update on saddle issue

[suzbyrd]

recently I posted about problems I was having with saddle sores.
I went this past weekend and got fitted by someone at a cycle shop that knew what they were doing. Turns out my seat was way too low and I was not even beginning to get all the power I should out of my legs (this was a secondary issue). Well, after almost 2 hours of fitting and measuring and trying out different things, I felt a lot better leaving that shop. Maybe I wasn't crazy after all! I tried another saddle--a Terry butterfly--and hated it. I decided to stay with the saddle I had on to begin with--a Contour women's cutout.
Went on a ride with my husband today and felt GREAT for about 15 miles, but ended up pretty raw at the finish (34 miles today!). Hurt the worst in the middle, but also was raw in the groin area on the right side (the problem to begin with). Ok, so the guys in the bike shop suggested I should buy expensive riding shorts b/c I shouldn't skimp on cheaper ones as the padding wasn't adequate. The shorts I had on today are over a year old and could be wearing thin in the padding area. What do you all think? New shorts? New saddle? Just give it up b/c I'm going to be sore no matter what?

[7rider]

Shorts could help. So could a new saddle.
I'd recommend first taking some time off the bike to let the body parts heal. If they're raw, no piece of equipment, no matter how good, is going to feel good. And when you do get back on the bike, start out slowly....15 miles and see how it goes. Like in the beginning of the season, you have to "build up the callouses" - so to speak - before you're comfortable doing a 30+ mile ride.
Good luck.

[Veronica]

Things I would think about...

Is the pad covering the area of chafing? Is there a seam where the chafing is occurring? Is there too much pad and that is causing irritation in the middle? If it's only on one side, is the saddle straight? Is one leg longer than other?

I spend a lot of time on my bike and I'm very particular about my shorts and saddle. To me that is just money well spent. I could tell you to get the same shorts and saddle, but because we're all different... you may end up hating them.

V.

[mimitabby]

Boy, I just don't get it. I just rode 30 miles on Friday, on hills and flats
I wore not my best pair of shorts; maybe my 3rd best, it was hot enough that i got quite wet from sweating and I had no abrasions and very very minor sit bone soreness.

I ride on a barely broken in Brooks b67 and I cannot understand why the saddles so many women have on their bikes are abrading and hurting them.

You sit on a chair all day (well, most of us do) the pain in your butt after a 4 hour bike ride really shouldn't be more than an order of magnitude worse than that, and only because you can't move around as much on the bike.

If you are still having these issues, I'd say the saddles they are offering you are not for you (I hated the terry butterfly too) and you should try something else.

After 2 hours in the LBS, they should have done a bit better with you; good luck!

[CyclChyk]

Isn't the saddle you have about 5.1 inches wide?? If it is, I for one can say that I would NEVER be able to use that seat without intense pain as saddles I have the best success with are at least 6'' wide............ anything smaller and I am rubbed raw and rashed out and all kinds of other painful issues my hubby refuses to discuss with me........

[mimitabby]

after being irritated and annoyed with me for insisting on having a "heavy leather saddle" on my bikes my husband has now put one on all of his bikes
too.

It took 5 years for him to come around...

[Kathi]

There's lots of things that can cause a saddle to hurt. My saddle has bothered me off and on all summer. I couldn't figure out why but when you look at my saddles they are compressed on the right side but not the other. My right hip and leg is weaker than the left and according to my bike fit guy its causing me to slide across the saddle. Lately, I haven't been noticing the saddle so much but I'm gaining more strength in my leg.

Also, when you make changes on a bike your body is going to feel it because it has adapted to the old position. It's not going to change overnight. After more than a thousand miles with my narrower handlebars my arms are still fighting the handlebars on longer rides. At first I thought it strange, my body should feel better with the correct size but I've ridden for years with handlebars that are too large, and now I'm expecting my shoulders to adjust to changes overnight overnight.

When I got my new bike my fitter recommended I keep my rides short, 15-20 miles for the 1st week or 2 to let my body adapt to the differences.

[Kano]

The saddle could be the culprit, but the guys at the shop could also be right: better shorts could make a big difference! Regina's got a good point too: let things heal, and then see what happens...

I have been riding on REI brand shorts for about a year now. I paid $20 for them on sale. They were okay, so when REI had a similar pair, Canari brand, on sale for the same price this spring, I bought those too.

And they were okay. A little more snug, which was a good thing.

And then I rode over 30 miles one day. And was never comfortable in either one of those pair of shorts again.

REI has shorts on sale again, and I picked up some nicer ones last week one day. Saturday, I rode in the old ones, yesterday I tried the new ones for the first time. I'm seriously considering trashing the old ones and never wearing them again! The new shorts (list $70, sale $50) made a huge difference in how I felt riding!

Karen in Boise

[KnottedYet]

There is no way I could ride more than a couple miles on that Forte Contour saddle. Not only is it too narrow, but the change from wide part to nose is far too gradual. It would chafe the beejeebers out of me and make me bear all my weight on my soft tissue. Not good.

What did the bike shop guys get as the measurement for your sit bones?

I second what the others have said; let your body heal. While you're healing start researching seats to support your sit bone width and with a shape to accomodate your hip joint angle. Look into the different brands and styles of shorts, too.

Nothing will feel better until you are completely healed. Then do some shorter rides to start with.

[emily_in_nc]

This just shows how different we all are. I switched from a wider Terry Butterfly to a narrower Performance Womens' Contour because of chafing/rawness in back and saddle sores, and the Contour has worked great for me. I loved the comfy-ness of the Butterfly, but it did rub me on long rides. I guess my sitbones are pretty narrow. On the Contour, I have NO center/cutout/girly bit pain, but I always wear decent shorts (Performance Ultra are my current faves).

I agree with the others that you should get better shorts, but you don't have to spend $100+ to get them - the Ultras are a lot less than that and are very good, so you might want to give them a try.

The saddle might not be right for you either, but you really can't give it a fair try without decent shorts.

Good luck!!!

Emily