Sorting Saddles

Saddles are sorted according to condition,width, and attachment mechanism. Some saddles are very narrow with just a pair of rails on the bottom. Others may be wide with integrated springs and hardware for attaching to a seat post. These things are useful to know as a cyclist and mechanic, specifically with regard to matching a saddle to a bicycle. Saddles are designed not for different types of bicycles but for different types of riding. Narrow, hard saddles are designed for aggressive riding where the cyclist puts less weight on the saddle. Wider, softer, and more cushioned saddles are designed for more casual riding. You will usually only find springs on the widest, most casual saddles. The saddles designed for more aggressive riding are appropriate for high-performance bicycles, a medium sized saddle is good for most normal recreational, health, or transportational riding, and an extremely wide saddle is only suitable for riding "cruiser" style bicycles for slow speeds over short distances.

There are only two things you need to know to sort saddles: whether the saddle is ripped, and what other saddles it looks like. If it is ripped in any way or otherwise decently damaged, it goes in the free saddles box. If it is not, take it to the drawers where saddles are kept and find a box with saddles that look like it, and put it in that box. Examples of the three types of saddle can be seen here.