• The type of bicycle seat you choose depends on your riding habits and how you feel most comfortable.The bicycle ride image by Michel Filion from Fotolia.com
  
  A bicycle seat, or saddle, affects a rider's experience and performance. Riders choose a bicycle seat based on their riding style and habits. While a saddle is intended to carry some weight, it does not manage all of a bicyclist's weight. The legs, hands and arms balance the rest of a rider's weight. Ideally, a bicycle seat forms to a rider's shape to maximize comfort and dexterity, and to control on the ride.
  
  

Leather

• Leather seats form to your shape the more you ride.sitting of bicycle image by Andrew Buckin from Fotolia.com
  
  All-leather seats are the classic bicycle saddle type. Springy but firm, the leather material and shape of the saddle fit to your physique the more you ride. If you ride long distances at a steady pace but not for racing, the all-leather saddle is probably a great fit.
  
  The leather takes a bit more to groom and take care of on a regular basis, though. Polishing the leather every few weeks keeps it shiny and protects it from cracks in the heat or moisture. However, classic leather seats are not often waterproof and susceptible to water damage. Carry a plastic bag or other seat cover to protect the saddle when you're not riding.
  
  

Race

• Racing bikers use narrow racing seats so they can lift themselves off the seat while curving.sport image by yves Boucher from Fotolia.com
  
  Racing bikers need a strong, lean and firm seat for a curving high speed ride. A race bicycle seat is narrow, lightweight, fairly stiff for controlling moves and turns, and usually has either titanium or hollow seat rails on the interior.
  
  If you ride for fitness, take courses fast and wear training clothing, the race type saddles are a strong match. Especially if you like occasionally going off-roading, the racer seat gives more flexibility for wide or tight turns.
  
  

Mountain Bike Saddle

• Mountain bike saddles are narrow but springy for rocky terrain.mountain bike image by JCVStock from Fotolia.com
  
  If you ride off-road up gravely hills or on unpredictable terrain, a mountain bike saddle seat is ideal. Because of the seat's narrow shape, medium padding thickness and shaped back section, you can move around on the seat to adjust for going down steep slopes or ascending gently inclined hills.
  
  Usually the mountain bike seat is reinforced on the sides to protect from structural damage should a crash occur.
  
  

Gel

• As of 2010, the "gel" bike seat is a new kind of ergonomic shock absorbing seat cushion that molds to a biker's shape. The gel material is a type of closed-cell foam where air bubbles inside the seat are at higher than normal pressure. If riding agitates your seat bones, your groin or lower back, and you are a rider who likes diverse terrains and courses, the gel cushion helps maintain a more consistent comfort in your ride. This seat is typically medium weight but not light because of the gel mixture and wider than narrower for maximum suspension.
  
  

Suspension

• A suspension bicycle seat gives adventurous, off-roading riders a racing-like saddle look with more flexibility and suspension features. Instead of choosing a wider seat that could slow you down and limit dexterity, choose the suspension type with narrow aerodynamic features. The seat usually has a narrow, high tech look with the suspension structure built into the underside of the seat between the seat rails and the seat.