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Does this saddle make my butt look big?

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Does this saddle make my butt look big?

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Old 05-03-07, 07:24 PM
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Nachoman
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Does this saddle make my butt look big?

A few years ago, I sat on a butt measuring device at my lbs and they told me I was a size 155. So I bought a Specialized Alias saddle and have enjoyed it since, without problems. Well about a year ago, I bought another bike and needed another saddle. So I went to a different lbs, and again sat on the butt measuring device, and this time they told me I was a size 143. So I bought the 143, and have also been riding it without any problems.

Well obviously, both saddles are not the correct size for me. I’m 5 9 and weigh about 145. And I don’t think I have a big butt. I’m assuming the 155, since it is the largest saddle, is not for a little butt guy like me. Do you agree? In other words could I have a normal or small size butt and extra wide sit bones that require a large saddle?

And NO, this thread does NOT require pictures!
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Old 05-03-07, 07:26 PM
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Little guy with little butt does not equal closely spaced sit bones.
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Old 05-03-07, 07:29 PM
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You don't specify any objections to either so? Is this a purely hypothetical question without controls ?
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Old 05-03-07, 07:29 PM
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You could very well have sit bones that are far apart yet have a figure that would make your rear end look small. The fat and muscle is what makes a butt look big or small for the most part. As a frame of reference the Brooks B17 is 170mm across and plenty of men ride that saddle without issue. The bottom line is don't worry about the number. If the saddles are comfortable then keep them.
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Old 05-03-07, 07:32 PM
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Originally Posted by Nachoman
And NO, this thread does NOT require pictures!
You're right! Even the mental picture is intentionally blurry.
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Old 05-03-07, 07:34 PM
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Originally Posted by chipcom
Little guy with little butt does not equal closely spaced sit bones.
Bingo... the size of your butt and body doesn't dictate the width of your sit bones. The width of your sit bones dictates the width of your sit bones.
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Old 05-03-07, 07:46 PM
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Great stuff, but (or is it butt?) let me hijack this thread a bit: I want to buy a Specialized Toupe on eBay, but how can I figure out what size I need? DO NOT SUGGEST LBS.
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Old 05-03-07, 07:50 PM
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Originally Posted by cccorlew
Great stuff, but (or is it butt?) let me hijack this thread a bit: I want to buy a Specialized Toupe on eBay, but how can I figure out what size I need? DO NOT SUGGEST LBS.
Reach down, find a sitbone, find the other one. Now sit down on a piece of paper, try to mark the paper where your fingers hit. Another option is to hold a tape measure(cloth ones are the easiest) and measure from sitbone to sitbone.

If you can't find a sitbone, get the widest Koobie saddle they make.
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Old 05-03-07, 07:59 PM
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Originally Posted by bbattle
If you can't find a sitbone, get the widest Koobie saddle they make.
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Old 05-03-07, 09:48 PM
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Sorry, a butt measuring device sounds like something an LBS salesman pretends to have when an attractive but naive female shows up in the shop.
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Old 05-03-07, 10:09 PM
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Originally Posted by MAK
Sorry, a butt measuring device sounds like something an LBS salesman pretends to have when an attractive but naive female shows up in the shop.
There was no "probing" involved. I promise!
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Old 05-04-07, 08:23 AM
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Wasn't there a post on here a while ago that someone had spoken to a guy at the LBS with the butt-o-meter who said that almost all of the people who got measured were in the middle of the three Specialized saddle sizes??
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Old 05-04-07, 09:21 AM
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For sit bone measurement, I suggest heading for S.F's Castro District and have one of the local dudes measure you.
On a more serious note, the Specialized "Ass-o-Meter" gives you two measurements and they then add together to find your size. I was between the 143 and 155 and went with the wider size. Damn fine saddle and the cutout seems to help aleviate numbness issues.
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Old 05-04-07, 09:29 AM
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I think the butt meter is kind of a gimmick. You can tell if a saddle is correct by riding it a little. I tried the Specialized Alias after getting the correct size based on the meter and that was the most uncomfortable saddle I ever owned. My current saddle (Fizik Arione) is smaller than my measured sitz bones and feels great.
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Old 05-04-07, 10:30 AM
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Originally Posted by jrobe
I think the butt meter is kind of a gimmick. You can tell if a saddle is correct by riding it a little. I tried the Specialized Alias after getting the correct size based on the meter and that was the most uncomfortable saddle I ever owned. My current saddle (Fizik Arione) is smaller than my measured sitz bones and feels great.
Yeah, but try to find shops that will let you ride a saddle anywhere but in their parking lot. Sometimes it takes more than a turn or two around a small parking lot to tell if you will find a saddle comfortable.

Andanyway, if you have a large butt, that largeness can make it pretty hard to butt-meterate your sit bones, as they can be pretty deeply buried.
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Old 05-04-07, 10:36 AM
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Or one could ask: "Does my butt make this saddle look small"
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Old 05-04-07, 12:40 PM
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a hearty "thank you" for not posting pics!
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Old 05-04-07, 08:54 PM
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Originally Posted by bbattle
Reach down, find a sitbone, find the other one. Now sit down on a piece of paper, try to mark the paper where your fingers hit. Another option is to hold a tape measure(cloth ones are the easiest) and measure from sitbone to sitbone.

If you can't find a sitbone, get the widest Koobie saddle they make.
...And then what? The saddles are listed by the overall width, not the sitbone distance. What saddle = what sitbone distance?
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Old 05-04-07, 09:22 PM
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I just picked up a Toupe. My first day on it will be tomorrow, so we'll see....

Re: the butt-o-meter, the first measurement at the LBS put me at 155, and I said that can't be right. We did it twice more and I made a more conscious effort to get into my normal riding position (the first time I was much more upright). Both times I came in clearly in the 143. Looking at the chart, the butt-o-meter translation to seat size changes pretty significantly based on riding position.
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Old 05-04-07, 09:39 PM
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Originally Posted by superslomo
Wasn't there a post on here a while ago that someone had spoken to a guy at the LBS with the butt-o-meter who said that almost all of the people who got measured were in the middle of the three Specialized saddle sizes??
No they all measured the size in stock.
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Old 05-04-07, 11:57 PM
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Originally Posted by GB Cycle
Looking at the chart, the butt-o-meter translation to seat size changes pretty significantly based on riding position.
So, is lower slimmer or wider?
I'm a smallish (not tiny) person, 5'7", not a racer, kinda oldish, and am looking at the Specialized Toupe . I'm NOT going to an LBS, I have to guess what size -- 130, 143? Hints on how to make the best guess for an online purchase would be grand.
Or maybe it doesn't matter????
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Old 05-05-07, 06:49 AM
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This sounds too much like girl talk.
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Old 05-05-07, 06:58 AM
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Originally Posted by cccorlew
Great stuff, but (or is it butt?) let me hijack this thread a bit: I want to buy a Specialized Toupe on eBay, but how can I figure out what size I need? DO NOT SUGGEST LBS.
Do an ass stamp with water paint.
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Old 05-05-07, 07:20 AM
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I can't believe I have read this thread there is way to much TMI for this to be a thread posted by guys it cracks me up (pun intended). Seriously some good info in between spams.
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Old 05-05-07, 07:29 AM
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Originally Posted by chipcom
Little guy with little butt does not equal closely spaced sit bones.
ditto. i'm overweight, but i'm a real tight-ass.

besides, saddles don't make butts look big...big butts make butts look big.
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