HELP!! Struggles with saddles...

[KnottedYet]

What is your sitbone measurement?

If you tell us, I bet you'll find a few folks with the same measurement and the same preferences (not too cushy, doesn't pinch, etc) and they can recommend the saddles they ride.

[pardes]

I had terrible saddle problems until I found this saddle. Instant success. Now I don't even think about the saddle. It's about an inch longer than many saddle and that inch has made all the difference.

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...slisearch=true

[OakLeaf]

I don't know, it sounds to me like your sitbones just haven't toughened up enough yet. If the only pain you were having on the 155 Lithia was in the sitbones - where all the other narrower saddles chafed your girly parts - then it really sounds like it's probably a good saddle for you. Some sitbone pain is to be expected for a new or returning rider.

How many miles did you put on the Lithia before it got painful? Did it just feel like bruising? How long before the pain went away?

When you say it's your first new road bike in 15 years, have you been riding another type of bike all along? If so, what kind of saddle is on your other bike(s)? Or have you not been riding at all up until now? Was that 7-10 miles a very short ride for you, or a long one, or average?


ETA: you may still need to tweak saddle tilt even after a very good professional fitting. For one thing, a tilt difference of just one degree can make a huge difference in comfort. (And if you don't have a micro-adjustable seatpost, you can shim it with a little piece of metal cut from a beer can.) For another thing... well, they don't measure you THERE.

[mayanorange]

If the lithia is bothering your sitbones I would not go to the Ruby or SSM Aspide- they're both very firm. I can't contribute another recommendation tho- the Lithia was fine for my tush, but the cutout was a nightmare. I have a Selle SMP TRK on order to try- I'm still searching too.

[Norse]

I am still in search of the just right saddle as well. I currently have a Selle San Marco Glamour Aspide Arrowhead on order. I need a cutout and the Arrowhead model has one.

On my bike now is the Specialized Jett 155, which replaced a Terry Race Liberator which was ok for the first 6 months of use but it apparently softened up and started giving me horrid chafing after the first 50 miles. I really want the Jett to work - it looks awesome on my bike! But, I have about 500 miles on it now and I get a bit of chafing past day 2 of a several day event ride AND, it just seems too darned hard on the sit bones after about mile 40. One of the guys I sometimes ride with has the male version of the Jett and he said he has sit bone issues with it as well. I am keeping my fingers crossed for the SSM. If that does not work, I may try the Selle An-Atomica.

[Grog]

I would also say that if you have sitbone pain you're headed in the right direction. It means that you are actually sitting on them. It is largely a matter of toughening them up. I don't know how much you had been riding previously, though. If you had been going for hours without sitbone pain on your previous bike/saddle, it's a different story. But it's normal to feel some discomfort at first if you are not accustomed to cycling long-distance...

Even my office chair gets uncomfortable after a few hours!

[postiechic]

nightmare. I have a Selle SMP TRK on order to try

I have 2 of these saddles. First I put the men's one on my road bike and found it to be the most comfy saddle I've tried. So after quite a few months I put the women's one on my hybrid. Thoroughly recommeded and didn't cost an arm and a leg.

[Rosie road]

Thanks for that recommendation. I think I will try one. Do you notice a big difference between the men's and women's?

I'm jealous of your location as I know you are just coming in to your good riding season and we are bundling up and racing the daylight to continue ours. I also just order the best headlights from DiNotte Lighting. Very expensive but super small, light and powerful. Small company and very customer friendly.

[postiechic]

Now that I'm used to riding on both the men's and the women's, I don't notice any difference. If I were to swap em around maybe I would. The reason I got the men's for the roadie is that the women's was wider than anything I've had before and I didn't think it would work on a road bike. Even the men's one is quite wide for a bloke's saddle. The reason I went for the women's one for the hybrid is that the extra width in the more upright postion is pretty ok - for me anyway. I like the large cutout and the way the nose angles downwards.

The seasons seem to come and go so fast for all of us. Before long I'll be reading about you guys in the northern hemisphere getting ready for summer again. Ahhh....summer......daylight savings......mmmm

[arim]

I don't know, it sounds to me like your sitbones just haven't toughened up enough yet. If the only pain you were having on the 155 Lithia was in the sitbones - where all the other narrower saddles chafed your girly parts - then it really sounds like it's probably a good saddle for you. Some sitbone pain is to be expected for a new or returning rider.

How many miles did you put on the Lithia before it got painful? Did it just feel like bruising? How long before the pain went away?

When you say it's your first new road bike in 15 years, have you been riding another type of bike all along? If so, what kind of saddle is on your other bike(s)? Or have you not been riding at all up until now? Was that 7-10 miles a very short ride for you, or a long one, or average?


ETA: you may still need to tweak saddle tilt even after a very good professional fitting. For one thing, a tilt difference of just one degree can make a huge difference in comfort. (And if you don't have a micro-adjustable seatpost, you can shim it with a little piece of metal cut from a beer can.) For another thing... well, they don't measure you THERE.

I've been riding for a while now. The BIKE is new, but I'm not . Been riding for 6 years (to get back into shape after my 3 children), and spinning in the winter. My 15-year old entry level Trek road bike never fit me right, which is why I bought the new one. The old bike had a stock Serfas seat (don't ask me which--I have no idea), which worked fine--never an issue, but it was getting old. The new bike came with a stock Bontrager seat (a Trek also), which was cushy on the sit bones, but pinched in the front after a while. I NEVER had sit bone pain on any of my bike seats, which is why I was so surprised when I tried the new ones.

The Lithia 155 gave me sit bone pain after about 7-10 miles, which is a short ride for me. I tried riding it 3 times, for total milage of about 60 miles before I gave up on it. Pain went away as soon as I stopped riding.

Thanks for the tip on the tilt! The seat fitting put a level on the seat to make sure it was straight, but maybe just a little tilt down would have helped?

I'm so bummed about the Jett--I really wanted it to work. Just rode it in a triathlon this weekend, hammering the whole way (the bike is by far my best event), and hated the darn thing as soon as I hit around 7 miles. I move around on the bike, in the drops, out of the saddle, so it wasn't about me being lazy and just SITTING there!

[arim]

What is your sitbone measurement?

If you tell us, I bet you'll find a few folks with the same measurement and the same preferences (not too cushy, doesn't pinch, etc) and they can recommend the saddles they ride.

When measured for the Specialized saddles, I'm between a 143 and 155. They initially recommended the 155 Lithia in case I spend a lot of time in the hoods.

[Flur]

When measured for the Specialized saddles, I'm between a 143 and 155. They initially recommended the 155 Lithia in case I spend a lot of time in the hoods.

My understanding of saddle-fitting is that you can't really be between sizes - if your sitbone measurement is wider than what will fit on a 143 saddle, then you really need to be on a 155 saddle. So the girly-bits pain that you're having may be b/c the narrower saddles don't support your sit bones properly, leaving all your weight on the soft tissue. This is also why you're not having sit bones pain on the narrower saddles - your sit bones are not really ON the saddle! You should try a saddle in the 155 measurement with a bit more padding and see how that pans out. I ride a Specialized Ariel (it's a mountain saddle but looks great on my road bike). It's definitely got more padding than the Lithia and comes in 155. That might be a good option for you to try.

[arim]

My understanding of saddle-fitting is that you can't really be between sizes - if your sitbone measurement is wider than what will fit on a 143 saddle, then you really need to be on a 155 saddle. So the girly-bits pain that you're having may be b/c the narrower saddles don't support your sit bones properly, leaving all your weight on the soft tissue. This is also why you're not having sit bones pain on the narrower saddles - your sit bones are not really ON the saddle! You should try a saddle in the 155 measurement with a bit more padding and see how that pans out. I ride a Specialized Ariel (it's a mountain saddle but looks great on my road bike). It's definitely got more padding than the Lithia and comes in 155. That might be a good option for you to try.

I need to clarify--my apologies. I measure about 135. According to Specialized system, that puts me between a 145 and a 155, depending on my riding position (more time in the hoods and upright, I should be on a 155, more time at a 45 degree angle or less, the 143 is better). I got sit bone pain on the Jett 143, but I was told by my bike shop that they stopped carrying it because too many complained it was too firm, so that may be the reason there...

I tried a Fizik Vitesse in the bike shop yesterday and WHOH--I finally found a seat that was comfy on my tush! Problem was that the Vitesse does not have a cutout, and apparently from the pain I experienced up front on the trainer (RIGHT AWAY), I need a cutout. Its a Tri seat, and was a little long for my purposes anyway, but it made me very interested in Fizik seats.

Anyway, I'm presently trying the Terry Falcon X (Terry has a great 30 day love it or return it guarantee). It measures about a 152, and when I switched from the Vitesse to the Falcon, my girly bits thanked me. It feels a little stiff near the hind end--it might be too wide, but we'll see how I do on the road. I just don't like the way it looks on my bike.

Thanks so much to you all--all your advice is fantastic! I'll keep you posted on my trials. Keep your ideas coming! I could use all the help I can get!

And, thanks for the tip on the Ariel!

[Tuckervill]

Well, you can't see the saddle when your butt is on it!

Function over form, I say!

Karen

[VeloVT]

I tried a Fizik Vitesse in the bike shop yesterday and WHOH--I finally found a seat that was comfy on my tush! Problem was that the Vitesse does not have a cutout, and apparently from the pain I experienced up front on the trainer (RIGHT AWAY), I need a cutout. Its a Tri seat, and was a little long for my purposes anyway, but it made me very interested in Fizik seats.

You probably tried this model, right?
http://www.ebikestop.com/fizik_vites...ail-SA1826.php

It is a tri saddle... But Fizik makes a non-tri version of the Vitesse, and the nose shape is very different. I haven't seen the tri version, but I would guess that the nose is squishier than the regular version too. The Vitesse hp is quite firm. I think it's probably shorter as well (it's certainly not a long saddle).

Here's the regular version:
http://www.glorycycles.com/fivihpsabl.html

Not to sell you on the Vitesse, it may be completely the wrong saddle for you, but if you liked the rear of the tri saddle, it might be worth trying the regular version -- you may find that the firmer, lower-profile nose is more comfortable.

Good luck!