Enjoying your trail ride, spin session, or commute to work is difficult in an uncomfortable saddle. However, with the number of options out there, it can seem impossible to pick the best bike seat for your body type, riding style, height, and flexibility. Keep reading to discover our top picks for the most comfortable bike seat options.
Product FAQ
1. What Shape Should My Saddle Be?
The shape of the most comfortable bike seat for you will depend on your gender and what type of riding you do primarily. Women usually sit more comfortably on a wider saddle, while men usually benefit from a narrower saddle. Furthermore, mountain bikers need an extremely light saddle. Road racers need a more cushioned saddle, and downhill racers need a very shock absorbent, ergonomic seat.
2. What Height Should My Saddle Be?
The height of your perfect saddle may be the hardest part of optimizing your bike. Achieving the ideal height makes your pedal stroke more efficient and prevents injury. When setting the height of your bike seat, make sure your knee is bent slightly when your pedal is in the 6 o’clock position.
3. What Type of Cushioning Is Best?
Gel cushioning is ideal for recreational riders who enjoy casual rides. Foam cushioning is much more pliable and retains its shape. It supports you more than gel does for an incredibly comfortable road ride. Saddle pads are good options to place over cheaper saddles for additional support if you choose a cheaper, lower quality saddle.
4. Why Do Some Saddles Have a Center Slit?
The center slit, or perineal cutout, offers significant pressure relief to riders. Your perineum is the region between your sit bones and has a lot of arteries and nerves that can become irritated and pained during long rides. While an indentation in the center of the saddle relieves some pressure, the cutout also provides a cooling effect that keeps you from sweating and chafing. Some riders go so far as to purchase a split seat. These seats are nothing more than two cushions side-by-side on a noseless saddle.
5. What Affects the Price of a Saddle?
Many factors affect the price of a bike seat. Customized or hand-built bike seats will obviously cost more. However, more expensive models are also usually easier to install on a wider range of bikes. Furthermore, the weight of the bike seat drops when using more expensive materials like titanium, and performance increases, such as is the case with leather saddles.
6. What Should the Seat Be Made Of?
If you are looking for a comfortable saddle for a racing bike, a lycra seat will be best for you. They are extremely soft and resistant to rain and other elements. If you want a durable bike seat that gets more comfortable the longer you spend in the saddle, a leather seat is the ideal bike seat for you. Finally, if you like the look of a racing saddle, but need more cushioning, gel bike seats will keep you comfortable, even on highly technical trails.
How We Reviewed
We put hundreds of miles on our bikes to test the quality and comfort of these seats. Rest assured, whether you are looking for a comfortable bike seat to commute to work every day or compete at a high level in mountain biking competitions, you will find the best bike saddle for your needs on this well-researched, thoroughly tested, unbiased list.
Overall Price Range
The cost of the most comfortable bike seats varies wildly. However, you can expect to pay fewer than $13 for bike seats produced by lesser-known bike saddle manufacturers. Well-known brands can charge upward of $300 for a racing saddle, and the quality and comfort are well worth the price. In general, the more expensive bike seats keep you cooler and are more ergonomically designed.
What We Reviewed
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Brooks England Cambium All Weather Bike Seat
- Planet Bike Men’s A.R.S. Anatomic Relief Bicycle Saddle
- Sunlite Cloud-9 Bicycle Suspension Cruiser Saddle
- Bikeroo Men’s Padded saddle
- WTB Speed Saddle
- OUTERDO Bike Saddle Mountain Bike Seat
- Schwinn Quilted Wide Cruiser Saddle
- Selle Royal 2014 Respiro Relaxed Unisex MTB/Road Bicycle Saddle
- Bell Memory Foam Saddle
- Zacro Gel Bike Saddle
Brooks England Cambium All Weather Bike Seat
Features
Brooks England makes one of the most comfortable bike seats for riding in all weather. It is waterproof, durable, and can be either standard or carved. It comes in C15, C17, and C19 sizes, so you can find the perfect rear width for your needs. It is the best bike seat for daily commuting to work and it gets more comfortable the longer you use it. Sitting in this saddle is like sitting in a hammock.
Price: $$$
Where to Buy
Planet Bike Men’s A.R.S. Anatomic Relief Bicycle Saddle
Features
This bike seat features an abrasion resistant cover and thick foam padding. The structure is extra long. Designed with ergonomics in mind, it hugs your back perfectly, preventing any pain or strain. Thanks to the sturdiness of this saddle, provided by the steel rail, you can enjoy ultimate support.
Furthermore, the upper part of the saddle features lycra padding, which keeps you cool and supported as you ride. It is best suited for road racing because of the lack of suspension, but the thick padding still absorbs quite a bit of shock.
Price: $
Where to Buy
Sunlite Cloud-9 Bicycle Suspension Cruiser Saddle
Features
This bike saddle features chrome spring coil suspension which absorbs impact and shock. This is one of the most comfortable bike seats for cross-country riding and mountain biking. The dual density gel foam ensures that you will be supported where you need it most. This cruiser-style bike seat guarantees you have the best possible experience wherever you ride.
Finally, this is an extremely universal seat. It features a universal installation design so you can easily install it on any bike. It is also large and ergonomically designed for universal use by women and men.
Price: $
Where to Buy
Bikeroo Men’s Padded saddle
Features
Like the Sunlite Cloud-9 cruiser-style saddle, the Bikeroo padded bicycle saddle is highly versatile and can be installed easily on almost any bike. Most comfortable bike seats cannot be installed on stationary bikes. However, this saddle can be mounted on stationary bikes, hybrid bikes, and mountain bikes.
This ergonomic seat is designed to eliminate back pain by evenly distributing pressure. Thus, even when you ride in bumpy conditions, you will not experience any discomfort during or after your ride. The crease in the center of the saddle is also ideal for air flow which prevents sweating and the discomfort caused by sweating.
Price: $$
Where to Buy
WTB Speed Saddle
Features
The WTB Speed Comp saddle features a water-resistant cover, sleek unisex design, and is supported by durable steel rails. It is narrow, which is typically preferred by men, but it will look beautiful on all bikes. Furthermore, it is very light, making it ideal for racers.
Price: $$
Where to Buy
OUTERDO Bike Saddle Mountain Bike Seat
Features
The OUTERDO mountain bike saddle is narrow, making it aerodynamic and alleviating stress from sensitive areas. Unlike the Zacro bike saddle, it does not require a special wrench to install.
The high-density memory foam padding drastically enhances the comfort of your ride. The seat is waterproof, non-slip, tear resistant, and extremely breathable. Thanks to the ergonomic design, your sensitive skin will stay cool and sweat less. At the same time, your weight is distributed evenly, preventing muscle strain and pain.
Price: $
Where to Buy
Schwinn Quilted Wide Cruiser Saddle
Features
The Schwinn quilted wide cruiser saddle is perfect for casual urban riding. The large seat cradles you as you ride in comfort and accommodates men and women of all sizes. Furthermore, the well-padded riding saddle is extremely forgiving and supports heavier riders who still want to enjoy a comfortable, long ride. While it offers truly outstanding shock absorption, it is better for bumpy roads than treacherous trails. This is not the ideal comfortable bike seat for racing, however, because it is much too heavy.
This affordable saddle is extremely durable and you will find few cruiser saddles as comfortable as this one. Furthermore, the cover is maintenance-free and waterproof, so you can enjoy your ride in any condition.
Price: $
Where to Buy
Selle Royal 2014 Respiro Relaxed Unisex MTB/Road Bicycle Saddle
Features
The Selle Royal Respiro bike saddle is easy to install, very firm, and offers very high quality for the price. It is unisex and designed for athletes. The ergonomic design offers maximum comfort while the active ventilation system keeps you cool and prevents excessive sweating.
Like the most comfortable bike seats, this saddle sits at 30 degrees to guarantee proper weight distribution throughout your body. The framework is highly durable and the suspension system is unrivaled. The suspension ensures that the roughest roads will not get in the way of you enjoying every moment of your ride.
Price: $$
Where to Buy
Bell Memory Foam Saddle
Features
The Bell memory foam saddle sports a wide design that is most comfortable for women. Furthermore, the padding is soft to the touch, and it has an ergonomic dip in the center of the saddle. Featuring two inches of memory foam, you can rest assured that your ride will be pain-free, no matter how long you ride for.
Price: $
Where to Buy
Zacro Gel Bike Saddle
Features
The Zacro gel bike saddle features a strong carbon steel dual spring design to ensure you are not affected by bumps in the road or roots on the trails. It provides excellent air penetration to prevent sweating, chafing, and discomfort, and is universally installable. It is the perfect seat for racing because it is lightweight, highly breathable, and provides excellent shock absorption. The comfortable, durable PU material and thick foam padding are among the best on the market.
Price: $
Where to Buy
The Most Comfortable Bike Seat: The Verdict
Finding the most comfortable bike seat may seem intimidating at first. However, once you know what to look for, the process becomes easier. We put hundreds of miles on our bikes to test these seats. We considered factors including aerodynamics, weight, airflow, angle, width, shock absorption, suspension, and durability, as well as the type, support, and thickness of the padding, and how comfortable it was after a long ride. Finally, we considered whether the seat required a lot of maintenance or not.
Overall, we found the Zacro gel bike saddle to be the most comfortable bike seat. It is designed with long rides in mind, is extremely affordable, and is great for racing. The spring suspension comes from very strong, durable coils, and the PU material is very lightweight. Finally, it can be installed on any bike and the seat keeps you cool and sweat-free as you ride.