Ouch! Shorts v. saddle as culprit...

[KathiCville]

Howdy...Hoping for a some wisdom here! Today I did a 49-mile ride and by the time I hit mile 40 I could barely sit on my saddle. By mile 49 I was in such agony that I literally could NOT make it to the 50 that I had planned.

Here's what happened and my questions:

1) My new bike with new saddle (Bontrager) is only about a month old. Longest ride to date on new bike was 22 mi, so today's ride was a big jump. (But I had been doing 40-50 milers on my 'old' bike, so the mileage today wasn't the main issue.) BF has tweaked the new bike pretty well for comfort, at least up to 22 miles. :-))) Saddle height *seems* OK, at least as far as my legs are concerned. No perceptible rocking back and forth across the saddle.

2) Wore my brand-new Louis Garneau Neo Power shorts today. I wore them on a quick 10-mile test ride last night and had no problems--no chafing, no odd pressure points.

3) On today's ride, by mile 30 I was really feeling the saddle whenever I leaned forward to shift gears. Some pressure on my 'privates' in the front that was, ummm, pretty annoying. No chafing per se, but definitely sore, even with a dollop of chamois butter before I started out. Saddle is level at the moment.

4) After about mile 35 or so I began to feel my sitz bones in a way that I had never yet experienced with this saddle. Within 5 miles I was so conscious of the saddle that I couldn't think about anything else! I got up off the saddle as much as I could; moved forward, moved backward; could BARELY stay seated for more than 5 seconds. No chafing, just tremendously uncomfortable pressure.

5) I threw in the towel at a little over the 49-mile mark. I was tired, but could have gone on for another 10 miles or so if not for my butt!

So, here's the question. Since the chief symptom seems to be painful pressure, not chafing, is the more likely culprit the saddle, not the shorts?

I ask because I'm not sure what to do next---a similar ride with the new saddle, but with old shorts that I know 'work' OK on a long ride? Or switch out the new saddle for my older, semi-comfortable Terry Butterfly and then try a long ride with the new shorts?

Given how miserable I was today, I'd like to try to hedge my bets and pick the option that is least likely to bring on an encore of pppaaaaaiiinnnn.

BF thinks it's the shorts, but having just spent $100 on them I loathe the (expensive) possibility that they're the problem, LOL!

Thoughts?? Thanks!!!

[tulip]

Bontrager saddles have a pretty awful reputation. What kind of saddle was on your old bike? The Butterfly? Sounds like you changed everything all at the same time: bike, saddle, and shorts. I'd start with the saddle, since those kind are generally considered to suck.

[nolemom]

I replaced by Bontrager that came on my bike with a Terry Firefly. It made all the difference in the world. Since your old saddle is readily available, I would give it a try.

[MartianDestiny]

I too would swap the saddle first. That seems the most likely culprit.

[cosc]

I had ridden on several week tours this summer with most average days of 70+ miles. The sit bones area was so painful with the pressure on the back rim of the saddle. My ruby saddle was great when riding fewer miles and non-consecutive days.
I bought the neo-powerLG shorts and wore them 2 days at ragbrai this week and had no problem with a painful bottom.
I think you should try your new shorts with your old saddle.
I thought the shorts pad might be too thick in the front, but they worked wonders for me. Best of luck at finding something that works.

[KathiCville]

Sounds like the saddle is probably the main problem! Thanks for the input!

I'll swap out the Bontrager for my old Terry Butterfly and try another long ride in the LG shorts (as soon as my butt recovers from yesterday's 'adventure'.) I'm not in love with my Terry but I've never hurt on it the way I did on the Bontrager! I've ridden up to 75 miles on the Terry and felt "ok" at the end of the ride.