Objectives Women experience more saddle-related pain during cycling compared to men. However, there is a lack of research focused on the optimal saddle for this population. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the most used type of saddle (i.e., women's saddles, men's saddles or unisex) and the effect of saddle type on perceived comfort in elite women road cyclists. Methods Sixty national level road cyclists completed a questionnaire about their training characteristics, saddle use background and saddle comfort. The measures of the participants saddles were also obtained. Results Women's saddles were chosen by the majority of participants, being more comfortable (4.2 vs. 3.8 on a 1-5 comfort scale, respectively) than men's saddles. What is more, among cyclists who had tried both saddles, 55% felt better with the women's saddle, while only 16% preferred the men's saddle. However, more experienced cyclists (i.e., higher weekly and annual training load and years of experience) used men's saddles. Also, 50% of the participants still presented pain, regardless of the type of saddle used. The type of saddle also affected the cyclist's position on the saddle (i.e., at the rear of the saddle with men's saddles) and the location of pain (i.e., higher on the ischial tuberosities with men's saddles). Conclusion In conclusion, women's saddles are more comfortable for women road cyclists. Saddle type may also have some effect on bike-fit, as woman sit further back when using a men's saddle (i.e., increasing the effective saddle height).
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