I need help with my saddle. I'm at the end of my rope.

[nanaterry]

I am new to posting here. I have been lurking for about 1 year, and just decided that I wanted to join in the fun and get great advice from the wonderful posters on here. I am having a big problem with my saddle. So I need some suggestions on where to start looking for a saddle that doesn't leave sores.

I bought my first bike in Feb. of 2012 which is a Specialized Vita Elite. It came with the Riva saddle stock on it. It is a 155 mm wide saddle. The first year I had my bike I rode the entire Katy Trail in MO. 237 miles in 6 days in May 2012. Had a blast. Then rode the C&O and GAP which goes from Penn. to D.C. 331 miles in Oct. 2012. During that time I always had a sore bottom, my legs and body would feel tired, but my bottom was always sore. It felt like my sit bones were never on the saddle correctly and I felt like the saddle was to narrow, but it always rubbed the left side where my leg joins my bottom, about the area of my panty line.

In Jan of 2013 I rode day trips in Florida same problem with my seat. Then in April of 2013 I rode the Natchez Trace. 441 miles in 7 days. I had a really bad time with saddle sores. I almost couldn't finish because I hurt so bad. I was wearing Garneau Shorts. I started researching saddles and decided to buy a Brooks saddle as they look really cool and the type of riding a do is more like touring.

I measured for my sit bones and the center to center is 4 1/2 inches (114mm) and the outside is 5 1/2 inches (140mm). My husband already had a brooks B17 so I sit on his and it felt to narrow, like I was sitting on the metal around the edges. So I ordered a Brooks B68 Imperial with the cut out. Before I could break it in on my Vita I decided I needed a better bike for my touring so I got a Surly Long Haul Trucker. Put the new seat on it. Went to a fitter and had my bike handlebars changed and got a fitting. I really didn't ride it to much before winter hit, but I have been riding in the trainer a little bit and this saddle hits that spot worse than the last saddle did. I just did a 1 hour training and I have a sore starting in the same place. On the left panty line side. I have also tried getting better shorts. I recently bought Specialized RBX shorts and it is not helping. I am 50 yrs old 5'2" and weigh 107 lbs. It seems hard to find bike shorts to fit me and have the padding in the correct spot.

At this point I am ready for any suggestions. I just want to ride my bike without saddle sores. I think I do need a cut out of some sort as I have gotten older the bits have shifted down. Thanks for any help you can give me.

[Sky King]

okay, here is my 2 cents worth :) - okay maybe 3 cents.

#1 - considered lowering your saddle height a smidge, I know you had a bike fit but that isn't always cast in stone.

#2 - not congruent with #1. loosen your seat post and turn the nose of your saddle slightly off center to the left. You may have a slightly tilted pelvis or a body geometry that isn't asymmetric so you hit the saddle differently on the left side than the right, if that feels wrong than turn slightly off center to the right.

#3 - play with sliding the saddle back a smidge - a B68 is a wider saddle and maybe being back a smidge will change your seat bone position and the angle of your leg.

I rode the B17 imperial for a bit last fall and winter and realized the long sides/fenders/skirt - what ever you want to call it was not something I liked. I felt like it impedes my leg movement and I found I felt more numb in the upper legs and rear on a long ride. Put the Rivet Independence on about 2 months ago and the problem went away.

[ny biker]

I must be doing something wrong because I am looking at the Brooks website and can't find anything B68. Does anyone know how wide it is?

If your sit bones are 140mm wide, then the 155mm Riva was too wide for you. The B17 is 175mm wide; I know that for Brooks saddles you need to go a bit wider than with other saddles, but I would think that 175 would be wide enough. If you tried your husband's saddle on his bike, it's possible that it was too far back for you and you were not seated on it correctly. Or maybe I'm wrong -- there is a long thread on this forum about Brooks saddles, which discusses how to choose the right width among (many) other things.

Regarding Sky King's first recommendation, it is true that saddle position is as much art as science, and a small change to the position that your fitter recommended might actually be better for you.

I know what you mean about shorts -- I've been trying different brands recently and have had a hard time finding something that I really like. I had a problem with my LG Neo Power shorts similar to the chafing problem you're having, but it turned out that there was something wrong with the chamois which was allowing the fabric to bunch up and chafe. The WONDERFUL WONDERFUL people at TE have recently replaced those shorts for me under warranty. Of the other shorts I've tried, one pair had a perfectly-shaped chamois but it was too thick for me. The Gore shorts I tried have a very large padded area which I don't really like, though I know others who do find it comfortable. It's a very personal thing. My favorites have been the LG Neo Power Shorts (my first pair, not the ones that were just replaced) and my old Shebeest Century Elite shorts. I don't like the fabric of the new Shebeest Century shorts, but I think many people do like them and they are still using the same Century chamois, which I find extremely comfortable. Shebeest's Shelastic chamois is also very comfortable.

BTW I'm impressed that you've managed to ride such long distances with saddle discomfort.

[nanaterry]

Thanks for all the input. I have a correction, the saddle is the B68S imperial, which is the women's version and the rails are shorter so the saddle is back as far as it will go. I tried my husbands saddle with it still on his bike. I just looked at it and it is marked B17. However, I got a ruler and measured the metal plate on the underside of his saddle and it has 5 inches between the metal. So I know I was hitting it.

ny biker, trust me it was pure grit and stubbornness that got me this far, along with a lot of tears and frustration. I went to the bike store a couple of times when I first got my bike and they just kept saying my sit bones needed to just toughen up, so I just thought I was being a baby. I just keep thinking when I get the right saddle for me I will be so happy. Maybe I could do a century ride! Wouldn't that be nice! My longest ride is 75 miles and that night I cried because my bottom hurt so bad.

Thanks again for all the advice. I will try anything to have comfort while riding.

[hulagirl]

Nanaterry - I feel/felt your pain. I think finding the right saddle is a very difficult thing and worst part is that it changes as your fitness level changes!

I had the same rubbing issues that you do…right along the panty line area. I went through quite a journey finding a saddle that didn't bug me - you can read the Saddle Battle entries in my blog linked in my signature if you want. Needless to say, after years of searching I am on the Cobb Plus on both my tri bike and my Pro Cross (more upright). I also find that the right bike shorts make a huge difference. I cannot use shorts with a lot of padding and the seems need to be lower down the leg for the chamois attachment. The De Soto 400 mile shorts were my savior in that regard!

Good luck. I have a link to an excellent write up on the "in's and out's" of women's saddles written by Cobb on my blog. It really helped me out and the fact that I measure 160mm c-c o my sit ones, yet I'm very comfortable on a saddle that is 135mm only goes to show you that there is NO one way to fit a saddle. Trial and error seems to work in many cases. Hopefully you have a LBS that lets you try out saddles?

Denise

[tulip]

I hope you get the proper saddle. The Terry Butterfly has always been my go-to saddle. The Brooks B-17 was no fun at all and I sold it and went back to the Butterfly.

Just a though since you mentioned "panty line," I hope you are not wearing underpants under your cycling shorts. Doing so just adds fabric and seams in all the wrong places.

[Wahine]

Sky King and Murienn have covered most of what I would say, but I just want to emphasize that (as Murienn said) you likely need a saddle with a narrower transition area, that is, less pear shaped and more T-shaped. And I agree, if you measure at 140, you really shouldn't be on a super wide saddle, unless you are very upright in your posture.

[nanaterry]

Tulip, I don't wear underpants while cycling just the cycling shorts. I just used that term to let you know about where the saddle sore area is at. Wahine, I do ride in an upright posture. I would say my handlebar is about 1 inch above my saddle. I believe both saddles I have tried are too wide also, so I will be looking this weekend for a smaller saddle. It seems like the LBS here doesn't allow trying out saddles. Does anyone know of a good LBS in the Kansas City area? We had an REI open in the Kansas area this fall, (about 80 miles from my home) so I thought maybe they would have something that I could try and return.

Thanks again.

[ny biker]

I went to the bike store a couple of times when I first got my bike and they just kept saying my sit bones needed to just toughen up, so I just thought I was being a baby.

They are wrong!!

It is common to be a bit sore around the sit bones when you first start cycling, or after you've taken a break from cycling for a while. But for the distances you ride, that soreness is the not the issue.

In addition to the chafing, do you have other problems with pain? For example, soreness (feeling like you're bruised) in front of your sit bones or between your legs (I think that's the pubic bone? Wahine is that right?) can indicate the saddle is too narrow (unlikely in your case) or that it's too far back, so that too much of your weight is on the nose of the saddle. Feeling numb/too much pressure can indicate that the saddle is too padded, the chamois is too thick or the saddle is too high.

[TigerMom]

I love my Selle ITalia Max SLR Gel flow saddle which is 143mm wide and has one of the biggest cut-out on the market. I use this saddle on both my road and mountain bike. Be careful, Selle Italia has a lot of names that sound similar to the saddle that I like but are NOT that saddle.

If you can get demo saddles before you buy at your local bike shop, I would recommend that first.

[Wahine]

I love my Selle ITalia Max SLR Gel flow saddle which is 143mm wide and has one of the biggest cut-out on the market. I use this saddle on both my road and mountain bike. Be careful, Selle Italia has a lot of names that sound similar to the saddle that I like but are NOT that saddle.

If you can get demo saddles before you buy at your local bike shop, I would recommend that first.

The Selle Italia line is quite nice, and yes, you have to be very careful about model names. They also change frequently with the company often dropping a model entirely and replacing it with something similar under a completely different name.


In addition to the chafing, do you have other problems with pain? For example, soreness (feeling like you're bruised) in front of your sit bones or between your legs (I think that's the pubic bone? Wahine is that right?)

Yes.


Does anyone know of a good LBS in the Kansas City area? We had an REI open in the Kansas area this fall, (about 80 miles from my home) so I thought maybe they would have something that I could try and return.

How close are you to Emporia? Astonishing as it may seem, they seem to have a very nice shop there with people who are familiar with distance riding because of this event (http://www.dirtykanza200.com/).

[nanaterry]

NY Biker, I don't have any other pain with the B68S, just the chafing. With the Riva I did have a pressure pain along with the chafing. Maybe the Riva was too padded along with being to wide?

Wahine, Emporia is about 150 miles away. Just a little to far to be trying to exchange seats.

[Boudicca]

Could you order online from REI, and then return by mail if it's not comfortable? The cost of the postage is probably less than what it would cost you in gas. Also look at Performance for the same idea. You probably have a pretty good idea of what you want.

For my first Terry Butterfly (my go-to saddle) I bought it just ahead of a week-long bike tour and got the tour company to fit the saddle to the rental bike. I figured that if it didn't work, I would take the saddle back at the end of the week.

It worked.

[Sky King]

Most of us "online" bike stores offer six month return on saddles. We find most riders know within two weeks if a saddle is going to fit well enough to hold onto.