Can you tell my fortune?
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Can you tell my fortune?
"You need a new saddle." ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by OakLeaf
[BEGIN RANT]
Wow.. I'm utterly shocked by the level of intensity of the responses received from this post. Generally speaking I have very few female friends because of situations just like this thread. I simply don't get it.
It's a F*(^&^**G Urinary tract numbing pill!! Get a grip! We're not talking laxative abuse here. I'm not suggesting anything more extreme than taking a few ibuprofin before a long ride to help with aches and pains. (Which I'm sure more than a few on this forum do without a second thought.)
My diet is excellent. I am a healthy, fit, 35 yr old woman, 145lbs 5'5" tall - size 8 pants. For 7 of the last 8 years I never even went to the DR. - I had no health insurance. Common sense use of self treatment kept me well and functioning properly. Amazing how little actually goes wrong with a person if you can't run to the Dr for every little sniffle or ache.
Yes, I have tried so many saddles that my riding group joke about it. I've learned that FLAT saddles with a large cutout usually feel great up front, but KILL my sitbones or give me lower back pain within 20 miles or so. Saddles with a cutout and a curve to them (specialized sonoma) and a full/wide back feel the best on my sitbones and lower back but usually the nose is too wide and the sides of the cutout bruise my labia.
So far the brooks B17 Imperial (mens) has been the most comfortable - great on the backside, passable on the front after loosening the tension so it has more give. But after an hour or two, no matter what the tissue gets sweaty, things slip around and then the pinching chafing begins and shortly after the burning.
If I take the AZO, nothing gets inflamed despite the sliding and pinching and in a few hours it runs it's course and is out of my system. No residual pain or inflammation, no harm done. PERIOD.
Don't make a mountain out of a molehill ladies. Seriously. [/END RANT]
As I watched this "bits" drama unfold, I kept wanting to post "Different strokes for different folks".... but I was afraid I'd get into trouble. I'm not familiar with the medication mentioned, so I had nothing to add there. (but oh, boy, did compression shorts under my chamois shorts make a huge difference... I'm happy to add lots about that trick!)
Plate total and outside width:Quote:
Originally Posted by Muirenn
Yup, if the saddle you are considering has a 1 cm plate, you need to figure on NOT sitting on the plate. So subtract the plate (left and right, so 2 cm on Brooks) from the width of the saddle. (Brooks plates are 1 cm, I don't know Velo Orange or Selle An Atomica plates so I always use Brooks plates as an example) This is where your outside width matters. You don't want any part of the bones wolloping the plate.
Center-to-Center width matters more for padded saddles with curved top surfaces (Brooks are generally quite flat on the top). You would ideally have your centers land on the cheek centers of the saddle. So on the top of the domes of the saddle cheeks rather than on the slopes. If your centers land on the outer slopes of the domes you can just imagine how the wedging effect of the saddle top contour could jam up into your soft tissue.
Cut-Out:
Brooks are not known for their comfy noses. They are very narrow and very hard. I've had to work the leather of the nose on every one of my Brooks saddles by hand. They can be quite uncomfortable on the bits. A good half hour or more with lots of Proofhide. If you have any inclination that you need a cut-out, buy the Imperial version of whatever saddle you choose. I haven't heard anyone complain that the Brooks Imperial pinches shut like the Selle An Atomica, but since I have neither saddle don't take my word for it. Order your saddle from www.wallbike.com and you'll have 6 months to decide if you like the cut-out or not.
You know the B17-S would be too narrow, IF your 160mm is very accurate. If you think you may be a bit on the smaller side in riding postion (remember the rami and tuberosities angle in as they go forward) you could probably get away with the B17-S, but you'd have that shorter nose...
People with small bones ride the B68, etc. If the excess width is posterior to the ischial tuberosities, it shouldn't cause any difficulty. Nothing moves there. Just like you can perch on the edge of a 6 foot wide bench and still "air pedal." (thats extra wide, eh? but it doesn't interfere with hip motion)
If you are interested in a Brooks, try the one that appeals to you most. If that doesn't work within 6 months, send it back to Wallingford Bicycle Parts for a full refund.
I have a Brooks Imperial with right about 1000 miles on it. My experience was that as the saddle started to break in, the slot started to pinch. At that time I tightened up the laces. No more pinching. That was about 800 miles ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by KnottedYet
Muirenn, I also think that a honey colored Brooks with matching tape would be lovely. Unfortunately, the Imperials only come in black. Oh well, it's not as flashy so I suppose that it's less likely to be stolen ;)
I am thankful to the OP for posting her ideas. I am having a terrible time with the bits. I actually get swollen and stay swollen for several days after a longish ride. I have also had a couple of yeast infections and I have never in my life had any problems like that until I started riding. Any discussion and ideas are worth throwing out there. Not everybody has to take every suggestion.
Listen to Knotted. Never too wide.Quote:
Originally Posted by Muirenn
That said, you questioned the cutout. When I finnaly broke down and bought the B68, I was hoping the lack of cutout wouldn't be a problem (I had been riding an SMP that was a skosh too narrow but had that awesome cutout). Nope.
At the time, there was no Imperial. I sent my brand new B68 to Selle Anatomica and had the leather reinforced and a slot cut into it. Bummer. It pinched.
Then I got out the drill and put holes in the sides and laced it up tight. Better. A little sand paper to fine tune the slot and I've got almost the perfect saddle.
When I first put the saddle on the bike, I got a lot of snickers about putting a cruiser saddle on my go-fast road bike. Now that it is broken in and the sit area is dented, the snickerers are silenced. Some of us do need that width (and given how many live on this board, I sometimes question those oft-quoted percentile numbers....but maybe I just don't like to be unusual). But I digress.
As to the OP....yeah, sometimes TE-ers can get a little over the top. But, with a few rare exceptions, they mean well.
Buy one or the other.Quote:
Originally Posted by Muirenn
Try it for six months.
If the first one you buy doesn't feel right, send it back in exchange for the other one.
Bill at www.wallbike.com is a very understanding guy. His Brooks business is roaring along because he gets it that leather saddles need to break in, and he gets it that it can take months to decide on a saddle. He often sells out of particular saddles because customers trust that they can get saddles from him with no risk for 6 months. (he sells returned saddles on eBay, I think.) Many members of the TE Brooks Cult have dealt with Bill. I've talked to him several times and emailed him. There really is no problem returning saddles to him. It's part of his successful business model!
I'm just bummed he moved his business from Seattle to New Orleans...
That was the part I didn't expect: the cachet of the dented and worn leather saddle.Quote:
Originally Posted by Thorn
Even my beloved B67 with springs gets respect from folks who know bikes. Leather doesn't lie. If your leather saddle is broken-in and showing wear, then clearly that puppy is being ridden.
(my oldest Brooks B67 is only 5 years old. By the time it's 30 years old like Biciclista's B66, why that saddle will look REALLY cool!)
OP is not a registered user of TE. A guest.
Seems to me like weird internet behavior to stop by and disclose that much.
If you delete an active account, it shows up as "guest" and "n/a"Quote:
Originally Posted by malkin
Hmmm... Someone posts about their very painful problems while riding, and recommends some numbing/painkiller medications to solve it, among other tips. All fine and good.
Others suggest solutions that they think may help correct the underlying problems, rather than masking symptoms with medications or painkillers. I see it that they are trying to be helpful, not attacking anyone personally. Oh well.
I think maybe she deactivated her account. :( It wasn't showing up that way before.Quote:
Originally Posted by malkin
I feel bad about coming on kind of strong. But I also thought that her post was way too strong about advising others to take some radical measures as their first thing to try. The OP was phrased as advice to others.
I'm not as crunchy as I sometimes come off, really. ;) You should see my travel kit. What I am, is careful about not using anything I don't need, and I try to encourage others to do the same.
I have read through all the comments but I struggle with this too, but not from the UTI point. I am on my 4th, or is it 5th, saddle for this season and hope this one will be satisfactory. I was uncomfortable to the point of bleeding last week so have allowed healing time and finally rode yesterday without that happening again. Chamois Butter, shorts, good saddle, seems all to have a bearing but am thinking it is low estrogen and thin tissues. Anyone else dealing with this and finding a workable solution?