They're absolutely not supposed to land between the sit bones; if they do, the pressure is on soft tissue and nerves, and that's bad. (Gel pads make that situation worse instead of better, by the way, as you sink deeper into the material where your bones press down, leaving the middle to press harder against your soft tissue. It might work for shorter rides, but for long rambling ones, you do yourself no favors.)
It's true, though, that the usual posture for riding, with the rider bent forward, makes the saddle less of a seat and more of a perch for support while your arms and legs take a lot of your weight. It's still supposed to fit your sit bones and not press against your perineum. But I have a bike *designed* for upright posture, like a child's bike, with the handlebars higher than the saddle; the saddle on it needs to be close to a true seat, since my arms aren't really supporting my weight at all, and my legs are doing so very little.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2010-09-28 11:04 pm (UTC)It's true, though, that the usual posture for riding, with the rider bent forward, makes the saddle less of a seat and more of a perch for support while your arms and legs take a lot of your weight. It's still supposed to fit your sit bones and not press against your perineum. But I have a bike *designed* for upright posture, like a child's bike, with the handlebars higher than the saddle; the saddle on it needs to be close to a true seat, since my arms aren't really supporting my weight at all, and my legs are doing so very little.