how long to "wear in" a new bike? (aka Help the saddle is hurting my girly bits!)

[Yelsel]

Bikes are sold with the expectation that you will change the saddle... just like pedals, saddle preferences are very individual. So the stock saddles are really cheap - yours retails for $35-40. So at least you don't have to feel like you're chucking away a gold mine. (But it does come as a surprise to have to budget for pedals and saddle... I'm lucky that the Bianchi stock saddle worked fine for me until about 50 miles, so I didn't need to look for a saddle for quite awhile).

[jusdooit]

Unfortunately this is a real trial and error experience. If the saddle company doesn't have a return policy (i.e. Bontrager) the lbs may. Also, is there more than the lbs you purchased from nearby? I'd be hesitant to go back to where I had been dismissed.
I was having a similar problem and went for a fitting yesterday. The lbs guy made several adjustments. They included moving the seat forward, tilting the nose down a tiny bit and a shorter stem. A question he asked was did the pressure get worse when in the drops or on the hoods than upright on the bars? If so it may be more of a distance problem than a saddle problem. Have yet to ride any distance with the changes, but I'm hopeful.

[OakLeaf]

Different saddles can completely change the way you sit on the bike. I'm experiencing this right now even with a saddle that's pretty similar to my old one. So IMO there's not a lot of point to a detailed fitting until you find a saddle that's at least close enough to live with for a while.

[aeiea]

Thanks for the advice all! I made a few adjustments based on your recommendations and it's better. Not perfect, but better.

One thing, though, is that someone passed by on his bike and said my bike seat seems pretty low. I told him that's the highest it could go where my toes could still reach the ground (I'm short and my legs are short). He seemed doubtful. Could seat height be affecting my hurty parts?

I really want to be able to stop and have at least my toes touch the ground. If I raise the seat higher, I think I'd get nervous.

[tulip]

Eventually, you'll want to raise your seat because riding with a low seat causes all sorts of problem--particularly knees, although I can see how the girlie bits might also be taking alot more weight that need be.

You might really want to consider getting a professional bike fit. You won't be able to touch the ground with your toes while seated--that's not a proper fit. But you won't learn how to ride a bike properly if you don't get your toes off the ground!

[aeiea]

Eventually, you'll want to raise your seat because riding with a low seat causes all sorts of problem--particularly knees, although I can see how the girlie bits might also be taking alot more weight that need be.

You might really want to consider getting a professional bike fit. You won't be able to touch the ground with your toes while seated--that's not a proper fit. But you won't learn how to ride a bike properly if you don't get your toes off the ground!

I had it fit at the LBS when I got the bike (he spent about 20 minutes and said it looked like a good fit after minor adjustments), and the guy there said I could get more custom fit done -- but I figured I wanted some time with the bike first before I pull out the wallet.

Question -- so my toes shouldn't be able to touch the ground when I'm on the seat? They currently barely touch the ground, but I feel safer when coming to stops (which I will be doing a lot due to work commute). I brake, lean to one side (so that most of my foot is on the ground), and push off when it's green.

I worry that the process of getting off the seat (so I'm straddling that pole between the seat and the handlebars) takes more energy for stopping/starting (and I will be stopping a lot on the 18 mile commute through regular LA streets) than just being able to reach the ground and leaning to one side. However, I don't want to cause other problems, especially knee problems! I really just don't know what most people have when it comes to road bikes -- are most people really unable to touch the ground with their toes when they're seated?

[Cataboo]

On any bike... proper saddle height is when you're sitting in the saddle, your leg should be fully extended with a very slight bend to it (knees not locked) when your foot is on the pedal at the bottom of the stroke...

So basically, no, you shouldn't be able to reach the ground at all when you're up in the saddle... If your seat is too low, you're doing waaaay too much work to keep moving, and you probably are stressing your knees... If my saddle's too low, I definitely feel it in my knees.

Try inching your saddle up like 1/4 of an inch to 1/2 an inch at a time... Till you get it up to the proper height.

It really isn't a problem starting & stopping and not being able to reach the ground... all of us do it & a lot of us do it while using clipped in pedals, mountain bikers do it... you just naturally just lean your bike and stop. and as you get more familiar with biking... you may be doing more track stands or just pausing instead of actually putting your feet down when you stop.


One thing that I do sometimes when stopping in traffic... is if there's a curb, I'll rest my foot on that instead of leaning the bike.

This is actually kinda a pet peeve of mine... I'll ride on a multi use path or a bike path, and probably 80-90% of the women I pass have their seats too low... little girls included. Quite often you'll see a guy riding with his wife or gf - his seat is at the proper height, hers is too low and she's strugglign to keep up... I'd say probably about 40-50% of guys will have their seats too low.

[Cataboo]

Just checked a couple of my bikes - my smallest "road" bike that I commute on, I can barely clear flatfooted barefoot. I still touch the top tube, and I think that's a 43 cm surly frame. Obviously, with shoes on, I do better.

My litespeed, I don't clear barefoot. Stick me in shoes and I think I'd just barely touch the top tube.

If I was a guy, I might be in trouble.

[Biciclista]

Catriona, which bikes have you been riding barefoot?

[Cataboo]

Catriona, which bikes have you been riding barefoot?

none but I thought I saw someone said you have to be barefoot flat footed.

But maybe I just saw flatfooted.

[aeiea]

Catriona, which bikes have you been riding barefoot?

Co-ed naked cycling at the nearby nude beach?

[aeiea]

Listened to the various advice of people here... adjusted the seat (mostly raised it), figured out how to balance myself when stopping and dismounting.

It worked!!!!

Girly bits no more pain.
Knee no more pain.
Fear of falling from stopping gone.

And of course I feel more confident playing around with the adjustments now.

Thanks everyone!