how long to determine that a saddle is not right?

[Tuckervill]

I get a sore tailbone whenever I ride on the stock Bontrager saddle that came on my Treks (road, mtn). I changed out my bikes to Terry's (Liberator Y, I think and a Butterfly--I don't remember which one is on which bike, but the wider one is on the road bilke.). It wasn't too bad (the pain) in the first year I had the mtb, probably because I just didn't know any better, but it was still there.

What's relevant about that is the other day my road bike was in the shop, and my mtb had a flat. So I hopped on my son's Trek mtb with the stock Bontrager saddle, because I had limited time to ride anyway.

It quickly became apparent that a narrow saddle is the WORST for me. I might be feeling my sit bones on the saddle, but it is clear that the saddle is impacting my tail bone. It took a few days to not feel that achy pain in my bottom even just from sitting down in a kitchen chair, and I only rode that bike for 6 miles!!

His saddle is narrower than the WSD ones that came on my Treks. I suppose the contrast of the much narrower saddle made it so obvious. You probably have too narrow a saddle. I'd get a wider one.

Karen

[fastdogs]

I'll stop by the bike shop and see what they have. I don't have any pain in my tailbone today, sitting down, or even when I was sitting on the bike, only when I took pressure off the seat. I have lots of built in padding, so I guess I thought just about any seat would work for me!
What does WTB stand for? Others I should check out?
thanks!
vickie

[indigoiis]

Wilderness Trail Bicycle, I think.
Here's the link: http://www.wtb.com/products/saddles/recreation/

[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....

[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