saddle or shorts?

[trigurl]

When I got my new bike I loved the saddle, hated the shorts, compared to my other saddle this one was great, now I am not so sure. I was blaming the problems on the shorts. Sun. my son and I went on a easy bike ride (he is 11) we rode 22 miles and I was very uncomfortable the last 12, and I was riding in the shorts that I like the most.

I started thinking it might be the seat bothering me, it is a specialized with the cut out, not women specific. I am wondering if I should try other ones out. Do you LBS's let you try them out before buying?

Mine doesn't bother me until after an hour or so, then I am sliding back or forward or standing just to find some comfort. I had on my skirt over my shorts Sun and it kept getting hung up on the back of my seat only b/c I was moving around so much, I have worn it before and that never happened.

Any ideas?

[Veronica]

Call me crazy, but I think your saddle should be comfortable enough that you can do a 10 - 20 mile ride without a chamois.

Check with your LBS on their return policy. Some say, if you're not happy, bring it back no matter what. Others say only if not used. I tend not to patronize those when I am in the market for something new.

V.

[trigurl]

Well maybe it is my saddle then, and I was cussing the shorts

The saddle came with the bike, maybe I can get a trade in. Also, will a bad bike fit cause problems? I am not so sure mine is adjusted to fit me right.

I am going to call another LBS, they have a fellow who does fitting, the one who sold me the bike said "it looks good".

[trigurl]

I got a new saddle last night, yuck, it is a WTB the fellow said from what your describing this should work! right. I rode 5 miles and was uncomfortable the whole time, between my shoulder blades hurt so bad I kept having to move around to try to get comfortable. The girly bits hurt too! I even moved it back some and tried it but it still hurt me. Should i give it more time or take it back? This LBS has just about 4 types of women specific saddles but could order me one, I don't want to get one and be stuck w/it b/c they ordered it. IDEAS?

I did get a nice bike shirt on sale there for $25!

[Irulan]

try a saddle based on the width of your sit bones. Specialized has a device that measures this. The correct width saddle will support you on your skeleton, not your oster bits.

~Irulan

[trigurl]

Thanks, the one I am getting rid of is a specialized, it is probably a mans and it is very narrow. The WTB put me in such a different riding position I suppose that is why I hurt so bad when riding, even now between my shoulder blades hurt!

[trigurl]

I took the saddle back AND I took my old one with me, I found a men's saddle that is almost the same as mine but is a little wider - not much- in the nose and the cut out, that is where mine hurts so maybe this one will work, I can't remember the name but it isn't one I heard mentioned before.

Its raining AGAIN, so I guess I will put the bike on the trainer tonight and see what happens.

[joyrider]

Don't give up. I'm on the fourth saddle on my new bike and finally found one I like. I know how frustrating it is to keep taking them back... and then be in pain again. The last one I tried was the butterfly - and the pain from my sitbones was outrageous after an hour. I finally elected something a LITTLE wider - and the difference is amazing. I think I could have shortened my suffering though if I had gone ahead and measured my sitbones. I just didn't want to admit that mine were probably wide, thus giving me the feeling that I was perched on the INSIDES of the tip of those two little bones, slowling filing them to a point... I guess it DOES explain how fast those two huge babies came out...
It's absolutely no fun to ride in pain. I hope you find a solution.

[annie]

Trigurl,

If you had that much pain between your shoulder blades, it makes me wonder if there is something more going on than an uncomfortable saddle. Maybe the saddle needs repositioning, so you aren't putting so much pressure on your arms and shoulders. A bad bike fit will definitely cause problems. If I were you, I think I would try and make sure the bike is fits correctly. That could take care of the saddle problem. You should NOT have to ride in pain. Not right for you and certainly not enjoyable or something you want to keep doing.
Good luck! Hope you find a solution very soon.

annie

[Squirrel 2]

Sometimes it can be hard to tell whether it's the saddle or the shorts causing discomfort. One way to check if the short/chamois is the culprit is to flip the short inside-out & line it up against your butt after a bad ride. Look to see if any sores or angry welts line up with either seams or hard edges on the chamois. If there is a match, it is probably the short. If not, and the soreness is large rubbed or chaffed areas, it is probably the saddle.

Chaffing is not necessarily a reason to chuck the saddle & can frequently be helped with chamois cream. Chaffing is caused by friction, and the chamois creams help with this problem by getting the short to "glomb" onto your skin. This way, when your legs move, the saddle rubs your short instead of the short rubbing against you!

As the other riders have posted in many other threads, the key to a good saddle is a good fit -- there shouldn't be pain in the soft tissue, or too much pressure on the sit bones.

[trigurl]

Thanks ya'll!

I think I found my saddle! when I took the other one back I took my old one in, it wasn't that uncomfortable to begin with just after a long ride, well I looked around to find something like mine only wider, wala, the LBS only had a few saddles, but I found a men's Velo that was almost exactly like mine only WIDER, the salesman tried to talk me out of it but know what? it's my butt, I know what I needed, a wider cutout, and guess what? no pain, I rode in my best shorts Friday, I rode yesterday 29 miles in my tri shorts - very thin chamois - and NO pain either time I do notice that my legs rub the saddle some but it has yet to cause any chafing. yesterday I did get some numbness near the end of the ride and I am sure it was due to the tri shorts having almost no padding, I stood up a little now and then and it went right away.

I am excited! I had no shoulder pain at all either. I had to play with moving the saddle forward and back then I moved it one "click" down.

I was going to do a bike fit if this saddle didn't work, they charge $45 for about 39 min and $125 for about 90 min, I am a poor girl so I will do that later, just wanted to get the saddle so I can ride.