Sorry, but another sore hoo-hoo thread.

[Scrappy]

Well, I'm sorry to add another one of these threads to the list but I am at my wits end. I finally have a bike that fits, but I cannot seem to find a saddle that does not make my hoo-hoo raw and painful. It feels like I am riding on my pubic bone as much as my sit bones, but my bars are right at or just a hair above saddle height. My stem is 80mm long and I know I am not stretched out too far. Actually it feels slightly less painful "down there and up front" the further back I shove my butt on the saddle when I ride - especially when I'm really trying to move along.

So far I've tried saddles with and without cutouts - leather and man made, both chafe in the same spots - up front near the top of the 'triangle" so to speak. The saddles with cutouts actually seem to put more pressure on the sides of my pubic bones up front where I'm having problems. The best I've tried so far is a Velo Orange racing type leather saddle with no cutout that is hard and almost flat as a board, but it is slightly too narrow in back, and I am sitting on the rails. It chafes up front but not as much as the others I've tried because I feel like I am sitting more on my sit-bones on this saddle than any others. (Padding or padded shorts make it worse)

I have a 2 day 140 mile ride in a couple of weeks and I need to get this sorted or I will not make it past mile 40. Help!

[OakLeaf]

If you have to keep shoving yourself back to get on the part of the saddle you're supposed to be sitting on, it sounds like your saddle is probably too wedge (pear) shaped for you. Brooks saddles are both wide and very T-shaped, and Wallingford Bike has a great trial policy ...

How wide do you need? How wide is the one you're riding now? From the pictures I'm pulling up online, it looks like the "race" saddle is the narrowest one VO offers...

[ny biker]

1. Measure your sit bones and make sure the saddle is wide enough for them.

2. If sliding back feels better, do you need to move your saddle forward a bit? I recently experimented with moving my saddle back a few millimeters and found a marked increase in pubic bone pain and soft tissue chafing. Even if that doesn't solve the problem completely, it might make your current saddle more bearable while you search for a better one.

3. Other t-shaped saddles:

- Selle San Marco Aspide Glamour (155 mm; very firm; no cutout, though the Arrowhead model has a cutout).

- Bontrager Affinity (designed for your riding position, based on your description of saddle height vs. bar height; comes in 3 widths and 3 levels of padding; no cut out; widest WDS Affinity is same size and shape as Aspide Glamour, if you like that shape but want more padding; Bontrager offers 30-day guarantee.)

- Specialized (Ruby, Jett, Lithia, depending on amount of padding you want; has a cutout; comes in 3 widths; Specialized website offers 30-day guarantee though local stores might not.)

[Scrappy]

Thank you for the responses. My sit bones are in the 150-155 size. The current Velo Orange saddle is 150mm at the widest. It is shaped like a lollipop. I am still fiddling with the saddle adjustment, I'll try moving it forward next. My backside loved the brooks B17 imperial, but the hammock effect caused chaffing terribly up front even after I tightened it several turns with the wrench.

I borrowed a Team PRO S (women's model) hoping that the stiffer leather would not give so much, but it also is shaped like a bowl and chaffed up front like the B17. I'm seriously considering a Brooks B15 Swallow, but the $209 price tag for the base model is putting me off.

The Bontrager Affinity does look very good. So does the Selle San Marco. Thanks for the direction! I'll see if I can find any of those in my area.

I've tried a couple of Specialized models and they feel great for the first 25 miles, but after that the cutout starts to chafe.

[OakLeaf]

I've had issues with the cut-out on Spec' saddles, too. It's early days yet, and my longest ride so far on my SI Turbomatic is only 56 miles, but so far I'm very happy with it.

It may just be that the Jett is still too padded - I never did try a Ruby. That was going to be my next try if I hadn't found such a great deal on the Turbomatic.

[GLC1968]

I also had a lot of trouble with soft-tissue chaffing. For the first 5 years of cycling, I just assumed I had to 'toughen up' up front every season. Ugh!

Relief came to me with the Bontrager inForm RL (WSD). It's similiar to the Affinity but I think it's slightly more T shaped. Comes in three widths - and it's no where near as padded as it looks in the images! The indentation in the front region turned out to be significantly more comfortable (and less chaffing) to me than any cutout I'd tried. It may be worth a shot.

[Scrappy]

Today I tried a few different saddles - Fizik - don't remember which model but it had a long groove down the middle ... Horrible... couldn't stand it even on the trainer.

Brooks Team Pro Mens - My sitbones loved it, but it had the same contact/chafing points as any other Brooks I've tried.

On a whim, I grabbed one of the Adamo noseless saddles not really expecting anything good because it seemed rather narrow, but it took about 5 seconds on the trainer to go "Oh, now this is worth trying!" The guy at the store couldn't help himself and had to give it a go as well, and surprised himself by finding it rather nice.

So this is what I'm trying for now. Thanks for the input everyone. I'll let you know how it works out.

http://www.ismseat.com/images/products2/Road%20angled%20gray.jpg

[GLC1968]

I'm happy you found something that feels better. Especially with that ride coming up!

Don't think I've ever heard anyone say they didn't like the Adamo. Just curiouis, which model is it? I know the measurements are not at all like regular saddles, but don't understand how they are supposed to fit, really.

I didn't like the Adamo. ;) I tried all three (road, race and podium) and they were all too wide up front for me (rubbed in the leg crease). The missing nose and flat back part were excellent though!

I hope you've found the answer, Scrappy!

[Scrappy]

I picked up the the Adamo Road model. That's all they had in stock at the store. The saddle fitting is very different with this. It seems like the idea is to ride on the front or cutout part, or be rolled forward more onto the pubic area which is narrower than the sitbone part. That must be the reason why the 135mm width doesn't seem too narrow. Any other standard type saddle would be far to small for me at that size.

I have noticed the wide nose for sure, and the more gradual transition rubbing my ehh..hmm.. generous thighs a bit, but I havn't spent much time fiddling with the adjustment yet. I plan on going for a 28 mile shakedown ride tomorrow.

The website lists another model that may work for me if this one won't. It's called "The Century" and it specifies a wider 145mm sitbone platform and a narrower nose to reduce chafing, but it also has a lot of padding which I usually avoid.

I'll report back tomorrow after the ride and let you all know how it's going. Thanks for the support!

[Scrappy]

Ok everyone, post ride report:

Round trip total of 30.2 miles - pretty much flat and on the greenway except for a few small neighborhood hills. The first 15.1 miles (out) I rode in MTB shorts with the padding removed and regular cotton panties ..I know, I know, but that's how I roll.. besides, I wanted to really put this saddle to the test. The second 15.1 miles back I wore Pearl Izumi padded shorts.

The first 4 miles I adjusted 3-4 times based on the suggestions in the video on the ISM website. Flattened out the rails, centered it in the clamps, tweaked the lateral adjustment, and lowered the saddle. Almost there.. the next 2 miles I adjusted 2-3 more times.. pushed the saddle back on the rails a full cm, tilted it up a smidge, and tapped it ever so slightly to the left - and that did it. Viola! It was like... Ohhhhhhh...this is do-able! I went the rest of the way out without touching a thing. There was some pressure at the tops and back of my thighs like the arms were pressing a little too much into the crease, but I've also read that there is some initial soreness associated with this saddle, and it wasn't unbearable so I decided to leave it be.

Ladies, it was sooooooooooooooo nice to ride my bike without feeling like I have to pee the entire ride or like I have a UTI. Riding without hands was easy as pie - balance was not affected whatsoever. And for the first time on a man-made saddle, I didn't have low back pain.

For the ride back, I switched to padded shorts for comparison, and also to see if it helped relieve the soreness I was experiencing. Big mistake! Not only did it not help with the soreness, but the padding being stretched tight across my hoo-hoo was creating that awful "Gotta PEE!" feeling and a slight burning sensation. Approx 8 miles into the trip back I stopped to tap the saddle slightly to the left as I was feeling more of the soreness on my right side, but a mile or so later I put it back approx. where it was and finished the ride home that way.

Post ride, I feel sore - not just sitbone sore but sore at the top crease of my thighs, like the nose arms were a bit too wide. So I called ISM to ask them about which of the other models might be better suited for my body type and riding style. To their credit, I received a call back in less than 2 minutes after leaving a message, and one of their representatives (David) discussed my build, bike setup and riding goals and had some suggestions.

First was the "Century" model - it has a wider back side and narrower arms, but lots of plush gel and padding. When I told him I usually avoid padding like the plague he then recommended the "Podium" model which has longer, narrower arms and even less padding than the "Road" model I've got now. He recommeded a store in my area that carries them in stock and even has a free test-ride program. So this weekend I will be picking up the Adamo "Podium" model saddle and giving it a whirl.

At this point, I can say it does address the problem I bought it for - no soft tissue chafing or hoo-hoo discomfort what so ever. I am sore, and would hesitate to take it on a long ride without a backup saddle to switch out when the soreness becomes too much. But I'm also satisfied enough with it to continue working with this line of saddles and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to others who are experiencing discomfort and not found a workable solution.