Brooks Saddles

[suzieqtwa]

I just rode 30 miles ,and I actually didn't feel to bad. I love the feel of the saddle. My sits bones don't hurt at all. I pretty much stay in the same spot until I start to hurt ,then I scoot around a bit. Lisa ,I would think if I am scooting back I would move the seat forward...right. I am not riding the nose of the saddle although I want too sometimes, Right now its just about level with a very slight tilt downward. The nose just seems to hit me in a bad spot. At about mile 25 I started to get sore. If I tilt it down I slide forward ,and there is too much pressure on my wrist.

[mimitabby]

Yes, Knot, I think the size is fine. I think it's a postural issue, Suzie.

It's got to be really frustrating for you!

[KnottedYet]

Suzie - can you ride on a flat safe place, and mess around with your posture a bit?

I can get my soft bits to hit my Brooks if I let go of my core muscles and let my belly-button collapse toward my top-tube, which rolls my pelvis like it's a bowl I'm tipping forward and pouring water onto my top-tube.

Can you try "tipping your bowl" backwards, as though you were trying to keep water from spilling forward? Or think of tucking your tail under, or of rolling your tailbone toward the seat, or whatever mental trick will get you into pelvic-neutral?

Regardless of whether you are in drops or on flats/hoods, your pelvis should be in neutral. (the angle of your back will change, but your pelvis shouldn't)

If you can do this trick somewhere safe, try it and see if it takes the pressure off your soft bits. You will probably feel like you are clenching your stomach muscles and working very hard to hold a very weird position, but try it anyway.

If it takes the pressure off your soft bits, you might want to look into some core exercises or just try riding a few minutes at a time in the new posture. I tend to think doing a beloved sport in a posture does more for a person than doing core exercises, but that's just me...

What I'm thinking might be part of the issue is called "anterior pelvic tilt." It's more a girl thing than a boy thing (though I have treated a few male patients with anterior tilt. lemme tell ya, they don't want anyone telling them to fix THEIR posture!!!)

Women who hold themselves in an anterior pelvic tilt tend also to lock their knees when they stand and to think they have big butts (which they don't) because the tilt jutts their haunches out behind them. They also often think their tummies are poochy/fat (again it's posture, not paunch!). Often their low backs are held in a pretty tight curve. (and they pronate, sprain their ankles, have knee pain, low back/hip pain, etc. )

I worked with a therapist who always started by looking at how the patient held their posture relative to the pelvis, so that's my bias too.

Take my lecture with a grain of salt!

[KnottedYet]

Seat forward, seat backward... oh boy!

If you are scooting back on the seat to try to find the most comfortable spot for your sit bones, slide the saddle forward on the rails to bring that sweet spot under you.

If you are scooting back to try to make your legs and balance comfortable, slide the saddle backward to keep the sweet spot with you as you change your geometry relative to the cranks and bars.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I think Knot is right about the "tipping the bowl" pelvis tilt thing, Suzie. The fact that your sitbones haven't gotten sore at all on your new Brooks, but your girly bits are very sore, strongly suggests that you are not tilting your pelvis in a way that puts your weight on your sitbones where it belongs. Do try to tuck that tail bone in and under, consciously put your seat weight on your sitbones by tilting your pelvis and pulling your stomach in. I like that vision Knot described of keeping your pelvic "bowl" from tipping water onto your top tube!

[KnottedYet]

Oh, by the way! being in pelvic neutral will probably make you feel like the reach from saddle to bars is too long. Don't worry about it (yet ) Just try seeing how the soft bits feel when you change the tilt of your pelvis.

[suzieqtwa]

Thank you so much ladies for all the advise. Tomorrow I will get up early ,and try about 30 miles. I dont fall anymore ,and am quiet comfortable with the clipless pedals. I dont even think about it anymore. I understand about the pelivis thing. Pulling my pelvis in pulls my girly bits up ,and away from the nose. Its not awful on the saddle ,but I know it can be better. I just got done moving the saddle forward. If that doesnt work Ill move it back.
Ill check back in tomorrow.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

And don't forget Suzie- every change you make may feel odd at first! Your body needs to adjust to each change before you can really tell if it's a good change or not. Ideally, one should do a few rides with each change, and only make one small change at a time.
For me, last year what seemed like a just right reach to the hoods now seemed a bit too short and cramped, so I changed stems. I think my core muscles got a little stronger and so balancing my weight became a little easier for me.

[Triskeliongirl]

Suzie, I had the problem you describe on my finesse, and found that I have to tilt the nose down a tad. Actually, I place my level on the nose, i.e. the front ~4 cm , and make that be level, with the result that the rear is a bit raised and that did the trick for me. I also found that the nose did 'break in' as well over time.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Lisa ,I would think if I am scooting back I would move the seat forward...right....If I tilt it down I slide forward ,and there is too much pressure on my wrist.

Ok, so if we first assume that the nose is NOT tipped down too much- you have it tipped up enough to keep you from sliding forward, right?
With that assumption...we can move to the question of saddle forward or back.
If you feel you need to scoot back on your saddle frequently, is it perhaps because it makes you feel better balanced weight-wise over your center of gravity?
With the seat forward, your center of gravity is shifted forward as well, more over your pedals, and the extreme would produce a feeling of falling forward onto your hands.
Moving the seat BACK will shift your weight and center of gravity back more, behind your crank and pedals. It can give you more pedaling power, but the extreme would produce a less upright back and perhaps a reach problem to the hoods, etc.
...Just my humble opinions.

Here's a good general article about saddles by Sheldon Brown:
http://sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html
And here's a good article about saddle positions by Peter White:
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm

Both Sheldom and Peter are highly respected bike guys.