how long to determine that a saddle is not right?

[Torrilin]

More padding means *more* chance to hurt, not less. More stuff to squish! I was getting some tailbone pain with the too narrow stock saddle on my bike. I seem to have wide-ish sitbones, and even a 4 mile ride on the thing would hurt. I now have a wider beater saddle, and my body is happier.

Still not perfect - it's got a plastic cover that doesn't breathe, which seems to irritate my skin. And it's too soft. But those traits are fixable, and it's a good enough saddle that I can do the running around I got the bike for.

[elk]

vickie

you and me...same boat. I started riding to excercise my dog and now I'm looking at Rivendell dreaming of, of course, a Saluki ( check out that head badge below!!) ** (whoa there girlie) I am totally and madly in LOVE with my bike...and so is my dog!!

FWIW...as a newbie--or a born again biker after many years--- in for about the same amount of time, but one who has ridden 4 different saddles...I knew within 10 minutes if I was gonna have trouble or not.

I defer to the more experienced in terms of getting the fit right...but I even knew which ones I wanted to mess with and which I just wanted to get the heck off! IF I listened to my body and my "6th sense"

I have a new Brooks B67 on my specialized globe now and I love it...it's not broken in, but it is a sweet and kind saddle....

what kind of fast dogs you got???

elk

[fastdogs]

I have whippets- I race them and hike the plains of wyoming with them hunting jackrabbits. To prepare for a wyoming trip, I like to get about 3 miles several times a week alongside the bike. We run with salukis in wyoming, and I don't know if it's possible to tire one of those out. Those are the ultimate distance machine, if you want speed as well as distance. I have a springer (bike attachment, not spaniel!), and have roadworked as many as three at a time- one on one side and two on the other. That's kind of hairy, though, so prefer just one. I just ordered a walkydog because the springer is very bulky and I keep bumping it with my foot because of the way it fits on my folding bike. I only roadwork dogs with the bike on the weekends, so far, but really want to ride every day. I pick up my 4 year old at daycare on the way home, and there just happens to be a great park right on the way, so it looks like we'll be detouring there with bike and trailer most days.
I went to the bike shop and looked through all the saddles- they didn't have many of the ones that were mentioned here. Many didn't look all that different from my velo, but I kept coming back to one- a serfas women's "dual density" saddle that wasn't as wide as some, but definitely bigger than the one I've got not- not as long, really, but wider. The type of riding I do probably leans more towards comfort bike riding, but if this works out to be too wide I can take it back. I'll try it out today hopefully, I can't wait- I was actually dreading trying to ride the velo again today. I'd hoped to keep increasing my distances but that was looking like it was definitely going to limit me.

[elk]

Love whippets!

I have a walkydog and a K9 Cruiser...just ordered a Bikerdog...

I was bumping into the walkydog until I realized you are supposed to angle it back a bit...so if your bum is 12:00, having it pointing to 7 or 8 instead of 9. (hope that makes sense)
The K9 cruiser attaches low and keeps my dog behind me, which neither of us like. But I think it is the easist one.

The Bikerdog attaches to the back of the frame at the bottom but keeps the dog in a relative heel position...so I think that will be my favorite!

I'll have to sell the others on ebay...along with all those sherpas I tried for the papillons...

good luck with your saddle! FWIW, I love the Brooks and I liked the specialized body geometry with the cut out .
If you are riding upright, you might want to check the Brooks B67....
elizabeth

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Fastdogs-

Most of your weight should be on your two sitbones when you ride.

The fact that you feel allover pain especially when you first get OFF the saddle tells me that there is too much pressure on all your sitting area. The pain when getting up is what happens when blood comes rushing back to the soft tissues after all the blood has been mashed out of them for too long.

Having so much weight all over your sitting area and girly parts suggests to me that there is too much pressure along the MIDDLE line of your saddle and your body parts. What SHOULD happen is that there should be a good firm wide support platform on either side of the saddle back part for your two sitbones to perch on. If they can perch on a good firm platform, then the sitbones will keep your soft parts up and prevent them from mashing down onto the saddle. The sitbones will take the pressure, not your soft parts.
Putting all your weight on your sitbones makes you sore there the first few times you ride, but they adapt quickly and are no longer sore much after that. In contrast, your soft parts cannot adapt to the mashing pressure and will continue to be painful forwver as long as they get mashed.
Also- often the more soft padding and gel you put down there (whether from a cushy saddle or from a cushy chamois or both) the more it will press harder against your soft parts and hurt MORE.

Look into getting a saddle that will give a nice firm wide flat support for your two sitbones. You have to get your weight OFF your soft sensitive parts and onto your sitbones.

Just my 2 cents....

[elk]

If they can perch on a good firm platform, then the sitbones will keep your soft parts up and prevent them from mashing down onto the saddle. The sitbones will take the pressure, not your soft parts.

So THAT"S how it works!

(not meaning to hijack...working out my own saddle issues...)

I noticed that my B67 does exactly what you describe...IF my seat is lower ...if I raise my post so my leg gets proper extension, I feel more pressure...
I probably need to raise my handlebars/ or trade them out/ I have no idea how to raise them on the bike I have....

[fastdogs]

thanks for the great explanation. It sounds like what was happening.
I rode the new saddle today- not sure about it. No pain- I rode 5 miles because the other one started hurting at about 3 miles. It wasn't real comfortable, but it didn't hurt. I am going to try tilting it a little tomorrow. It may be a case of too much padding with this saddle, but I'll give it a chance and see if I like it more with more time spent in it.
vickie

[sandra]

I recommend changing the saddle to a Brooks B67. Wallbikes has a 6 month return policy. I was fortunate to get a used one from a wonderful TE member here and I love it, love it, LOVE IT. It was comfortable from the get-go for me.

[mimitabby]

vickie

you and me...same boat. I started riding to excercise my dog and now I'm looking at Rivendell dreaming of, of course, a Saluki ( check out that head badge below!!) ** (whoa there girlie) I am totally and madly in LOVE with my bike...and so is my dog!!

FWIW...as a newbie--or a born again biker after many years--- in for about the same amount of time, but one who has ridden 4 different saddles...I knew within 10 minutes if I was gonna have trouble or not.

I defer to the more experienced in terms of getting the fit right...but I even knew which ones I wanted to mess with and which I just wanted to get the heck off! IF I listened to my body and my "6th sense"

I have a new Brooks B67 on my specialized globe now and I love it...it's not broken in, but it is a sweet and kind saddle....

what kind of fast dogs you got???

elk

Elk, your bike is beautiful! I too have a B67, and it supports my butt.
put it this way, my backside is the LAST reason i ever want to quit riding.
long before my butt gives out, my legs, arms, neck, back, brain... they give out first. my butt is happy to just sit there...

[elk]

mimi

I know all about your Brooks!! I've been reading back and back in the forums.

(thanks for the compliment on my bike...I love it love it love it.)

I think Fastdogs is a good candidate for a B67 too! I have the "s" and I think I'm fine, as I don't even have it to the end of the rails....

I'm just a little discouraged ; I tweaked one thing & now my adjudtment feels off and I got that pressure again...I made an app't to have a 20 minute bike adjustment consult.....
I like it a little more forward than at the end of the rails....& I need to keep my abdomen tucked in a bit...

elk

[fastdogs]

I'll keep my eyes open for one used, although it doesn't seem like people get rid of them very often. I tilted my new seat nose down just a tiny bit for yesterday's ride, and it felt pretty good. I only rode 3 miles, lots of hills, but no pain or discomfort. I need to try to do a 6-10 mile ride today or this weekend and see how it does. (6-10 miles is a lot to me!)
vickie

[elk]

vickie

if you are interested in the Brooks..you can watch ebay too.

i hope your new saddle is good for you!!

elizabeth

6-10miles is a lot for me too...but i'm doing it once a week at least! and i can get up hills that just about killed me before...

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

A lot of people are also finding the Selle An-Atomica saddle to be comfortable:
http://www.teamestrogen.com/categories.asp?catID=24
- you might try that next if the Brooks doens't feel right.

[fastdogs]

Thanks for the tip on the selle- I'll add that to my list to watch for on ebay (that's where I got my bike, after all)
I did seven miles tonight! That's a lot for me. It's all flat, so no coasting. I was keeping a steady pace of 10-12 mph- thought that was pretty good, but a guy blew by me like I was standing still, on a hybrid (I think- he was sitting pretty upright). I just kept plugging away.
I got my walkydog tonight- not sure how this thing will work. There's no shock absorption, really, just some springs inside. It would make a great weapon to carry though, a nice heavy little club. I think the leash might be too short for my dogs, but I'd like a bungee between them and the stick anyway so there's room for that. Haven't installed it yet, I plan to use it sunday for the first time. THe springer has a heavy spring, and the shape of it along with the spring really helps damper any lunges so you don't really feel them on the bike. I've had two dogs hit the end of the leash after a deer and barely felt it- about 80 pounds of dogs. I guess I'll find out sunday how this one handles things like that- I'll have one 40 lb dog but there's lots of deer in the park!
vickie

[elk]

Vickie
you can take out a spring or two to make the leash longer.

Maudie is a pretty opinionated 60lbs and the other day we rode by a couple walking a corgi... I felt her tugging to turn around, but she didn't pull me over. She STOPPED moving...but I got rather stern and off we went.

I don't think they'll be able to pull you over.

elk