Pain with the Brooks

[khgulledge]

Hi all,

Well, I've had my saddle for about a month +/- and at first, I thought it was going to be fine. But, now, after a 55mi ride 10/14 and a 45mi on 10/21, I'm beginning to wonder....

The 55mi ride: after about 15-20mi, I notice that my butt is feeling kinda sore...I continue on, and after about another 15-20 miles, it feels like my sit bones are killing me! I didn't think I would be able to finish the ride...So, after getting home, I have slight rash and a bump or two in the joint line. I don't ride all last week in order to let things heal.

The 45mi ride: same thing. It's like I'm right on the sit bones (which I thought that's the way it's supposed to be??) and every pedal stroke is painful. It feels slightly better if I scoot up on the saddle. It does look as if I'm getting slight indentions in the saddle, but they are farther out towards the sides of the saddle.

Not sure what to do...I've got a ride event this weekend (Halloween 100k, Durham) and want to be able to ride this in some comfort. I can't ride 63mi in the kind of pain I've been in on my last two rides.

I have a B17S, it's just about level, but I haven't put a level on it. In the current position, I have no pain/pressure issues in the girly area, only sit bones are killing me. Is this normal?? I haven't taken a mirror to look, but the area that hurts feels slightly rough, maybe like it has been chafed...

Thanks for any advice & let me know if you need more info. Karen.

[mimitabby]

I had a brooks without springs, and found i could ride up to 50 miles and then i started getting sore.
So I have a b67... no more problems. Don't get me wrong, after 100 miles
you don't want to sit on ANYTHING, but at least it isn't injuring me!

I put my saddle on someone elses tandem bike (for a little race i was in)
and the saddle was in the wrong place. I ended up chafing quite a bit. Since i'd already been using that same saddle since May I knew it was NOT the saddle.
It was too far back, i think..

so maybe your saddle is not in the right place.

Oh, one more thing. Leather is not like plastic in that no two saddles are really alike. We had one B17 which was REALLY hard. my DH could not break it in. We sold it to a 250 lb guy. he loved it.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I use a B17S. My longest rides have been about 40 miles. After 40 miles, I feel a bit sore on my sitbones, but not too much. -About as sore as the rest of my body after 40 miles!
I have experimented a lot with saddle position. Raised my saddle several times. Started with it all the way forward, then all the way back, now it in the middle and feels just right. I also felt that with my seat higher, I was able to distribute my weight better between my feet and seat and arms, instead of most of my weight on just my seat. It's easier to put more weight on your feet while you are peddling if your leg is "almost" straight on the downstroke. Check to make sure your seat is not a bit too low.
Like you, I feel like my sit bones are right on the saddle, but it does not bother me like it seems to bother you. I don't really understand that.

How is your chamois pad? They say this pad is really good for long distances:
http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=12919
Perhaps you should get a pair of those for your upcoming long ride and wear them under unpadded tights or knickers. It might make all the difference you need. Might work for you. I rode a month on my new Brooks with NO chamois, and found that 15 mile rides were ok, but above that I really needed some good chamois padding. It's made me way more comfortable now on my usual 15-25 mile rides, and the 40 mile rides are pretty pain free too.

Have you Pruf-Hide'ed your saddle several times? I rub some into the under side as well around the sitbone dents areas, whereever my fingers can reach under the saddle around the saddle frame. (I only polish the saddle top when the PH is dry). I've thorooughly applied Pruf-Hide about 4 times to my Brooks. It's taken about 3 months to shape itself to me fairly well now, and I expect it to keep shaping for a while yet.

[KnottedYet]

Are your bones completely on suspended leather (so the leather flexes under your hamstring origin) or are they on or partly-on the metal frame at the edge?

I get Butt-Fold/pantyline/sitbone irritation with the Terry ultimate chamois on rides of 30 or more miles. Gotta use some Burt's Bees Salve on my tushie when I wear the Terry Skorts for longer rides.

No problem with the flex chamois in my Ibex.

so, check the location of the metal frame relative to your dents, and see if one chamois is causing you more trouble than another?

[khgulledge]

well, i haven't messed with the position yet. when i ride the trainer, at the 12-6 position, it almost seems as if i'm having to stretch a little at the bottom of the downstroke. maybe i should try moving it forward slightly.

i have some good shorts, at least they're better than the last ones. here they are:

http://volerwear.com/product_detail.asp?cartid=6792102315514077&cat=CAT-BOTTOMS-WOMENS-SHORT&productid=1120102+BLK+XSM

http://volerwear.com/product_detail.asp?cartid=6792102315514077&cat=CAT-BOTTOMS-WOMENS-SHORT&productid=1120118+PUR+XSM

i've put profide on it once. i didn't think i needed to do it again just yet. if you think it'll help, i'll profide it again.

i also used chamois butt'r on both rides. seems like the very small partial indentions are almost over the rails. does this mean it's not wide enough? if i move it forward slightly, it might mean that i'm sitting on more of the saddle.

thanks, karen.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

i've put profide on it once. i didn't think i needed to do it again just yet. if you think it'll help, i'll profide it again.

PrufHide definitely helps soften the leather so it will form to you more quickly. It also helps keep the saddle from soaking up rain and getting ruined. Definitely use it several more times!
I rub some on with my fingers. Rub the stuff well into the leather everywhere you can, even on the edges and also on the underside of the seat area, especially in your sitbone area. Let dry for an hour or so, then buff with the soft cloth. Don't bother trying to buff underneath the saddle.
I did this once a week like 4 times when I first got my saddle. It's good for your saddle. Do it a couple more times at least, it can only help.

[KnottedYet]

I've had my saddle for about 4 months, and I'd guess I've proofhided it maybe 10 times?

BTW, with liberal applications of Phil's Bearing Grease, the noise from the nose shackle on my B67 is gone! Grease works better than oil.

I think I misspoke. You want your dents to be well away from the metal spreader the leather is riveted to. That metal spreader can be PAINFUL!

If you're having to stretch downward at the bottom of the stroke, it is more likely the seat is too high. Rule of thumb is that your seat should be low enough that sitting firmly in the seat you can rest your heel comfortably (no stretching) on the pedal. If the seat is too high you could be rocking your pelvis to reach the bottom of the pedal stroke, and that would saw your poor sit bones back and forth over their contact points with the seat.

If you have a good library, see if they can get you Andy Pruitt's Complete Medical Guide for Cyclists. He goes over seat positioning in a very clear way.

[Quillfred]

I am wondering what your bike positions are too. I went with the Finesse on my dry weather bike and will probably get a Team Pro S for my 3 season bike. The seat is shaped so that one's weight should even out comfortably when riding in the drops. Both these saddles are recommended for those who like to spend a fair amount of time in the drops.

As it is mentioned all over the Brooks thread, it can take alot of patience and adjusting to get the sweet spot. When I first get a Brooks I tilt the nose up slightly to counteract the initial slipperiness of the saddle.

Then again, Brooks aren't for everyone either.

[khgulledge]

i made an appt at the spin cycle yesterday with matt to get an existing bike fit because of the saddle issues i was having.

he spent 2hr with me and turns out, my saddle was way out of position, due to all the changing of saddles i had done. it was 3cm too low, 1cm too far from the handlebars, and we changed out my stem, from an 80mm to 90mm. he said, for my current fitness level, he's got everything adjusted to the best possible fit. worst news he told me was that he thought i shouldn't ride for at least a week, preferably 2, to let my body heal :(

another point he brought up was that i did change shorts mid summer to the voler shorts and maybe the shammy padding seam was the culprit since my problems developed along that time. i do think that might be a valid thought. his suggestion was to get different shorts, something a little more expensive than what i currently have, as you do get what you pay for. so, i'm moving up the shorts $$ ladder: $35 -> $60-> to $100+/-.

i'm looking at the PI microsensor ="http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=17163"shorts or the sugio ="http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=17585"http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=17585shorts.

in the meantime, while i'm not riding, think i'm gonna experiment with bar tape and put something else on....

oh yeah, the brooks has to go back as i just don't think it's the ONE. gonna keep the butterfly and see if it can be the ONE.

Karen.