Proper saddle fit

[mtnsnowsnake]

Hi there!

I have experimented with a couple of saddles, the current one being a Serfas Gel seat. After only a 10 mile ride my seat bones are killing me. I've adjusted the seat to various angles with no improvement. Short of buying several seats (Which I can't afford) I will take your suggestions and see if my LBS will work with me on exchanges. But, I would appreciate any feed back on proper fit. Do most of you women prefer the long skinny saddles or the shorter wider ones? And what about the split seat design? I've heard pros and cons on health issues with this design for women.

Thanks
LYnn

[mtnsnowsnake]

PS: My husband says I just need to "toughen up my tush". Is that a reality or just a myth in comfortable riding?

LYNN

[pedalfaster]

Saddles are such a sensitive issue! Every butt is different.

Personally, I prefer a longer, narrower, non-cutout saddle. That's just me. I have fairly narrowly-spaced sit-bones. I also ride off-road and I need to be able to get off the back of the saddle on the mtb. Wide saddles chaff me. I "fall into" the cutout saddles. Talk about Painful!


Wanna know the worst part? Just like lipstick, as soon as you find the "perfect one", the company will discontinue (or "update" or otherwise change) the darn thing. ARRGH.

Also, sad but true, hubby is somewhat right. If you have not been riding very long you need to develop "bike butt". This does not mean you should suffer through extreme soft-tissue pain, but a bit of soreness in the sit-bone region is not uncommon.

Other things to check (as discussed on the board previously) include bike fit, saddle angle, shorts-fit and your general riding habits (are you keeping most of your weight on your pedals? taking "standing breaks"?).

Good luck in the great saddle-hunt!

[mtnsnowsnake]

HI Pedalfaster.

That's what I thought about the "toughen the tush" thing! hahah

Yes, I do get take breaks frequently and get off the seat. I have a really good pair of bike shorts and I believe I have my bike set up right i.e. seat height, handlebar adjustment etc. I know my bike is a little too big for me but I can't afford a new one right now so will have to make do. Its a 16" and I really need about a 14 or 15", as I am short at 5'2" with a short inseam measurement. Anyway, I will give the saddle some more time and see how my soft tissue feels then maybe consider a trying something else. I wondered about those cut out saddles. I've read medical websites that weren't very fond of them for women. So I guess that time will tell with the old TITS cliche.

Thanks
lynn

[MightyMitre]

My first saddle was quite narrow and slim - looked great but was slowly killing me! We have a womens racing league in my area so I just sent out a bulk email and got people to tell me what they used. I did a quick survey and read some feedback and decided to go for the most popular one.

Luckily I got it right, my new saddle is a lot broader at the back and has a cut out which is perfect for me , as it was the soft tissue I was having the most trouble with. Having a bit more saddle at the back meant there my backside wasn't concentrated on a narrow area.

Good luck in your search.

[emily_in_nc]

I personally can't ride any saddle without a cut-out. I had bad chafing and rawness in the most delicate areas without this and grew to dread riding. I ride the Terry Butterfly saddle now, and the only problem I have is occasional chafing (and a rare saddle sore) on the crease between the my inner thigh and crotch area. Those I can deal with!

The sit-bones do have to get used to a new saddle (or starting to cycle in general), but that tissue will toughen right up after a few rides if the saddle is okay for you otherwise.

Emily

[trekchic]

MightyMitre:

You didn't say what kind of saddle you got. I am thinking of changing saddles......just don't know.

[MightyMitre]

Mine's a Selle Italia Trans Am Lady . This is the website http://www.selleitalia.com/. Don't know if you can get them in the US but they're very good.

Like emily_in_nc I can't ride a saddle without a cutout. It's just too painful on the delicate bits!

You could also look at your bike set up - the angle of my handlebars meant I was quite stretched out - hence the extra pressure on the front of my saddle, so I tilted the bars up just a touch so I was a bit more upright and that's also made a difference.

[Steph_in_TX]

You can get the Selle seat here in the States. I have a friend that has one. She's still breaking it in, but likes it thus far. I ride the Terry Butterfly (the model without the gel) and I really like it. All I needed to do was tilt it down just every so slightly and it has been wonderful for me.

I would add one other thing...make sure your shorts aren't adding to your discomfort. As much as I like my saddle, if I am wearing my "bad" shorts, I feel like I am riding on a brick and I'm ready to quit after about 30 minutes. Just a thought....

[VikiOT]

When we bought me a road bike (hadn't seriously ridden since before I got my driver's license!!) I had a lot of trouble with getting comfortable on the bike. The seat always seemed like it was pushing on my spot.
Luckily the guys at my LBS are great and they quickly adjusted the tilt, forwardness, etc to give me a better ride.
One of the things that REALLY helped (and thus the reason for my posting) was to put a shorter stem on the hadlebars so that I was not always stretched out and reaching so far forward, thereby tilting the hips and putting pressure on the .
Just a thought that I wanted to share!

[Stipple]

Thanks VikiOT, For mentioning about Proper seat tilt etc. plus about bars and the hights all are important for a comfortable ride.. Thanks to a friend of mine i have my bike adjusted for my stats :>
Keep ON Riding

[bikerchic]

It sounds like you maybe have figured out some things to try just don't underestimate the old adage of time in the saddle. If after you've done all the adjustments and maybe purchased a new saddle, it still takes time to toughen up the soft tissue areas. Just the way it is........sorta like breaking in a new pair of shoes.

My first bike I rode it for many miles with the saddle it came with, sore butt and all.......finally purchased a Terry Liberator and it took all the soreness away. It seemed to be the perfect saddle for me from the get-go.

When I was having my road bike built I ordered a Terry Ti Liberator (mens) and it's been a perfect fit too, very comfy.

Oh I pretty much look like my avatar from behind............

Kate