Ride Report/Saddle Question

[mimitabby]

your actual tailbone hurts? as in the coccyx at the end of your spine?
if your saddle fits you correctly your tail bone should never contact your
saddle, only your sitting bones, which are underneath your buttocks, one on
each side (put your hands under your butt you should feel those bones coming through ... i'm boney, maybe that's not true for everyone)

so if your tailbone is hurting something is really wrong.
and on a long ride i notice that the point of my saddle is not always DEAD CENTER between my thighs.

[KnottedYet]

Without seeing you on your bike, it's hard to know what's going on.

I agree with Mimitabby, that it sounds like something is not right.

Is the saddle too plush, and it's squishing up into your tailbone? Are you sitting too far forward? (is the seat moved too far back on the rails for the position you ride in?)

The nose should not be on your girly bits. Nothing should be on your girly bits! And yes, you should be sitting on the back, wider part of the seat. Each of your sit bones will be happiest if they are centered in each "cheek" of the wide part of your seat.

I find that when I am happily riding along I really am not aware of the nose of my seat. I just use it to help me control the bike, I don't "sit" on it.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

The nose should not be on your girly bits. Nothing should be on your girly bits! And yes, you should be sitting on the back, wider part of the seat. Each of your sit bones will be happiest if they are centered in each "cheek" of the wide part of your seat.

How can "nothing" be on your girly bits if you are sitting on a saddle? Are you talking about a saddle with some giant cut out? I sit mostly on my sit bones at the rear wider part of my saddle, but my vulva area is certainly on the middle flat part of my saddle. Maybe my pubicbone/clitoral area does not touch much, cause it is higher up...is that what you mean by "girly bits"? I include the vulva area in my "girly bits" definition.

[KnottedYet]

I meant not weightbearing on the girly bits. Sorry I didn't make that more clear.

She said when she scooted back on the seat she felt the nose more on the tops of the thighs rather than pressing into the girly bits. When I sat on my saddle and tried to duplicate what she described, I found that if I slid forward I ended up with the nose taking most of my weight and most of my weighbearing on my clitoris/pubic bone (with some on the tip of my coccyx). That's not the most comfortable place for me to weightbear. If I slid back to where I usually sit, I felt what she described, the weight (not necessarily contact, but actual weight) came off the girly bits and transferred to the sit bones and the wider part of the saddle, which is a much better place to weightbear in my humble opinion.

My clitoris really isn't able to bear 150 lbs. Unless it's someone very special...

[Kitsune06]

...THAT said...

Re: camelbak coolness: Eclectic's got it, as far as blowing the water back into the reservoir. Sometimes that makes me swallow air, though, so to each her own. There are insulation sleeves available, though they might be a hassle.

re: the coccyx: I'm willing to bet it has to do with the gel factor of the saddle, unless you happen to have a prominant tailbone. I'd try a firmer saddle, and angle the nose down by a couple degrees until you find a sweet spot where your sit-bones rest on the padding, but all your weight is borne there. I had no idea how to sit on a saddle 'proper' until reading the Brooks thread... and those saddles will teach you FAST. I'd be inclined to agree with MizKnot. Such parts are not load-bearing structural features.

[mimitabby]

My clitoris really isn't able to bear 150 lbs. Unless it's someone very special...

God, Leave it to you, knotted! and we're going down THAT trail again

[pooks]

LOL! What revealing responses!

I don't mean I'm actually feeling too much weight/pressure on the girly bits, but I was aware that when my "seat" started hurting, I readjusted myself farther back on the saddle and it all felt fine. What I wasn't sure of is whether that meant I was finally on the seat properly, or I'd just shifted my weight so it felt better (whether it was "correct" or not).

I don't think it's a gel seat -- I'm not getting stuff squishing. I believe the seat is padded but not at all squishy, so I haven't had problems with gel moving around or filling in or whatever.

I need to get measured/fitted/observed by someone who knows what they're doing, I imagine, although I was observed by a guy at REI who adjusted my handlebars but didnt' see any probs with the seat.

Blowing in the tube sounds like the right idea. I'll give that a try!

[KnottedYet]

I was aware that when my "seat" started hurting, I readjusted myself farther back on the saddle and it all felt fine. What I wasn't sure of is whether that meant I was finally on the seat properly, or I'd just shifted my weight so it felt better (whether it was "correct" or not).

If shifting your weight back onto the seat more felt better, that's probably the "correct" position for you.

The next step would be adjusting the position of the seat on the bike so that you automatically go to your most comfortable spot on the seat and are situated so you can pedal and use the handlebars comfortably.

There are a ton of good links for fitting, plus some great books. Someone recommended Andy Pruitt's "Complete Medical Guide for Cyclists" which I bought and love. (thanks whoever posted that!) Your LBS will be able to see you on the bike, and seeing you on the bike is what we really need.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I don't think it's a gel seat -- I'm not getting stuff squishing. I believe the seat is padded but not at all squishy, so I haven't had problems with gel moving around or filling in or whatever.

It's not the gell shifting around that might be a problem with gel seats- it's just the basic fact that they are pads that push back at you when your parts push down on them- the same thing that might occur with many types of padded seats. For many people (like me), padded seats are torture. Others like them.

[Kano]

My clitoris really isn't able to bear 150 lbs. Unless it's someone very special...

(I think your bits need to rethink their attitude if you're not special enough for them! )

Karen in Boise

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

(I think your bits need to rethink their attitude if you're not special enough for them! )

Karen in Boise

Too funny!!!!!