New Saddle Break-In Time?

[jfogy]

Hi all,

I usually just read posts but today I have my own question. Two weeks ago I purchased a Terry Liberator saddle for my Giant OCR III. I've put about 100 miles on the saddle and I have to say it hurts. Is it supposed to still hurt? I'm wearing padded bike shorts but haven't tried "lubing up" yet.

-Jenny

[DeniseGoldberg]

Wow - you have much more patience than I do. During my last hunt for a comfortable saddle, I went through 2 Terry saddles, 1 Specialized, and one other saddle (can't remember the brand) before settling on my current Fi:z'ik Vitesse. I managed to ride one of the Terry saddles for an hour - the other one, the one with the cut-out, lasted only 15 minutes. Ouch!

If you've got 100 miles in, I'd say it's time to try something else. Does your LBS have a stash of saddles that they let people borrow and try?

--- Denise

[jfogy]

Yeah they do have a saddle stash......I need to give them a call. I guess I just needed to hear someone tell me that it shouldn't hurt. For some reason I get it in my head "no pain, no gain".

Thanks for the input!

-Jenny

[Geonz]

No Pain No Gain doesn't apply to the butt, even if some things that are a pain in the butt bring us gains.

Of course make sure it's not an adjustment thing.

My motto is "No pain -- sounds good!" anyway, and I hold my own...

[Squirrel 2]

I tried a lot of the Terry line, & was able to ride some models for as long as several weeks & hundreds of miles, though uncomfortably & sometimes hanging off the back end to avoid the cut-out. Their Liberator Race model was the only one that defeated me completely. I rode out 8 miles & was in such pain I had tears coming out of my eyes. I limped home & that saddle was off the bike fast.

The others are right, try something else, on a loaner, if possible. And give them a chance, maybe play with positioning if the saddle seems promising. Some saddles seem uncomfortable at first, but you find you settle in on them nicely over the course of a ride. Just remember that with modern saddles & man-made materials, you do not break them in. What you break in is your butt.

[bcipam]

I think it's a matter of assessing body shape and riding style. On a long trip my $120 Serfas saddle broke. I had to make a quick purchase in order to keep riding and bought the Terry Butterfly. From the moment it was on my bike, it was comfortable and has never caused me one problem. In fact, I no longer have to use Assos Creme. With the Serfas saddle, I had to slather up before a ride.

If you ride with a quick cadence (like me) you need a narrow, harder saddle - it will cause less friction, wear and tear on your nether region. If you ride aggressively, ie, stretch out over the top tube, the cut out is almost a necessity but if you tend to sit bolt upright, it might cause pressure sores.

Again I would recommend the Terry, but lots of my friends love and use the Fiz'ik saddles. I once did 90 miles using my guy friend's Solano with an Fiz' ik Avione saddle and was comfortable the whole way although this saddle is designed for men, not women.

I understand Specialize has a new saddle program. You might want to check with you LBS to see if they are the assessment tools and can recommend a saddle. Bottom line, the saddle, like good shoes, should feel good right away.


Edited to add: Not all bike shorts are created equal especially for women. Make sure there are no seams that will cut and irritate and make sure your shorts fit properly, not too big or too small.

[Irulan]

I bought a new saddle and it was wonderful from the first mile. Zero break in. I had my butt measure with the Specialized sit-bones-o-meter and went with the recommended width for my number. I highly recommend this method, takes a lot of the guess work out.

[BikingAt50]

I have been shopping around for a new saddle. I have not had problems with bottom pain, but "with frontal too-too pain", (if you get the idea). There are times after a longer ride, that I wonder if I'll ever be able to pee-pee again. Yet, other times, it doesn't bother me. Guess I sit differently from time to time. My husband has a long narrow saddle. It does not seem to bother me at all. The cut out saddles hurt. As you said, you just have to try them out. I looked at a few this weekend that were "grannie saddles". The were so big and heavy! But, I bet they would feel like your lounge chair...LOL! I'm going to write these names down and do some research. thanks!

[AsaG]

Hello
I just joined these message boards today after having enjoyed reading them for a few days. I am a little nervous about posting for the first time but here it goes.
I decided to jump in here as I am having an embarrassing problem in the nether regions and need to think about what is causing these embarrassing problems. I just bought a wonderful new bike but I seem to be having some troubles with the saddle that came with it, but it might also be the new shorts (Pearl Izumi attack short) that I bought at the beginning of the season. The thing is I get pain in the soft tissue so I thought maybe a cut out saddle would be good but now I seem to have developed a saddle sore in the crouch (not sure if that is the right word to describe the area) that would probably be aggravated by the cut out would it not??? I was thinking about Terry Liberator Ti but is seems that it is not getting very good reviews on this message board.
Otherwise I just want to thank everybody here for some very useful information.
Thanks
Asa G.

[CorsairMac]

I Hated the PI attack shorts - the padding was just about the bulkiest thing I"d ever worn and I seemed to be allergic to something they use in the padding. I also tried a Terry Sportco saddle and couldn't get it OFF the bike fast enough. Sounds like you're going thru the great experimentation phase right now *shakes head* it could be the shorts, the saddle, both, neither - just make sure you can return whatever you decide to try! and good luck!

[SimpleCycle]

AsaG, I have a Terry Liberator Ti Race and I like it quite a bit. At first I thought I had made a huge mistake, but realized my bike wasn't fitted correctly and I was sitting on my soft tissue, not my sit bones.

But I would recommend trying out different saddles if you can, or getting your sit bones measured at a Specialized store, or both. I think I got lucky with the Terry saddle, and I'm not 100% sure that it's the BEST saddle for me, just that it works for me.

Now that I know I was sitting in the wrong spot, I wonder if my men's Selle Italia saddle that came on the bike would feel just fine now.

[wingsonwheels]

The first saddle I bought was the Terry Liberator...It was too soft and created "hot spots". Then I tried the Vitesse, which I tried very hard to like, cause it's such a sexy saddle.

Cut to chase, I'm happier with a firmer, narrower mens saddle with a cut-out (A Selle Italia Flite with ti rails). It takes time to get used to sittiing on the bike for hours, it takes a while to figure out what works best for the shape of your pelvic floor, and I also think your needs change as you develop as a rider.

If you have a saddle that's making you miserable, no shorts in the world will save your @$$...

[AsaG]

Hey
The PI attack short are way to bulky, I just wanted higher tan lines, guess that will teach me.
I guess it is just about trial and error here, it's just frustrating when something likes this prevents me from getting out and ride.
Thanks for the tips.
Asa G.

[KkAllez]

I guess it is just about trial and error here, it's just frustrating when something likes this prevents me from getting out and ride.
Thanks for the tips.
Asa G.

Oh Asa, it is so much T&E, what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another, but don't give up! Eventually you'll get it all right...then you'll want a new bike and get to start over! I have a 25 mile test...it after 25 miles things are still not right it ain't ever gonna be right. And sometimes it takes the next day to know if it is going to work. Where am I sore? What feels off? But trust me, eventually, it will all come together.

[RoadRaven]

IMHO it should not take 100 miles to "break in" a seat.

Women have several types of pelvis' hence the several different styles of bike seats.

Find a woman in a LBS, or a man with a female partner who cycles, and get a female perspective and assistance and get a new saddle.

Get the LBS to "fit" the seat with you sitting on it - so that the seat is far enough forward or back for your length and reach.

Once you have a seat on and ready to go, you may still need to play a bit with it - if your girly bits are still feeling squished despite the "love channel" (LOL, that is what the cut out bit in my seat was marketed as) then drop the nose a tad. By a tad, I mean a mm or two... just a tiny bit at a time...

As for saddle sores, bruising, chafing and all of that... there are a couple of threads here... maybe someone could add a post with links to it? My connection takes a long time to load each page so I prefer not to do too much hunting...

If its mostly bruising, I recommend arnica in the form of pillules or liquid dropd you take internally (arnica is brilliant for bruising and shock, but should never be applied to open wounds). Arnica is also brilliant for sore muscles or bumps and bruises... (massage oil or cream).

If its chaffing or infections, wash as soon as you get home, use a chamois butter or sports cream, never wear shorts twice in a row without washing them... as I said, lots of suggestions in a couple of other threads.