Product news: SQlab – Find the right saddle by measuring your sit bones

Market: The right bicycle saddle contributes significantly to a pleasant, effective and pain-free riding experience. However, those who are plagued by seating problems often have to embark on a seemingly endless odyssey of finding a saddle. With the German manufacturer SQlab, an exact sit bone measurement helps to choose the right saddle. How this works and which saddles are available - we took a closer look at the matter.

Myth of sitting problems: does it have to be?

Where do seat problems come from?

If a saddle is too narrow, it pinches – exactly where it shouldn't pinch. Among other things, this is particularly noticeable in the sensitive perineal area of ​​men and on the mostly lower-lying pubic arch of women. In order to counteract this problem, SQlab was the first saddle manufacturer to introduce a system in 2002 to measure the distance between the sit bones and calculate the optimum saddle width.

How does the SQlab sit bone measurement work?

The seat bone measurement takes place according to the so-called "sit & fit" method to determine the optimal saddle width. Factors such as the sitting position, the position of the pelvis on the saddle and the area of ​​use are taken into account. The measurement takes place via imprints on a so-called measuring cardboard. This is done by sitting on a small stool on the measuring cardboard and then raising your legs and forming a hollow back. In the last step, you increase the pressure on your sit bones by alternately pulling yourself down with the handles on the stool. With the imprints at the contact points of the sit bones on the measuring paper, the sit bone distance and consequently the optimal saddle width can now be determined.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTp0Fennt7k

It depends on the effective saddle width

The specification of the required saddle width is always the effectively usable seat area, not the total width. This information may vary due to the different curvatures of different saddle models or different manufacturers. With all SQlab saddles, the usable area is used to the maximum and as little width as possible is wasted due to excessive curvature.

How to check the effective width of a saddle: You measure at the actual widest point of the saddle. The area can be used up to the outer points from which the saddle drops more than 1 cm downwards, since the area there can no longer be used as a support.

How do I find the right SQlab saddle?

Of course, the quite complex measuring process only makes sense if you then have the appropriate selection of different saddles, widths and shapes. But don't worry: With more than two dozen different models and different widths, almost every butt will find a suitable seat at SQlab.

The saddles from SQlab

A total of nine basic models are currently available from SQlab, but these each come with different "equipment", such as the company's own Active technology or the Ergowave saddle shape presented in spring. In addition, at least with the sporty variants, the choice of material for the seat stays remains - from classic CrMo to a light titanium alloy to carbon.

SQlab Ergowave: The next level?

In the spring of 2016, the Ergowave saddle shape was presented as the next evolutionary stage of the tried-and-tested stepped saddle principle. As part of a state-funded research project, the Ergowave technology was developed together with in-house scientists, the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences and the University Hospital

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The product designations 611 and 612 are representative of the sporty saddles in the SQlab range. The SQlab 611 should be familiar to many mountain bikers and it is not for nothing that it can be found on numerous bikes of the most diverse orientation: from the long-distance marathon racing file to the bike park-hardened Superenduro. The 611 is also based on the tried-and-tested principle of the stepped saddle: the lower saddle nose reduces the pressure in the sensitive perineal area - for men and women alike. The weight is distributed much more evenly over the entire surface and thus offers more pain-free comfort.

SQlab Active: The power lies in the flexibility

The SQlab Active technology has been around since 2010. According to their own statements, more than half of all SQlab saddles sold are now equipped with it. But what exactly does SQlab Active mean? An elastomer in the rear of the saddle between the cover and the rails allows horizontal flexibility that accommodates the natural rocking motion of the pelvis when pedaling. This not only makes the saddle more comfortable, but also supports natural movements; This prevents pain and also allows you to remain productive for longer.

However, active is not necessarily active: For the sports saddles, SQlab offers the appropriate elastomers in three different degrees of hardness in order to respond to the individual needs and requirements of the rider. In the case of comfort-oriented touring and city saddles, the Active system consists of a modular structure with two or four elastomer sticks that can be added or removed as required. This changes the lateral flexibility.

SQlab 611 and 612: The sporty ones for road and trail

SQlab 611 model overview

SQlab 612 model overview

SQlab 602, 603, 604 and 610: The trekking all-rounders

SQlab 621: The cozy one

Website

www.sq-lab.com