Do you use a different saddle for a century?

I'm riding my first century in a couple of weeks. Lately, I've been logging about 130 miles per week with my longest ride so far at 67 miles. I'm not worried about completing the century...but I'd like to complete it without agonizing pain or having to stand on the pedals for the last 30 miles! I've been riding on a Specialized Jett 143mm for about 6 months and while I'm happy with the fit, my sit bones area really hurts after about 50 miles. It's not a saddle sore issue (although I've had one of those)...it's just a "bruised" pain under my sit bones as if I've been sitting on concrete. I know that firmer is better, but if a saddle has a cutout, can you go with something "cushier" for a long distance ride? I was thinking of purchasing a Lithia for 60+ mile rides as it's a little more padded. Or should I just suck it up and take some Tylenol? Or could it be a shorts issue? My favorite pair is Shebeest S-Pro, although I also like PI's Sugar short as well.

The squishier the saddle, the more likely it is to chafe and pull and otherwise be miserable on your soft parts, and the longer the ride, the more that's going to happen.

I went from a Lithia to a Jett, and while it's not perfect for me, I'm MUCH happier with the firmer saddle.

I don't really have any advice ... I would think your sit bones would be plenty tough with the mileage you're logging; mine stop bruising with much less. But I wonder how often you're riding the longer distances and if it isn't just a matter of more longer rides?

Thanks for your input--it was especially helpful since you've tried both the Lithia and the Jett. I'm doing progressively longer rides on the weekend...a 48 two weeks ago, 67 last week...with a few 20-30 milers thrown in during the week. Today I only rode 31 miles but my butt was so sore afterward that I ended my ride short. I'm determined to do this century (and another hillier one in Nov.) ...perhaps I need a more heavily padded short?

What short are you using now?
I'm a big fan of Sugoi's RS model FWIW.


It could very well be that the Jett isn't the right saddle for you. I don't recommend, however, that you start a new saddle search right before a century. Ideally, it's an issue you work out well in advance.

What are the center-to-center and outside-to-outside measurements of your sit bones?

Do you feel you have to scoot to get out of the way of the transition of the saddle from nose to sit area? (Feeling that there is too much saddle in front of your sit bones.)

My first suspicion is always that the saddle is the wrong width or the wrong shape.

Wrong shape (too pear shaped, too much transition, too wide in front of the sit bones) seems to more often cause skin chafing. Wrong width seems more often to cause a deeper pain or ache or bruise sensation. Sometimes only one sit bone gets sore, because the body shifts the other one fully onto the saddle and lets the sore one suffer without support.

Wrong padding causes a whole host of issues, too, but it sounds like you've already experimented with a couple different degrees of padding. The "sitting on concrete" sensation could be from you planting your bones on the outside frame edge of the saddle rather than on the padded "cheeks" of the saddle.

It could be a pretty subtle problem with the saddle, that only becomes obvious with longer rides.

When I got measured at the Specialized shop I was between a 130 and a 143 (I think I was 141)...first I tried the 130, but felt like half my butt was hanging over the sides. The 143 was much better.

I do tend to scoot up onto the nose of the saddle, I've noticed. I do that to avoid the chafing I get (on the inside of my crotch where my leg "ends") which happens if I sit too far back in the saddle. T-shaped saddles work better for me based on experience (as I've tried the Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow and other more pear-shaped saddles to no avail).

The Brooks B17 fits me well, too, but since I've only logged about 50 miles on it (it's on my grocery-getter bike), I don't want to "break it in" on a century, you know?

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Originally Posted by buffybike

I do tend to scoot up onto the nose of the saddle, I've noticed. I do that to avoid the chafing I get (on the inside of my crotch where my leg "ends") which happens if I sit too far back in the saddle. T-shaped saddles work better for me based on experience (as I've tried the Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow and other more pear-shaped saddles to no avail).

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If you scoot forward to avoid the chafing, then you are making your sit bones deal with a narrower portion of the saddle. They are no longer on the 143 section, they are on perhaps a 120mm section, half on and half off and stuck on the frame edge. Essentially, the pear shape is forcing you to ride a narrower saddle.

You may want to look into your Brooks a bit more. Work out the placement on your century bike, and take it on one of your longer rides. It may be perfect, if you've already been riding on it and are familiar with how it feels.

Granted it's a bit late to be trying a "new" saddle, but your Brooks is not new.

Buffybike- we are like twins right now! My longest ride is about 66, and I'm training for a 109 mile ride Nov 20...And I have a Specialized Jett 143. My butt used to get tired at about 30-40 miles. It still does a little, but I find it that it's helpful to get off the bike for a few minutes here and there, and then it's okay again. I rode 60 miles today, with 2 or 3 ten minute restroom/water breaks, and when I got to the end of the ride, I wasn't noticing any problems.

We should keep comparing notes- I'm scheduled for 70+ miles next week, and maybe a century ride before El Tour de Tucson.

Man, we must have the same butt (except mine's wider). :D

Spec' saddles are as T-shaped as I've been able to find, and they're really too pear-shaped for me, too.

I have my eye on a SI Turbomatic. But I've never seen one IRL - it just looks more T-shaped than the Jett in pictures - and I can't justify the expense until I wear out my Jett. Which, as little as I've been riding lately, is going to be a while. :rolleyes:

I've done quite a few centuries (4 this summer alone), and I'm riding on a Ruby 155...which is a tad bit firmer than the Jett. Today I did an 88 mile ride, which is the longest I've done in about a month...I was experiencing that "bruised" feeling at about 70 miles today. Sometimes I can go the full 100 miles without any problems, and sometimes I can't. So (for me), I think it comes down to the shorts I'm wearing. Today, I was wearing a fairly old pair of Pearl Izumi, so it could have been that the padding was just worn down or bunching up on me. I might shoot for 100 miles tomorrow, so I will wear a different pair of shorts and see if I get that soreness again.

Linda

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Originally Posted by buffybike

The Brooks B17 fits me well, too, but since I've only logged about 50 miles on it (it's on my grocery-getter bike), I don't want to "break it in" on a century, you know?

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I rode a BRAND NEW brooks on an almost 60 mile ride recently and it was just fine.. but my rear end is already used to riding on a brooks (I have them on all of "my" bikes as well as my old hybrid, which is technically my husband's now). I had no saddle issues at all during that ride.

Personally I second the advice to put the brooks on your century bike and try to get more time in the saddle on it.. it really doesn't need to be fully "broken in" before a century as long as your rear is comfortable on it... it will only take one or two long rides to know if that will be the case.