Numb or sore? Get a cutout. Sliding forward? Try a shorter nose. Feels like sitting on a fence? Go wider. And if you've got questions, just email us. We're real people, and we've sat on most of these.

See all our Selle Italia saddles →

Every bum welcome.
– Banana