MTB Saddles – Top Tips for Finding a Perfect Fit

• What Makes a Good MTB Saddle?
• Mountain Bike Seats: What Types Are Out There?
  • MTB-Saddles – Variety Pure!
• What’s the Difference Between an MTB Seat and a Road Bike Saddle?
• What’s Different about a Special Downhill Saddle?
• Women’s MTB Saddles: What’s Different About Them?
• How Do I Find the Right Mountain Bike Saddle?
• What’s the Right Way to Set Up My MTB Saddle?
• How Do I Best Take Care of My Saddle?
• MTB Saddles: A Summary

From winding single tracks to rugged downhill trails, there’s no other biking discipline with demands that are as high and as diverse as mountain biking. And the same goes for mountain bike saddles. They have to be durable and robust, yet lightweight and comfortable, and this last aspect is particularly important: up to 80 percent of your weight rests on the saddle when riding. A good shock-absorbing saddle will ensure riding comfort even on uneven terrain, and as we all know, there’s enough of that off-road. 

MTB saddles come in various types. Some models are designed for longer rides, whilst other saddles are more suited to short distances. Speed also plays a key role: For example, touring off-road machines with gel mountain bike seats, often felt more comfortable than a cross-country bike featuring a xc racing saddle. There are also special types for e-mountain bikers and downhill riders, as well as saddles designed especially for women.

• Touring saddles (comfortable mountain bike seats which offer comfort even on long off-road rides)
• Marathon saddles (a mixture between a touring and racing saddle, striking a balance between being lightweight yet comfortable)
• Cross-country saddles (focus on light weight, perfect for short, fast rides and races)
• E-MTB saddles (tailored to specific e-MTB requirements)
• Downhill saddles (tailored to the requirements of downhill mountain bikers)
• Women’s versions for each category (tailored to female anatomy)

Robust, lightweight and comfortable: most bike saddles have all these things in common. So how do you actually distinguish an MTB bike seat from a road bike seat? It’s simple: MTB saddles are normally wider than road bike saddles. This provides more stability on uneven ground and prevents muscles from tensing up. Mountain bike saddles are usually also a little longer, so riders can vary how they sit depending on the terrain they’re tackling. Road cyclists have a different sitting position altogether, so their saddles are generally flatter. A specific feature of e-MTB saddles is that they often have a kick tail to provide more support during rapid e-MTB acceleration.

Downhill saddles are a particular type of MTB saddle. A saddle shouldn’t get in the way or restrict riders’ freedom of movement when shredding downhill trails, nor should it interfere with the chainstay suspension. This means that this type of saddle is often slightly shorter. Comfort is an important factor for downhill saddles: the insides of riders’ legs often rub against the saddle as a way for them to stabilise themselves, especially when they get some air. A good downhill saddle, therefore, also features extra durable material on its sides.

Women usually have different saddle requirements to men, simply due to anatomical differences. For specifically women's saddles, it’s important that the nose is lower than the tail, for example. This ensures that the nose of the saddle doesn’t put too much pressure on the pubic bone. However, everyone is different, and so a unisex saddle might be the right choice for some women. The decisive factor here is finding the right saddle for your sit bone width, as it would be for a men’s saddle.

As the diverse range of saddle types shows: choosing the right saddle for your mountain bike depends entirely on the kind of riding you do.
It makes a big difference whether you want a saddle to go on tour with an e-mountain bike or a downhill saddle for your enduro bike. it’s also a matter of personal preference: do you sit upright or more outstretched? What’s the width between your sit bones? And what’s your experience with saddles you’ve used in the past? These are all things you should consider when on the hunt for the right MTB saddle. At BIKE24, the product descriptions for our MTB seats contain detailed information on saddle design to help you find the perfect one for you.

Have you found an mountain bike seat and now you’re wondering what the best way is to set it up on your bike and adjust it to your body shape? First things first, you should make sure your saddle is at the right height. This doesn’t just come down to the saddle itself, but also the mtb seat post. An MTB saddle should also be tilted at the right angle: as a rule of thumb, the more level the saddle, the sportier the bike set-up. You can also set the distance between the saddle and handlebars to get that optimum sitting position. You can make different adjustments here depending on the type of MTB you have. In most cases, it’s important to make sure that the saddle is far enough away from the handlebars so that your legs don’t knock them when pedaling.

You can find more tips and recommendations regarding saddle adjustment on our ergonomics topic page.

Whether you ride a mountain, road or city bike: taking good care of your saddle is important to ensure long-lasting enjoyment. First things first, you should thoroughly clean your saddle and wipe away any dirt after every ride. It’s best to use a soft sponge for this job and to avoid any aggressive cleaning agents as they may damage the material.

• Mountain bike saddles come in a variety of shapes and sizes for riders of varying heights and weights.
• A good mountain bike saddle should be comfortable and durable, acting as a solid, stable support.
• If you’re looking to buy a new saddle, you should consider what kind of riding you want to do on your MTB adventures.
• When trying out a new saddle, you should ride both on flat ground and on hills, so you get an idea of how it feels on different kinds of terrain.
• It’s also best to try out different models until you find the perfect fit for you.