Is it the saddle or me?

You learn a lot about fit while sitting on a trainer especially for a longer period of time. Hoping that the weather will let up for some outside riding, but no chance. Turns out my hips were rocking side to side hence the back pain..duh. I ride rural so bouncing over rocks hid that problem. Lowered the saddle and had a better ride. No back pain but my rear end hurts as the saddle is pressing into me especially the nose. Even moving back doesn't help as it's worse since you are lowered. Would lowering the saddle a cm or two cause that much pain? Or make you feel like you are sitting too far forward?

It's a base saddle one that came on my bike last year and really haven't had problems until starting to ride more often over the past week. I've had several bike fits over the years so I have a general idea of where I'm supposed to be.

Or is it the padding on my shorts causing the problem and not the saddle itself? They aren't my favorite pair but everything else was in the wash. I lasted 45 minutes before I couldn't take it anymore with the constant shifting and chaffing.

I'd love a new saddle, but haven't figure out what works. The one I tried with a cut out made me feel like I was sinking into a black hole. The Brooks one I kept sliding forward because the leather was too slippery regardless of what you did with it. It seems like most women favor the Terry or the Selle Italia saddles. If I'm doing a century and even more than 20 miles, I need something that will work. And shorts or bibs that fit comfortably when I get the chance.

Sitting on a trainer isn't the same as riding outside, your body and the bike interacts differently. Both are far more dynamic on the road/trails, others will have more saddle specific comments, I am sure :)

Cut outs aren't the same, they are all different. Some cutouts are longer, some are wider, some rails have more "give". Have you tried Knotted's cut-out test? It is here on TE, sadly I don't have time to go look for it. I learned the hard way that while I really did/do need a cut-out, there is still some searching to be done to find the one that your body likes.

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Originally Posted by Bethany1

You learn a lot about fit while sitting on a trainer especially for a longer period of time. Hoping that the weather will let up for some outside riding, but no chance. Turns out my hips were rocking side to side hence the back pain..duh. I ride rural so bouncing over rocks hid that problem. Lowered the saddle and had a better ride. No back pain but my rear end hurts as the saddle is pressing into me especially the nose. Even moving back doesn't help as it's worse since you are lowered. Would lowering the saddle a cm or two cause that much pain? Or make you feel like you are sitting too far forward?

It's a base saddle one that came on my bike last year and really haven't had problems until starting to ride more often over the past week. I've had several bike fits over the years so I have a general idea of where I'm supposed to be.

Or is it the padding on my shorts causing the problem and not the saddle itself? They aren't my favorite pair but everything else was in the wash. I lasted 45 minutes before I couldn't take it anymore with the constant shifting and chaffing.

I'd love a new saddle, but haven't figure out what works. The one I tried with a cut out made me feel like I was sinking into a black hole. The Brooks one I kept sliding forward because the leather was too slippery regardless of what you did with it. It seems like most women favor the Terry or the Selle Italia saddles. If I'm doing a century and even more than 20 miles, I need something that will work. And shorts or bibs that fit comfortably when I get the chance.

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Have you had a fitting with your current bike? If so, and they set your saddle height high enough to cause your hips to rock, then it may not have been a very good fitting. If not, you would probably benefit from a fitting on your current bike.

If you feel too much pressure from the nose of the saddle, it could mean that the nose is tilted upward, or that the saddle is too narrow to support your sit bones. Use a level to check for the first issue and measure your sit bones to check for the second one.

Also if your seat post is at an angle, then moving the saddle down may also have moved it forward.

And yes, riding on an indoor trainer is generally less comfortable than riding outside. You shift around much less (or not at all) when you're on the trainer. (Which reminds me, I was supposed to do some indoor spinning tonight, but got carried away planning a ride that I hope to do in the spring...)

p.s. as for specific saddles, many folks here also like various Specialized saddles. I personally like the Bontrager Affinity RXL. Bontrager offers a 30-day comfort guarantee, and I think Specialized might also allow you to return a saddle if you don't like it.

I know which test you are referring to so I'll have to take another look.

discomfort from the front of the saddle may be an angle problem. you might want to tilt the nose up just a bit and see how that feels. tilted down can cause your hips to move forward.

This is probably TMI but I'm so bruised and swollen down there. Is this a saddle problem or a fit issue?

I'll check into another professional fitting. The LBS that gave the best went under a couple of years go but I'll call a couple of stores. I had the bruising problem once over the summer. I went for a couple of days..an hour or so each day for 3-4 days and ended up with the same problem. I was off the bike for 3 weeks until I healed up. Maybe a center opening would prove useful. I thought I was doing good until today.

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Originally Posted by Bethany1

This is probably TMI but I'm so bruised and swollen down there. Is this a saddle problem or a fit issue?

I'll check into another professional fitting. The LBS that gave the best went under a couple of years go but I'll call a couple of stores. I had the bruising problem once over the summer. I went for a couple of days..an hour or so each day for 3-4 days and ended up with the same problem. I was off the bike for 3 weeks until I healed up. Maybe a center opening would prove useful. I thought I was doing good until today.

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If you haven't yet measured your sit bones, start with that. It's free (unless you need to buy a tape measure) and you can do it at home.

As for the cutout, if the problem is chafing, then a cutout might help. If it's bruising from too much pressure, then a cutout will not help and may make it worse.

Look here for more on measuring sit bones and testing to see if you could use a cutout.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=39475

Thanks for the links to all the saddle threads. Have read them again. I believe I have a men's 4ZA Stratus on my bike. It's their lowest end saddle. My next question is, how do you tell what shape a saddle is? I think my B17 is considered pear and my saddle is T shaped? I put an order in on Amazon.com for a Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow saddle. If it's more of a T-shape problem, cancel the order or give it a try? I haven't measured my sit bones..can't find my measuring tape at 1 am..lol but I think the last time I did a test I was around 150 something.

If you have the men's saddle, it's either 130 or 145 mm. Either would be too narrow if your sit bones are ~150 mm. Looking at the dimensions diagrams, this saddle looks pretty pear-shaped to me.

http://www.4za.com/saddles/stratos

I think the Brooks is considered more t-shaped.

The SI Diva looks to be 160 mm, which would probably be better for you, but may be too wide (which would cause chafing). But the only way to know would be to try it.

yes, a sit bones measurement is in order. Sounds like most of your weight is on your soft tissue instead of your bones. I think many of us "sit" differently when on a trainer which can also add
to the problem. I tend to find myself more upright and as I am stationary I somehow seem to change the curve of my back which can shift the weight to the soft tissue spot instead of the sit bones.

Wishing you luck! Hate the saddle hunt. I had a B17 imperial on my new bike and realized the "fenders" of the Brooks aren't for me so am ordering a new Rivet Pearl in black (matchy, matchy)
Love my Rivet!

Woot! Called up a LBS and asked if they had time to do a saddle fitting and they said yes. Drove up to Lincoln and he measured me out. I fit a 155 Specialized saddle and came home with a Lithia saddle. He set it all up for me and had me test it in the parking lot for a few minutes. What a HUGE difference and no pain. I have to come up to Lincoln next week and he said take it home, try it out and bring it back if it's not what you want.

He was so sweet to make sure it fit right and was leveled out on the bike. I canceled the other saddle. Fingers crossed this is the saddle. If not there were a couple of others that might work like the Amira and the Ruby.

Bethany, when you say bruising down there, are you talking about bruising on your ischial tuberosities or farther forward, more toward either side of your vaginal opening? I'm guessing it's the latter. With that information and some of the other things you've said here, it sounds like you're not being supported through your sit bones area. There are a couple of reasons why that could happen. It sounds like you could be sliding forwards on your saddle such that your sit bones are no longer on the wide part of the saddle. Or the saddle could be too narrow at the sit bones area, too pear shaped, have too wide a nose or too dome shaped.

The first thing to do would be to sit on your bike, on your trainer with the bike set to as perfectly level as possible. Try sitting up (no hands) while pedaling lightly and see if you slide forward. If so, you may need to adjust saddle tilt to stop that from happening. Leveling a saddle is a tricky thing because level may not look level depending on the saddle shape. I would try tilting the nose of the saddle up slightly to see if it helps. Do the sit up test again and ride normally as well. If that doesn't work, you're likely getting pushed forward on the saddle by the shape and you may need something with more T-shape to it or a narrower nose.

If you are not sliding forward on the saddle you may be sliding off it because it's too narrow or dome shaped. The best way to check this is with the help of a good friend, and I mean good friend. In your normal riding position you lift your bum up and have a friend put their fingers on the saddle (right and left, one hand for each bum cheek) pads up and sit down on their fingers and lightly pedal. They should be able to give you some feedback about whether or not your sit bones feel like they are being supported by the saddle or if you're wider than the high point of the saddle and are sliding off. The best part of being a female fitter with a medical background is that I can get away with doing this with clients (with permission of course) and no body seems to get weirded out by it.

Cut out or no cut out is another entirely different topic.

I hope that gives you some ideas of things to try.

Sit bones are fine, it's more toward the vaginal opening that is really sore. The stock saddle has never been terrible so I hadn't bothered to change it out but I wasn't putting tons of miles every week..just a couple of short rides..10 miles or less. I'll put my bike up on the trainer tonight..might take it out tomorrow since the weather will be nicer and go from there given your recommendations. Guy leveled out the new saddle when he put it on the bike and happily fiddled with the set up.

Saddle leveling is tricky business and I wouldn't assume that it's quite right yet. "Level" as a lot to do with saddle profile and sometimes functional level is not the same as visual leveling because of the saddle shape from front to back.

I feel your pain. I've been thru so many saddles, and still haven't found the "right" one for my new road bike. Just got a Cobb V-Flow delivered and am getting it put on and adjusted. Everyone keeps telling me that I'll probably love it. Fingers crossed. So want to quit worrying about pain in my soft tissues and start worrying about putting in lots of miles.

Dana

Lithia is MUCH nicer but still have chaffing on the inside thighs. Nothing terrible, just minor. You can tell where your sit bones should be which is nice. So is chaffing a clothing issue or do I need a different saddle? Thanks to having my sit bones where they are supposed to be, I was able to spin better and ride faster at 14-15mph. Sit bones and front seem great. Now it's my thunder thighs..LOL.

The guy from Amazon had already sent off my Selle Italia Diva saddle but said I could return it. Amazon spec gave it a 152x270 but it sounds like it really runs at a 160? Should I try it out if he'll let me return it used?

I picked the Lithia because it had the smallest cut-out.

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Originally Posted by Bethany1

Lithia is MUCH nicer but still have chaffing on the inside thighs. Nothing terrible, just minor. You can tell where your sit bones should be which is nice. So is chaffing a clothing issue or do I need a different saddle? Thanks to having my sit bones where they are supposed to be, I was able to spin better and ride faster at 14-15mph. Sit bones and front seem great. Now it's my thunder thighs..LOL.

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A saddle with a narrower nose may be helpful but if your sit bones to pubic area are happy, you're on the right track. I would try just lubing up with Body glide on the inner thighs first and see if that solve the problem.

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The guy from Amazon had already sent off my Selle Italia Diva saddle but said I could return it. Amazon spec gave it a 152x270 but it sounds like it really runs at a 160? Should I try it out if he'll let me return it used?

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I would suggest trying it out. I have a lot of women that are very happy with that saddle.

Took the Lithia saddle out on the back roads. MUCH better even going over gravel. Emailed the store to see if the owner would let me try out the Selle Italia Diva as it showed up today. Wow..talk about fast shipping since I ordered it Wed. or Thurs.

I have a Terry saddle that is slightly rough so you can't slide on it. Best saddle I've ever had - and I've been a roadie over 20 years.

Store I bought the Selle Italia Diva said I could try it out. It's too small. If it was wider I think it might work. Looks like it only comes in a 153 via Selle's website. It's a gorgeous saddle and hate to return it, but thankfully I can send it back. Talk about awesome customer service from this company even though I went through Amazon.com. Guy has a nice online selection of stuff so hopefully I can use his store for other purchases.

Thanks for all the advice. Even if the Lithia doesn't work out in the long run, I know what I'm looking for now.

Sigh. Now I have pain in the back of my thighs where I sit on the saddle and numbs the back of my legs. Any fixes? And where the chamois seams are located rubs against my inner thigh. Not sure if I can exchange it for something else, but I'm miserable.

Edited:

After this, I do plan on getting a bike fit..waiting for money to come in.

I got a level out and first leveled the rails. Huge improvement. My saddle was not even close to level..if this is the correct method and figured it was a good place to start. I had put the saddle back on after taking off the Selle Italia Diva and didn't really think about it. I despise my seat post set-up for adjusting saddles..but that's another issue. Soft tissue pain isn't so bad and my thighs don't burn so much. Still needs some more fiddling for the soft tissue part though.

Took that off and compared to my Brooks B17 saddle. Did the same thing..huge improvement in fit. B17 rails aren't as long which makes fitting a pain from when I last had my bike fit. No thigh pain on sides or behind but felt like I was sitting on the metal part. The hard leather is actually more comfortable than padding.

So..is there a saddle that doesn't have padding or as much as the Lithia in the Specialized line of saddles?

I'm getting there...LOL. Well, maybe not since the other saddles have bigger rails.

My Terry doesn't have a lot of padding. You're absolutely correct - too much padding IS more uncomfortable than a firmer saddle.

Sounds like some different shorts are in order. What brand are you using now?

If you seem to be getting close with the Lithia, what about going to the LBS ans checking out some of Specialized's other saddles with less padding but a similar shape. I'm personally intrigued by the Romin but just from pictures.

I plan on going back to the LBS to check out some saddles when I get the chance. Shorts are Pearl Izumi but a men's size that I bought in 2011..that's what the tag says and wondering if I've just worn them out. They've worked fine until this saddle. I have two pairs of men's mtb shorts with totally different padding that I like more.

The article nailed the leg pain exactly! So what within the Specialized line comes in as a "t-shape" to possibly try out?

FWIW, I went from a 155 Lithia to a 155 Jett to a SI Turbomatic because I need a saddle with a pronounced T-shape, a narrow nose and a cut-out that's wide in the rear and long in front.

The Turbomatic is just slightly narrower in the rear than the Spec' 155s, so if you're on the edge of needing a wider saddle, that one won't work for you. It's also pretty pricey. But if you think you could get away with slightly narrower, you might see if you can find one to try.

My experience with shorts wearing out is that there is suddenly a moment where they become completely unsatisfactory. There may be a gradual decline that I just don't notice, but when they're done, they're done.

I've had the same experience with padding in walking shoes.

Went back to the LBS in Lincoln and we swapped out for a Ruby. I asked about a fit and hope to get one set up soon. As he was putting the saddle on he said my seat post wasn't high enough and had me sit on the bike with my heel on the pedal (this is a new one) and moved me up something like an entire inch..WOW. Then he sent me outside with the Ruby saddle to see how it fit. One inch made a HUGE difference and having a hard saddle like the Ruby Expert felt really nice. The cool thing about Specialized packaging is that there is a diagram showing where your saddle should be level. Great idea.

Fingers crossed that this is the saddle.