how long to determine that a saddle is not right? [Archive]

fastdogs

09-25-2007, 06:16 PM

I am new to bicycling. Originally I was just going to use it to exercise dogs, but I enjoy it so much that I have been taking my folding bike to work every day and riding during my lunch break. Today I rode six miles in the park after work, and the seat was almost unbearable by the time I was done. It hurt worse when I took pressure OFF the seat!
I have heard that you need to give it some time before making the determination that the saddle isn't right for you. I've only been riding regularly for 3 weeks. Do I need to give this stock saddle (velo) a longer period before I start looking for something else?
thanks

Skierchickie

09-25-2007, 06:37 PM

Nope! I think 3 weeks is plenty long enough, if the thing hurts that bad. Does it always feel awful, or just the one time? It could need to be adjusted, but three weeks of torture sounds like plenty, to me.:eek: Depending on where it hurts, you could tilt it down slightly (or up, as the case may be), or slide it fore and aft.

Good luck!

VeloVT

09-25-2007, 06:41 PM

Hmmm... Some aspects of fit require time to adjust to... but I would say if a saddle is killing you, it's not likely to get better. It doesn't take that much time to tell. Although you might try adjusting it a bit before making a final decision.

The one exception to this -- if it's your sit bones that are hurting and you haven't been riding for long, they'll "toughen up" after a while (I don't remember how long this takes -- a month maybe, maybe a bit less). But if it's other parts that are hurting, you shouldn't expect to adjust to the saddle.

One other comment -- sometimes other aspects of fit affect saddle comfort. If your reach is too long or your handlebars very low with respect to your saddle, this can increase saddle pressure. Also, of course, if your saddle is too high, that might cause discomfort (though I think it's much more common for people to start out setting their saddles too low than too high), and you might try tilting it down a smidge (personally, I am finding as I ride more that I like my saddle very level, when I used to prefer it tilted down a bit...). You also want to make sure it's in a good fore/aft position, but if it's not, it's **probably** more likely to cause knee pain, or possibly back pain,or maybe loss of power, than saddle pain.

Have you had a fitting done? This might help determine if it's just the wrong saddle for you, or a fit issue.

Good luck!!!

fastdogs

09-25-2007, 06:41 PM

it doesn't hurt when I first start out- not like it's real comfortable, but it's not painful. Before today I'd gone four miles at the most, and it was more of a bruised feeling. Today was the first time it hurt when I took pressure off the saddle, more than when I was sitting on it. Probably this has something to do with blood flow? I'll try moving it around tomorrow to see if it makes any difference.
thanks

boy in a kilt

09-25-2007, 06:46 PM

If the saddle isn't tensioned leather, it doesn't really need time to break in. For some reason, the saddle-butt symbiosis is gone.

Did you do a longer ride in the previous few days?

fastdogs

09-25-2007, 07:08 PM

no, I had done four miles the previous day, then six today. I figured my butt needed time to break in, since I have not been riding for several years. I started back about 3 weeks ago with a new folding bike. I ride for 20-45 minutes during my lunch break every day, and if I don't get a chance to I stop at the park on the way home and ride. At work, I ride lots of hills, there's no flat places. At the park it's all flat. But I stay in the saddle the whole time, it was just getting so uncomfortable from the midpoint of the ride today that I was shifting around, that's when I noticed that the pain was worse when I took pressure off the saddle.
thanks

mimitabby

09-25-2007, 07:36 PM

if you are fitted to the bike properly and the saddle is hurting, you need a different saddle. But even the best saddle will hurt if the seat is too high, or too far forward, etc, etc.

so. Make sure you're fit properly to the bike. Next question. WHERE is it hurting?

you should feel the pressure on your sitbones. if that's where it's hurting (and not inside of there on delicate tissues) you might consider a different saddle.
if other parts (not sitbones ) are hurting, it's either fit or you need another saddle. I hope that makes sense.

Mimi
ps takes me about 5 minutes to figure out if a saddle is going to work.. lots of experience!

KnottedYet

09-25-2007, 07:53 PM

If the saddle causes you pain when you get OFF it, it's quite likely the saddle is too narrow (to the point you aren't even weightbearing at all where you should) and the pain you are feeling is the rebound of your pelvic bones and tissues.

You could also be sitting on the narrow portion of the saddle too much.

I own a couple Velos (they came with the bikes). My vote is that they are too narrow over all for my particular butt.

They might be too narrow for your butt, too.

boy in a kilt

09-25-2007, 08:06 PM

I'll defer to mimi now for problem solving.

My only experience with pain in womens' rears is being the cause.

DirtDiva

09-25-2007, 09:57 PM

If you can't find a sensible tilt that keeps all the soft bits happy, then I'd try something else ASAP. If the sit bones are sore when you've been off the bike for more than an hour or two, then I'd try something else ASAP. If it's just the sit bones that are hurting and they're not sore when you're not on the bike, then perhaps give it a little more time for yer bum to toughen up.

fastdogs

09-26-2007, 05:42 AM

thanks for all the help. I don't think it's the sit bones hurting- there's a slightly bruised feeling to them, but it's not pain like I felt yesterday. The pain was the whole saddle contact area, and my tailbone (which wasn't even in contact with the saddle). It hurt worse immediately when I took pressure off the saddle, but quit hurting once I'd been off for several minutes. It started about halfway through the ride. I tried sitting up more, or leaning over more, but it didn't make a difference. I didn't try changing the angle of the saddle, I can try that today (if it doesn't rain me out).
thanks again
vickie

indigoiis

09-26-2007, 05:56 AM

I have tailbone issues, no matter which saddle I ride on.
It has gotten better over time in the saddle. The best saddle I found for me was the WTB. But I think I have a spur or something on my tailbone.

I think you should look into trying a new saddle. What I like about WTB is they let you try them, and if it doesn't work, you can bring it back.

Tuckervill

09-26-2007, 06:43 AM

I get a sore tailbone whenever I ride on the stock Bontrager saddle that came on my Treks (road, mtn). I changed out my bikes to Terry's (Liberator Y, I think and a Butterfly--I don't remember which one is on which bike, but the wider one is on the road bilke.). It wasn't too bad (the pain) in the first year I had the mtb, probably because I just didn't know any better, but it was still there.

What's relevant about that is the other day my road bike was in the shop, and my mtb had a flat. So I hopped on my son's Trek mtb with the stock Bontrager saddle, because I had limited time to ride anyway.

It quickly became apparent that a narrow saddle is the WORST for me. I might be feeling my sit bones on the saddle, but it is clear that the saddle is impacting my tail bone. It took a few days to not feel that achy pain in my bottom even just from sitting down in a kitchen chair, and I only rode that bike for 6 miles!!

His saddle is narrower than the WSD ones that came on my Treks. I suppose the contrast of the much narrower saddle made it so obvious. You probably have too narrow a saddle. I'd get a wider one.

Karen

fastdogs

09-26-2007, 07:10 AM

I'll stop by the bike shop and see what they have. I don't have any pain in my tailbone today, sitting down, or even when I was sitting on the bike, only when I took pressure off the seat. I have lots of built in padding, so I guess I thought just about any seat would work for me!
What does WTB stand for? Others I should check out?
thanks!
vickie

indigoiis

09-26-2007, 08:23 AM

Wilderness Trail Bicycle, I think.
Here's the link: http://www.wtb.com/products/saddles/recreation/

Torrilin

09-26-2007, 08:52 AM

More padding means *more* chance to hurt, not less. More stuff to squish! I was getting some tailbone pain with the too narrow stock saddle on my bike. I seem to have wide-ish sitbones, and even a 4 mile ride on the thing would hurt. I now have a wider beater saddle, and my body is happier.

Still not perfect - it's got a plastic cover that doesn't breathe, which seems to irritate my skin. And it's too soft. But those traits are fixable, and it's a good enough saddle that I can do the running around I got the bike for.

elk

09-26-2007, 11:00 AM

vickie

you and me...same boat. I started riding to excercise my dog and now I'm looking at Rivendell dreaming of, of course, a Saluki ( check out that head badge below!!) **:D :D (whoa there girlie) I am totally and madly in LOVE with my bike...and so is my dog!!

FWIW...as a newbie--or a born again biker after many years--- in for about the same amount of time, but one who has ridden 4 different saddles...I knew within 10 minutes if I was gonna have trouble or not.

I defer to the more experienced in terms of getting the fit right...but I even knew which ones I wanted to mess with and which I just wanted to get the heck off! IF I listened to my body and my "6th sense"

I have a new Brooks B67 on my specialized globe now and I love it...it's not broken in, but it is a sweet and kind saddle....

what kind of fast dogs you got???

elk
http://www.rivbike.com/products/list/bicycle_models#product=50-571

fastdogs

09-26-2007, 11:51 AM

I have whippets- I race them and hike the plains of wyoming with them hunting jackrabbits. To prepare for a wyoming trip, I like to get about 3 miles several times a week alongside the bike. We run with salukis in wyoming, and I don't know if it's possible to tire one of those out. Those are the ultimate distance machine, if you want speed as well as distance. I have a springer (bike attachment, not spaniel!), and have roadworked as many as three at a time- one on one side and two on the other. That's kind of hairy, though, so prefer just one. I just ordered a walkydog because the springer is very bulky and I keep bumping it with my foot because of the way it fits on my folding bike. I only roadwork dogs with the bike on the weekends, so far, but really want to ride every day. I pick up my 4 year old at daycare on the way home, and there just happens to be a great park right on the way, so it looks like we'll be detouring there with bike and trailer most days.
I went to the bike shop and looked through all the saddles- they didn't have many of the ones that were mentioned here. Many didn't look all that different from my velo, but I kept coming back to one- a serfas women's "dual density" saddle that wasn't as wide as some, but definitely bigger than the one I've got not- not as long, really, but wider. The type of riding I do probably leans more towards comfort bike riding, but if this works out to be too wide I can take it back. I'll try it out today hopefully, I can't wait- I was actually dreading trying to ride the velo again today. I'd hoped to keep increasing my distances but that was looking like it was definitely going to limit me.

elk

09-26-2007, 01:02 PM

Love whippets!

I have a walkydog and a K9 Cruiser...just ordered a Bikerdog...

I was bumping into the walkydog until I realized you are supposed to angle it back a bit...so if your bum is 12:00, having it pointing to 7 or 8 instead of 9. (hope that makes sense)
The K9 cruiser attaches low and keeps my dog behind me, which neither of us like. But I think it is the easist one.

The Bikerdog attaches to the back of the frame at the bottom but keeps the dog in a relative heel position...so I think that will be my favorite!

I'll have to sell the others on ebay...along with all those sherpas I tried for the papillons...

good luck with your saddle! FWIW, I love the Brooks and I liked the specialized body geometry with the cut out .
If you are riding upright, you might want to check the Brooks B67....
elizabeth

BleeckerSt_Girl

09-26-2007, 03:46 PM

Fastdogs-

Most of your weight should be on your two sitbones when you ride.

The fact that you feel allover pain especially when you first get OFF the saddle tells me that there is too much pressure on all your sitting area. The pain when getting up is what happens when blood comes rushing back to the soft tissues after all the blood has been mashed out of them for too long.

Having so much weight all over your sitting area and girly parts suggests to me that there is too much pressure along the MIDDLE line of your saddle and your body parts. What SHOULD happen is that there should be a good firm wide support platform on either side of the saddle back part for your two sitbones to perch on. If they can perch on a good firm platform, then the sitbones will keep your soft parts up and prevent them from mashing down onto the saddle. The sitbones will take the pressure, not your soft parts.
Putting all your weight on your sitbones makes you sore there the first few times you ride, but they adapt quickly and are no longer sore much after that. In contrast, your soft parts cannot adapt to the mashing pressure and will continue to be painful forwver as long as they get mashed.
Also- often the more soft padding and gel you put down there (whether from a cushy saddle or from a cushy chamois or both) the more it will press harder against your soft parts and hurt MORE.

Look into getting a saddle that will give a nice firm wide flat support for your two sitbones. You have to get your weight OFF your soft sensitive parts and onto your sitbones.

Just my 2 cents.... :o

elk

09-26-2007, 04:08 PM

If they can perch on a good firm platform, then the sitbones will keep your soft parts up and prevent them from mashing down onto the saddle. The sitbones will take the pressure, not your soft parts.

So THAT"S how it works!

(not meaning to hijack...working out my own saddle issues...)

I noticed that my B67 does exactly what you describe...IF my seat is lower ...if I raise my post so my leg gets proper extension, I feel more pressure...
I probably need to raise my handlebars/ or trade them out/ I have no idea how to raise them on the bike I have....

fastdogs

09-26-2007, 05:02 PM

thanks for the great explanation. It sounds like what was happening.
I rode the new saddle today- not sure about it. No pain- I rode 5 miles because the other one started hurting at about 3 miles. It wasn't real comfortable, but it didn't hurt. I am going to try tilting it a little tomorrow. It may be a case of too much padding with this saddle, but I'll give it a chance and see if I like it more with more time spent in it.
vickie

sandra

09-27-2007, 07:48 AM

I recommend changing the saddle to a Brooks B67. Wallbikes has a 6 month return policy. I was fortunate to get a used one from a wonderful TE member here and I love it, love it, LOVE IT. It was comfortable from the get-go for me.

mimitabby

09-27-2007, 08:05 AM

elk

09-27-2007, 03:51 PM

mimi

I know all about your Brooks!! I've been reading back and back in the forums.

(thanks for the compliment on my bike...I love it love it love it.)

I think Fastdogs is a good candidate for a B67 too! I have the "s" and I think I'm fine, as I don't even have it to the end of the rails....

I'm just a little discouraged ; I tweaked one thing & now my adjudtment feels off and I got that pressure again...I made an app't to have a 20 minute bike adjustment consult.....
I like it a little more forward than at the end of the rails....& I need to keep my abdomen tucked in a bit...

elk

fastdogs

09-28-2007, 05:52 AM

I'll keep my eyes open for one used, although it doesn't seem like people get rid of them very often. I tilted my new seat nose down just a tiny bit for yesterday's ride, and it felt pretty good. I only rode 3 miles, lots of hills, but no pain or discomfort. I need to try to do a 6-10 mile ride today or this weekend and see how it does. (6-10 miles is a lot to me!)
vickie

elk

09-28-2007, 10:21 AM

vickie

if you are interested in the Brooks..you can watch ebay too.

i hope your new saddle is good for you!!

elizabeth

6-10miles is a lot for me too...but i'm doing it once a week at least! and i can get up hills that just about killed me before...

BleeckerSt_Girl

09-28-2007, 12:38 PM

A lot of people are also finding the Selle An-Atomica saddle to be comfortable:
http://www.teamestrogen.com/categories.asp?catID=24
- you might try that next if the Brooks doens't feel right.

fastdogs

09-28-2007, 05:57 PM

Thanks for the tip on the selle- I'll add that to my list to watch for on ebay (that's where I got my bike, after all)
I did seven miles tonight! That's a lot for me. It's all flat, so no coasting. I was keeping a steady pace of 10-12 mph- thought that was pretty good, but a guy blew by me like I was standing still, on a hybrid (I think- he was sitting pretty upright). I just kept plugging away.
I got my walkydog tonight- not sure how this thing will work. There's no shock absorption, really, just some springs inside. It would make a great weapon to carry though, a nice heavy little club. I think the leash might be too short for my dogs, but I'd like a bungee between them and the stick anyway so there's room for that. Haven't installed it yet, I plan to use it sunday for the first time. THe springer has a heavy spring, and the shape of it along with the spring really helps damper any lunges so you don't really feel them on the bike. I've had two dogs hit the end of the leash after a deer and barely felt it- about 80 pounds of dogs. I guess I'll find out sunday how this one handles things like that- I'll have one 40 lb dog but there's lots of deer in the park!
vickie

elk

09-28-2007, 07:48 PM

Vickie
you can take out a spring or two to make the leash longer.

Maudie is a pretty opinionated 60lbs and the other day we rode by a couple walking a corgi... I felt her tugging to turn around, but she didn't pull me over. She STOPPED moving...but I got rather stern and off we went.

I don't think they'll be able to pull you over.

elk

TraderJane

09-15-2008, 11:13 PM

I experience this exact type of pain. The best way I can describe it is a bone bruise all along my sitbone area. I don't experience any discomfort while riding, the pain sets in about an hour after my ride is over. I'm a beginner cyclist. I purchased a Specialized Dolce from my LBS a few weeks ago. I've only ridden it four times for approximately 30 minutes each time, wearing what I lovelingly call my diaper shorts. After my first ride, my girly bits were none to pleased with my saddle. I realized that the saddle was positioned too far back and I wasn't carrying my weight on my bum, but on my inner thigh region instead. I moved it forward an inch and voila! My girly bits are happy and now my sitbones are angry. I've experienced the post-ride sitbone pain with no improvement for the past three rides. I expect there is an adjustment period, but seriously, how long does it last? I have to wait four days or so in between each ride for the bruising to subside. This is really dampening my spirits on riding. What is a typical adjustment period for a beginner? When do you decide it's the saddle, not your bum, that's the source of the problem?

ilima

09-16-2008, 06:17 PM

Three weeks sounds like you gave it an honest try.

There have been some saddles I have rejected pretty much instantly (Fizik Arione), but others have take more time. And some didn't reveal how bad their uncomfortableness was until about 40 miles in.

The saddle that worked for me (SSM Aspide Glamour) felt a bit hard at first, but within minutes I had forgotten about it. I've never had any major discomfort, even on long (70+ mile) rides.

TraderJane

09-29-2008, 02:03 PM

Update: I purchased a squishy "recreational" saddle last week and it is much better. It's a 155, same size as my original saddle. I am so happy that I can now ride my bike everyday instead of waiting four or five days for the bruised feeling to dissipate. The guy at my LBS tried to discourage me from going to a softer saddle because they are extremely uncomfortable after a couple hours of riding. I think I told him about five times, "yes, but I only ride for 30-45 mins at a time and it will be many months before I ride for more than 90 minutes, so the fact that it is uncomfortable after two hours is irrelevant." I think my point was lost on him, which was kind of disappointing. My advice to the ladies with tender tooshies like mine: buy the squishy saddle!

Tuckervill

09-29-2008, 04:16 PM

But know that you'll be buying a new one when you're up to the longer rides! :)

The bruised feeling will go away over time. You'll have to adjust to that when you change saddles again.

Karen

shellkay1212

09-29-2008, 05:03 PM

I had a fit and we moved my saddle back to get my knee position as close as possible to the correct place.

But, my saddle - oi - the bruise feeling is not on my sitbones. They are absolutely fine. It's more toward the front- the girly parts. My LBS guys are working with me. In fact, I stopped in there to get my super blinky Saturday and one of the fit guys asked if I had gotten the issue resolved.

Um, on one hand, I'm glad the guy who did my fit consulted him but uhhhh, it is sort of weird to think that they are discussing my bruised girly parts! :o