Saddle advice

[Cawol]

I've done a fair bit of experimenting with the saddle position on the bike I bought recently (Genesis Vapour cx-type bike - 2nd hand). Even on the relative "sweet spot" I've found, it becomes quite painful well within an hour, & that's with well padded shorts. It's my actual sit bones that are hurting.

How can I determine whether this is due to saddle position, the padding possibly being gone due to the age of the saddle (the bike is about 6-7 years old), or just needing a completely different saddle that fits my backside better?

And if it is a case of needing to find a different saddle, how do I go about finding the right one, short of ordering saddles one by one, trying them out for a bit, then returning them?

Or do bike shops let you go off for 40 minute rides to try out their saddles?

[rotavator]

I asked this same question at Snow and Rock in Leeds and they said that you can try out a Specialized saddle for up to a month and return and replace it with a different Spec saddle if it does not suit you. One customer did this several times before settling on the best perch apparently. That sounds like a reasonable offer to me provided you think some Spec saddle might be suitable. They will also measure the separation of your sit bones and recommend the best width of saddle.

[Cawol]

I asked this same question at Snow and Rock in Leeds and they said that you can try out a Specialized saddle for up to a month and return and replace it with a different Spec saddle if it does not suit you. One customer did this several times before settling on the best perch apparently. That sounds like a reasonable offer to me provided you think some Spec saddle might be suitable. They will also measure the separation of your sit bones and recommend the best width of saddle.

Thanks rotavator! Great tip! I will look into that

[Samuel D]

If it’s definitely just your sit-bones, and you weren’t doing much cycling before you got this bicycle, you may just need to persevere. The flesh over the sit-bones will toughen up after a while (e.g. after a few weeks of regular cycling).

[Cawol]

If it’s definitely just your sit-bones, and you weren’t doing much cycling before you got this bicycle, you may just need to persevere. The flesh over the sit-bones will toughen up after a while (e.g. after a few weeks of regular cycling).

Well....I typically ride 1 - 1.5 hours per day, & I've been doing that solidly since mid April. Granted, up until 9th June, when I bought this bike, that was on a hybrid-type bike, with quite a different riding position & saddle. But still....I would have expected to have toughened up a bit by now....?

[Samuel D]

I would have expected to have toughened up a bit by now....?

Me too.

In that case, rotavator’s idea of measuring your sit-bone width (in a shop or with cardboard/foil on carpet) sounds like a reasonable next step.

[MikeF]

If it’s definitely just your sit-bones, and you weren’t doing much cycling before you got this bicycle, you may just need to persevere. The flesh over the sit-bones will toughen up after a while (e.g. after a few weeks of regular cycling).

Well....I typically ride 1 - 1.5 hours per day, & I've been doing that solidly since mid April. Granted, up until 9th June, when I bought this bike, that was on a hybrid-type bike, with quite a different riding position & saddle. But still....I would have expected to have toughened up a bit by now....?

Were you OK on the hybrid bike? What was the saddle? The riding positions of the two bikes are very different and an old saddle might be not be good either. Padded saddles are not necessarily the way to go. I find Brooks (B17) very comfortable, and they don't have any padding .... and I don't need padded clothes either. However they don't seem to suit everyone - people either swear by them or swear at them.

[robc02]

When you say you have experimented with saddle position do you mean height as well as back and forth? If not, it would be a good idea to have a look at it. There are a number of threads on here about saddle set up. Riding position generally can affect how you sit on the saddle and how much pressure is applied, so it's worth checking before spending money on replacement saddles.

[mjr]

When choosing a saddle, remember that overall width is probably most important for sit bones but they also vary in whether they're a T or triangle shape (resulting in various thigh/bum chafing if wrong), how wide the nose is (affecting balance in surprising ways), how long they are and whether they have any channel or cutout (both affecting where it presses).

[JohnW]

Cawol - getting your saddle height and position right for you - then getting handlebar position right for you, in relation to the saddle - are major items, and sometimes a 'bike fit' is the best way.....................but there are still three small steps for man (or woman) kind :

1). Finding the right saddle for you - it becomes a nightmare for some riders.
2). To break your saddle in to suit your bum.
3). To break your bum in to suit your saddle.

Honestly, you'll have seen this on the Forum before, some riders have had to change saddles a couple of times before all's well. Some of us are lucky - we sit on the saddle and pedal off comfortably into the sunrise.

If you're having issues, then I wish you well and hope that the permanent and perfect solution comes along soon.

[531colin]

Some of this is very straightforward.
1. Your weight needs to be on your sit bones.
OP says (his?) sit bones hurt, so the weight is there all right.
2. OP doesn't mention chafing, or any soreness anywhere other than sit bones.
So the saddle isn't too wide and chafing (his?) thighs. The sit bones bear the weight, the saddle isn't causing pressure on areas other than the sit bones, so its not obviously too narrow, or needing a cutout to relieve pressure on sensitive areas. (although this can change with longer rides)
3. OP is riding for a matter of an hour or two, not for 12 hours at a stretch. I know fancy padded shorts are a modern "necessity".....but you really don't need padded shorts and super-duper padded saddles for the odd hours ride.
So whats going on?.....here you go....number 4.......
4. NO SADDLE WILL EVER BE COMFORTABLE IF ITS IN THE WRONG PLACE.
My money is on the saddle being too high. Too high will have the rider rocking and rolling on the saddle to reach the pedal at the bottom, and that makes you sore. Too high means you really feel each and every bump, because you can't ease your weight off the saddle and keep pedalling smoothly. There is a link to my bike fit guide in my sig. strip......not your inseam times a magic number, but what it feels like.

edit

[martin biggs]

Speak to uk importers of the selle smp range as they do loan saddles on a 2 week period on some of there saddle , i think from memory they are called Dilglove based in Birmingham area

[JohnW]

............4. NO SADDLE WILL EVER BE COMFORTABLE IF ITS IN THE WRONG PLACE..............[/i]

+1 to that - I've known cycling colleagues discover that many times.

[DarkNewt]

I too had saddle woes, on my first long tour I actually lost all feeling in my nether regions - to the point where I had to see my doctor on my return (it should be no irony that I have a lady doctor and I kid you not her name is DR WIGGLY) you can't make that up...... BTW - it took nearly 3 months for the feeling to return properly .......

anyhow after trying lots of combinations, I was informed to "get a brooks saddle" so dependent on your taste they have a large range of them - a leather saddle will mould to your seat bones. I have done thousands of miles on mine - two years ago I covered a 3000 mile ride on my brooks and never had so much as a bumsore

I have found from my own experience - padding/softness does not equal comfort - what you want is support in the right places - which is why brooks/leather saddles are so good!

Some advice my doctor gave me directly:
1. Go commando - underwear bunches causes rubbing and makes you uncomfortable (it's the terrible dark secret of many cyclists
2. Don't wear padded shorts the padding moves about and never really makes you comfortable - same with gell saddle covers etc..
3. Buy a brooks...

In the end as other posters have said, some people can take an age to find the right one but some commonsense:

1. it does take time for the bum to stiffen up!
2. buy cheap and you will buy over and over again
3. If you are near a cycling club you can ask let's have a sit on your bike - this can often give you a feel for a saddle that may be a potential
4. getting your bike properly fitted may help
5. If you buy a brooks it will take time to bed in

Really hope you solve your problem!

[JohnW]

I too had saddle woes, on my first long tour I actually lost all feeling in my nether regions - to the point where I had to see my doctor on my return (it should be no irony that I have a lady doctor and I kid you not her name is DR WIGGLY) you can't make that up...... BTW - it took nearly 3 months for the feeling to return properly .......

anyhow after trying lots of combinations, I was informed to "get a brooks saddle" so dependent on your taste they have a large range of them - a leather saddle will mould to your seat bones. I have done thousands of miles on mine - two years ago I covered a 3000 mile ride on my brooks and never had so much as a bumsore

I have found from my own experience - padding/softness does not equal comfort - what you want is support in the right places - which is why brooks/leather saddles are so good!

Some advice my doctor gave me directly:
1. Go commando - underwear bunches causes rubbing and makes you uncomfortable (it's the terrible dark secret of many cyclists
2. Don't wear padded shorts the padding moves about and never really makes you comfortable - same with gell saddle covers etc..
3. Buy a brooks...

In the end as other posters have said, some people can take an age to find the right one but some commonsense:

1. it does take time for the bum to stiffen up!
2. buy cheap and you will buy over and over again
3. If you are near a cycling club you can ask let's have a sit on your bike - this can often give you a feel for a saddle that may be a potential
4. getting your bike properly fitted may help
5. If you buy a brooks it will take time to bed in

Really hope you solve your problem!

DarkNewt - I have never met Dr.Wiggly but apart from that all of what you say rings true with me, and repeats my experience and confirms my conclusions of a lifetime of cycling................................you've expressed it all so well, and it should become a cyclists' text-book.

I'd probably add "or quality leather saddle" to your quoting of "Brooks", but all you say is absolutely my philosophy born of my experience.