So... I love my new bike but I do not love my saddle. Is it just a case of persevering as I've not ridden a bike in a long while or is it worth looking for a different more padded saddle? How do you tell?
New bike came with a pretty narrow saddle, it is a Liv bike so the saddle is theoretically designed for a lady.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Questions/Support/Help
Uncomfortable saddle
(26 posts)- Started 5 years ago by Zenfrozt
- Latest reply from Arellcat
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Posted 5 years ago #
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There are some people that claim to be able to help. And other that say it is impossible.
My experience is that I can get away with a variety of saddles for up to around 40 miles. Then it can be wearing. My strategy is to try lots of different saddles via eBay. It's not completely working yet!
But if the problem is for shorter distances, many shops will let you try saddles out.
Be aware that the height, angle and foreward/aft position of the saddle and also the position of the bars can make a big difference to bum comfort.
Posted 5 years ago # -
A vexed question. I just fitted a Brooks B17 to my ride and I did not expect it to be comfortable from the off. I'll ride, adjust, ride, adjust until it is correct. (I'll also rub handfuls of face cream into the leather....)
As @amir says, millimetric adjustment can be crucial.
Fore/aft, angle and height all make a huge difference, as do stem length and bar height.
Also, if you haven't ridden for a while you just have to face up to a few weeks of a***-hardening.
Posted 5 years ago # -
+ 1 to the idea of letting your bum get used to the saddle
Posted 5 years ago # -
Alrighty thanks guys :)
Posted 5 years ago # -
Between us all we should be able to assemble some sort of "bicycle saddle library". I have a Brooks B17 Women's saddle that I didn't get on with at all. I also have a vintage Flite, and a Rolls, and one of the early Specialized Body Geometry saddles that's too squishy and square for my liking.
Saddles are a big reason I prefer a laid back bike!
Posted 5 years ago # -
I still have issues with my saddle even on a short ride (5-6 miles or so, but that's twice a day 5 times a week). That said my issues were massively reduced after a proper bike fit, new shorts, and a wee nudge to the right (a little off centre). So I think it's a pretty complex problem and there are other things you can try first.
I actually thought both of putting together a saddle library and buying cheap off ebay till I find one I like. Haven't done either mind, but have a old stock ('velo') one off a pinnacle arkose (slightly riped cover) that I could donate to one, and a fabric shallow that is soon to be replaced.
Posted 5 years ago # -
It does depend what hurts. If it's your actual bum (i.e. the glutes), then it may just be a matter of getting used to it. If it feels like the pressure is on your more sensitive bits, then you might want to check the saddle is wide enough that your sitbones are taking most of the strain. If you can compare with your old saddle then that might help, also as others have said, playing around with the angle.
Posted 5 years ago # -
If it's to do with 'bits', Mr Trix eventually found great relief with a Selle Royal Respiro saddle. It has a big cut out central channel to relieve any pressure and is quite wide at the back to make sure your sit bones are planted evenly. I ended up getting one myself.
Posted 5 years ago # -
I've not used a Brooks but they have a reputation for being very comfortable once broken in. Once this is done the "sit bones" create two depressions and the saddle appears to sag in the middle. I think these distortions spread the load off these points of contact and onto the fuller length of the bones in that part of the pelvis - actually two converging ridges. So perhaps the Brooks is doing what happens naturally in professional cyclists who ride flat saddles with their pelvises rotated further forward.
Another completely different cause of chronic saddle pain is piriformis syndrome which can be cured with a programme of piriformis muscle stretches. The symptoms are extreme discomfort while pedalling; saddle soreness rather than saddle sores.
Posted 5 years ago # -
I have a Brooks B67S (wide, with springs) which was comfortable from the word go, and a B17 which was less of a hammock but still hasn't required much breaking in. I think some of us just have Brooks-shaped undercarriages.
Of course, Brooks can be a bit *too* comfortable https://twitter.com/jodyrosen/status/1096779050415243264
Posted 5 years ago # -
I found my brooks flyer felt comfort when got on it but after a distance not so much. I find the rock hard plastics ones more comfy on long distances as don’t chafe. Brooks are also look a bit wider than most drop bar bikes normal saddles, may be more design for an upright bike
Posted 5 years ago # -
I got my sit bone width measured and have been using a 155mm saddle on my mtb and 168mm saddle on the road bike since. Huge improvement and basically no saddle sores over any distance and back-to-back days of riding.
Posted 5 years ago # -
+1 for a simple Brooks (B17) - but the main reason for commenting about that is simply to point out that squishy isn't necessarily more comfortable - which is why Brooks are good (for many). They are (depending on model) set up to have some spring to them, but you don't sink into the surface. It might appear that a squishy saddle will be comfy, but on a longer ride this can limit blood-flow (at least that's what I've always believed).
Beyond that - if you haven't ridden for a year or two then the first couple of rides can be very uncomfortable - but that quickly gets better. As far as I remember it was about ride 3 or 4 that things became acceptable.
Also +1 for playing around with saddle setup. Even with the one saddle there are so many dimensions - back and forth, angle, height - bearing in mind that different bike setups require different saddle setups too.
Borrow to try out.. I bet lots of people on here have spare saddles filling up space on a shelf...
Posted 5 years ago # -
@sallyhinch
Puts a new, rosy complexion on 'bicycle face'.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Measurement of sit-bones and thus correct saddle width was the key for me getting comfy...the actual model of saddle hasn't mattered so much over the years. One of the local bike shops used to have a foam thing you sat on so they could assess this?
Or I googled and found a home-brew method of assessing it - I might try this and see if it matches my known comfy saddle dimensions.Posted 5 years ago # -
Interesting perspective on saddles by a female professional cyclist in the Guardian today.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Sit-bone measurement--what local shops offer this? (i'll try the cardboard and chalk thing as well.)
My seat is ok for about a mile, but after that it aggravates an already sore hip, and about the 3 mile mark i lose sensation in my right foot. which i suspect is not good.
Posted 4 years ago # -
also, does anyone have experience with noseless saddles?
Posted 4 years ago # -
Bike Co-op measured my sitbones. I presume most places that sell saddles will do so.
Posted 4 years ago # -
I got mine measured at EBC. But I think they were someway out. I got a more accurate measuremt from a Brooks that I wore in
Posted 4 years ago # -
I've used an Adamo saddle if that counts as a noseless saddle - but on my TT bike. Works well for that (and I did over 100 miles on it, but that was several years ago now).
Posted 4 years ago # -
We didn't get as far as trying noseless but Mr Trixie found great relief in getting a saddle with a nice wide cut out channel in it. He'd been having numbness leading to great pain on a bog-standard saddle. He was so delighted with his that I ended up getting one too (Selle Respiro). I wasn't massively uncomfy before but now I can feel my sit bones being properly sat on it and there's no pressure anywhere else.
Posted 4 years ago # -
i finally did get one--same size, same cut out--interestingly, the one i had was a women's and the one i got was a man's? but much more rigid, and it felt better right away. it's not great if i'm leaning more forward, but that only happens when i am going uphill and trying to be 'good.'
i'm not sure it would be the best if i were going for several day-long rides, but i rarely do those.
Posted 4 years ago # -
@thecanuck I only use noseless saddles... took to them straight away and solved every pain and numbness i have ever experienced. Use them on road, race and mountain bike versions. I use ISM
Posted 4 years ago # -
Noseless seat – but does require buying an inconveniently expensive bike to go with it.
The business end by beqi, on FlickrI must've tried a dozen different conventional saddles on upright bikes, and don't really get on with any of them. The one on Matilda the Elephant Bike is hilariously wide and padded, but is really too wide for me or for more than about 10 miles. The Specialized Lithia Gel on my Brompton is about the best of the lot so far.
I rode thousands of miles on my Flite saddle back in the day. I still have it, because it's a beautiful thing, but I really can't bear riding on it now.
Posted 4 years ago #
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