Am I doing it right?

[CyborgQueen]

****Sorry it's long, but it should be informative of my issue!****

Got my brand new Jamis Elite bike last week, I love how it rides, and the fact that it fits me for my short height!

I had the ProFit done (it's included with the purchase of the bike), and I thought I felt okay in the saddle. I knew it would be a different feel than regular "squishy" saddles that comes with Wal-mart type of bikes (My old bike was 10 year old Schwinn). After one day in the saddle with my bike shorts, I was sore as heck, especially my girly parts! I didn't know my bike came with stock male saddle, and I don't know why the LBS didn't suggest me a woman version. I am not thin, and it's obvious that I got a lot more padding in my rear end than I want.

Lesson Learned - do not wear jeans/underwear when getting ProFit done. *boink*.

Anyways, I immediately replaced it with Terry Butterfly Ti with the cut outs. My girly parts felt much more relieved, and no longer sore or feeling squished at all.

However - my question is this - how long should I give this saddle a chance before deciding that I hate it or I need to get it replaced again? The store has a 15-day return policy, but 15% restocking fee or something of the sort. I paid a nice chunk of change on this saddle, and I would hate to see that I didn't give it a try.

Right now, my sit bones is slightly sore, but not to the point where I cannot get comfortable. The saddle supports them, unlike the stock one. However, because of my previous fiasco with the male saddle, the sides of my legs where it meets the pelvis are sore, even after riding for a couple days with the new saddle.

I'm not sure if the saddle is making the soreness worse or the saddle is causing the soreness (since it's been sore for abt 5 days thus far), or I'm a new rider in a new position (from upright to road bike), or my bike shorts (I got it on sale...because it doesn't have chamois, but polyester fill padding type instead, what a *noob* eh?).

I have not experienced any saddle sores/chafting or any type of issues (I'm smart to use lube!).

I wanted to know if this is a normal "breaking in" type of thing for a newbie rider. I am not a racer, but I would love to do Centuries/charity rides/ just riding around the town for fitness. I'm getting slight pangs of guilt that I should have gotten the Brooks saddle, but no one I know has that in my group, so I can't "see it", and I needed to replace the male saddle immediately.

Thanks for any help/insights!

[sarahspins]

My experience with saddles.. you'll know within a few rides if things are getting better, or not... I went through a few myself, where they initially felt a lot better, but then not so much... as if the new issues each one created took a little while to reveal themselves.. but I knew within 3 or 4 rides that they were NOT the right saddle for me, I really didn't spend a long time wondering. Once I found the "right" saddle for me, I was totally comfortable after about a week, but I had no more soft tissue issues..

It's normal to be slightly sore at first.. especially when you are relatively new to cycling. I went through a few weeks of it a couple of months ago... but it should get better. Since I found a saddle that works for me, I don't have any pain/discomfort no matter how long I'm on the bike (so far, I'm still not doing super long distances, my longest ride so far was just short of 20 miles).

[tctrek]

You mentioned all the possible things it could be: being a new rider, the saddle, the new aero position or your shorts. So, this is a process of elimination that many of us have been through... and it ain't cheap sometimes to figure it out.

It looks like you knew right away that the saddle that came with your bike was wrong for you and went to another that's not as bad. But you still have some pain. So, new rider pain could last a week or two. Beyond that, it's probably going to be the saddle or the shorts. Depending on where the pain is, I guess it could also be the fit ie: if you are stretched out too much and putting too much pressure on female parts.

Kind of delicate subject, but I hope you aren't wearing anything with seams that could rub/chafe your soft tissue, such as underwear. You may want to try putting chamois cream on the seams of your cycling shorts. Make sure you are washing your shorts between rides so you don't create a science project. All cycling shorts are not created equal and like saddles, the chamois that works perfect for one girl is not so good for another.

For me personally, I need a very minimal saddle (I use the Selle San Marco Aspide Glamour) and very minimal chamois (the Castelli Kiss Chamois is my favorite). Any more padding than this and I am in agony after about an hour. Although I am a little over-weight, I have virtually no rear end and I don't like my sit bones sinking down into padding.

Hope it works out to just be "new rider behind".

[CyborgQueen]

Kind of delicate subject, but I hope you aren't wearing anything with seams that could rub/chafe your soft tissue, such as underwear. You may want to try putting chamois cream on the seams of your cycling shorts. Make sure you are washing your shorts between rides so you don't create a science project. All cycling shorts are not created equal and like saddles, the chamois that works perfect for one girl is not so good for another.

For me personally, I need a very minimal saddle (I use the Selle San Marco Aspide Glamour) and very minimal chamois (the Castelli Kiss Chamois is my favorite). Any more padding than this and I am in agony after about an hour. Although I am a little over-weight, I have virtually no rear end and I don't like my sit bones sinking down into padding.

Hope it works out to just be "new rider behind".

I've read the research ahead of time before purchasing bike shorts, but it was my fault that I didn't read the padding fill - I figured all bike shorts had Chamois, but obviously not all. :-) The very first thing I checked before purchasing was the seams. No seams in the middle at all on the padding, but there is a flat seams on the outside. I could not feel it at all. I do wash the shorts after every ride. I did that as soon as I started using it....I had enough reading of the "horror" science project stories...more than I need to know, but they're great lessons! I will be getting my PI shorts soon, so maybe I can see the difference, maybe not. :-)

It hasn't even been a week since I bought the saddle/bike. So, yeah, I'm hoping it was just a "newbie" kind of thing. I remember when I started skiing, I hated my ski boots because they were uncomfortable/stiff/not broken in (and it's one of the best ones for my feet and thick calves). It took a couple weeks for it to finally break in, and no discomfort, unless if I haven't skied in a while.

[Birdy]

I just purchased a new Cannondale women's Quick and boy was my bottom sore after the first ride. But I knew I needed to give it a few rides, so that my bottom could adapt. Now after only about 2wks of riding - guess what - it's not sore anymore.

Moral of the story - there's an adaption period. So use as much as possible as you can within the warranty period. It's possible that comfort may improve. Of course, it's also possible that the saddle is just wrong for you.

[bluebug32]

Is your saddle level? If not, you could be putting too much pressure on one area. Even the best saddle takes a certain break in time. I'd image that with a new bike, you're riding it more often than before, so your body needs to adjust to that position on the saddle.

Certainly the shorts are worth looking at. I've learned that big thick chamois doesn't equal a comfy, pillowy ride. It equals bunching up and saddle sores. So be sure that you've got enough padding, but that it's staying where it should be. Shorts should be tight, yet comfortable. Pull them up past your waist if that's what it takes to get that chamois flat and in place. If you're hurting already, chamois cream isn't a bad idea. I also find that removing any offending hair from the area reduces friction.

[Biciclista]

um, "Chamois" is not necessarily an animal skin. the padding or chamois in 99% of our bike shorts is some sort of polyester product.

Many women fit into men's saddles. Whether you are heavy or not does not matter; a lot of real heavy riders prefer smaller saddles, a lot of real skinny gals prefer the same... or bigger saddles. It's your bones and anatomy that matter the most in saddles, not fatty padding.

Tell us how many miles you have been riding; so we can compare to what you have done on this new saddle. Some pain and toughening of sit bones is normal.

Sitbones pain should be expected if you've never ridden very far; girlybits pain should NEVER be tolerated.

Sometimes the tiniest tweek in saddle angle will make all the problems go away. good luck.

[CyborgQueen]

um, "Chamois" is not necessarily an animal skin. the padding or chamois in 99% of our bike shorts is some sort of polyester product.

Many women fit into men's saddles. Whether you are heavy or not does not matter; a lot of real heavy riders prefer smaller saddles, a lot of real skinny gals prefer the same... or bigger saddles. It's your bones and anatomy that matter the most in saddles, not fatty padding.

Tell us how many miles you have been riding; so we can compare to what you have done on this new saddle. Some pain and toughening of sit bones is normal.

Sitbones pain should be expected if you've never ridden very far; girlybits pain should NEVER be tolerated.

Sometimes the tiniest tweek in saddle angle will make all the problems go away. good luck.

So far, I've ridden 26 miles (it's not much for 3 days ride, but I'm increasing mileage, will do some more tonight if I can (it's very hot in Vegas, so it's easier to go in the AM than nights) It's only been two rides since new saddle.

My girly bits is NOT sore at all, unlike it was with the first saddle, just my sit bones area and the area where the leg meets the pelvis. From what everyone seem to be saying is what I'm going through is pretty normal for a newbie. The saddle is level.

[Biciclista]

oh yeah, you've got to toughen up your backside
if it gets too bad, lay off for a couple of days. GOOD LUCK
HAVE FUN!

[CyborgQueen]

oh yeah, you've got to toughen up your backside
if it gets too bad, lay off for a couple of days. GOOD LUCK
HAVE FUN!

LOL! Love it...this deserves to be in my signature. :-)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Sitbone soreness is often normal for the first couple of weeks if you have not ridden much before. It indicates that your weight is being borne by your sit bones, which is GOOD! Just take a day off and don't increase your mileage too quickly. Then see how it feels after another week of riding.