Embarassing Saddle Issues...

[alexis_the_tiny]

Thanks for the replies. =) Unfortunately, the LBS here don't seem to have a try and buy thing for saddles but I have friends who hoard saddles and another rider let me try her Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow which seemed nice - large cut out in the right place, hard as anything and not too wide at the back. Has anyone tried out that saddle for long periods of time before? I've also managed to hunt down the ONE female bike fitter in town, will be seeing her soon, thank god. Padded tights drive me so insane I won't even consider riding with them, the first pair I had taught me a hard enough lesson. I prefer these De Soto tri tights that have nothing but a fleece lining, for me, the fleece is all that's necessary, really.

[PamNY]

Unfortunately, the LBS here don't seem to have a try and buy thing for saddles

Did you try to negotiate with them? I spoke to the manager at my neighborhood LBS and pointed out that I could get a tryout period from some saddle companies and that competing retailers were very cooperative and used this as a major marketing tool.

I ended up getting what I wanted (and he put it in writing). Turned out I loved the saddle so no need to return it, and they've gotten repeat business and recommendations from me.

Doesn't hurt to ask.

[RolliePollie]

I recently switched saddles because of this very same issue. My old saddle (a Terry Butterfly) suddenly became a torture device.

Now I'm riding a Terry Falcon X...got it brand new on eBay for around $35...and it's great. Much firmer and less padding, a little narrower, and a longer/wider cutout. It took a few rides to get used to the harder less cushy padding, but now it's feeling great.

[alexis_the_tiny]

Did you try to negotiate with them? I spoke to the manager at my neighborhood LBS and pointed out that I could get a tryout period from some saddle companies and that competing retailers were very cooperative and used this as a major marketing tool.

I ended up getting what I wanted (and he put it in writing). Turned out I loved the saddle so no need to return it, and they've gotten repeat business and recommendations from me.

Doesn't hurt to ask.

I'm not quite sure, really. But yes, I could always ask or get someone who's friendly with the LBS to ask.

[abejita]

Thanks for the replies. =) Unfortunately, the LBS here don't seem to have a try and buy thing for saddles but I have friends who hoard saddles and another rider let me try her Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow which seemed nice - large cut out in the right place, hard as anything and not too wide at the back. Has anyone tried out that saddle for long periods of time before? I've also managed to hunt down the ONE female bike fitter in town, will be seeing her soon, thank god. Padded tights drive me so insane I won't even consider riding with them, the first pair I had taught me a hard enough lesson. I prefer these De Soto tri tights that have nothing but a fleece lining, for me, the fleece is all that's necessary, really.

I don't do padded shorts either. I do love the de soto tri capris. That is all I ride in. Sometimes for shorter rided (less than 30 miles) I'll just wear running tights.

[nerdgirl]

Wow, I thought I was the only one who went through this! LOL

I use a good chamois under my baggies, but it wasn't enough. I bought a gel saddle. It looks on the bigger side for my mountain bike, but I don't give a crap-- this is my pink parts we're talking about! Image means nothing compared to the well-being of that!

I also tilted the saddle down just a shade, which solved the problem almost entirely. I say almost, because if I'm on my bike doing lift runs for 6 or more hours, it is bound to get numb and hurt. After all, there's only so much impact the poor thing can take!

[marni]

today on bicycling.com there was an interesting article on homemade and simple otc remedies for saddle issues.

marni

[XMcShiftersonX]

I've been having this same problem as of late. I think it's due to the fact that a couple weeks ago I flipped my stem so my handle bars are down lower, so now I'm leaning down further and putting more pressure there. I currently ride on the fizik vitesse tri seat. I'm going to try adjusting the saddle. Hopefully that will be all I need because I just got this seat in Dec. and I would hate to waste that money!!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

One of the issues that arises when you use a bike posture that has you leaning way down on the drops with your saddle higher up is that it tends to take your weight off your sit bones and put more pressure on your front girl parts. The more extreme the leaning down position, the more difficult it becomes to find a comfortable saddle solution. If you read this forum for a period of several years, you can see that this, along with the typical woman's reach problem, are the two most common biking problems we women seem to have trouble with.
This frontal pressure issue is sometimes not such an issue if you are racing or doing short fast club rides, but can certainly become more of a problem in longer distance rides like touring. That's really why touring bikes tend to have you sitting a little more upright.
It's rather tricky to balance speed and comfort. Can be done, but it can get complicated to find the right solution for each person.

[roadwrider]

I support everything alimey said, and this:

... really padded shorts don't help as they just take up space in the cutout...

... has been a curiosity of mine for awhile. I keep looking for shorts that also use the cutout philosophy. Not literally, of course, (c'mon, admit it, some of you went there) but where the girly-bits area is thin with little or no padding. My un-design engineer mind thinks that would help airflow too.

Thoughts?

[KnottedYet]

If you don't need padding there, why put padding there?

If you put a big padded chamois into a short to protect the 'taint, yet then cut out the chunk under the 'taint because it's too thick... what's the point of the chamois in the first place?

Remember, a chamois was originally simply that: a piece of chamois leather sewn over the area of the knitted shorts where all the seams met. It was there to protect your skin from rough seams, not to protect your tush from a poorly fitted saddle.

If someone tells me they are having trouble with padded shorts, I strongly suggest they stop wearing padded shorts. They look at me like I'm a nut! But seriously, why wear padded shorts if they are uncomfortable? It is possible to go without the padding. The world won't stop turning if you buck the current fashion trend.

I find I'm happiest in unpadded UnderArmour compression shorts on an unpadded saddle. Medium length (50 miles or so) rides are so much more comfortable this way. I haven't ridden a long ride since I gave up on the padded shorts, so I can't give any data on that.

Sometimes, simpler is better.

[Kathi]

Sounds like you have some guys who are doing your bike fit, hopefully they are knowledgable, so the setup should be correct.

How much air are you, or they, putting in your tires? I love my Specialized Ruby saddle and have had no issue until today. I just had my bike tuned and the shop put on new tires. I forgot to tell them I run 100 PSI in my tires. I don't know what they pumped them to but by the end of 30 miles I was miserable, my sit bones were killing me, and I was hating my saddle, plus, I was feeling every bump in the road. We stopped at REI, where they have a pump on hand, and I took the air down to 100 PSI. I couldn't believe the difference. The last 32 miles of the ride were heaven.

The manufacturer of my tires recommends 100 PSI for a 100 lb rider. If you're a lightweight you may need less air than the guys recommend. Experiment with what feel good to you.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Medium length (50 miles or so) rides are so much more comfortable this way. I haven't ridden a long ride since I gave up on the padded shorts, so I can't give any data on that.

50 miles is a 'medium length' ride ?

hmm...50 miles pretty much takes me 6 hours, or most of the day.

[alexis_the_tiny]

Sounds like you have some guys who are doing your bike fit, hopefully they are knowledgable, so the setup should be correct.

How much air are you, or they, putting in your tires? I love my Specialized Ruby saddle and have had no issue until today. I just had my bike tuned and the shop put on new tires. I forgot to tell them I run 100 PSI in my tires. I don't know what they pumped them to but by the end of 30 miles I was miserable, my sit bones were killing me, and I was hating my saddle, plus, I was feeling every bump in the road. We stopped at REI, where they have a pump on hand, and I took the air down to 100 PSI. I couldn't believe the difference. The last 32 miles of the ride were heaven.

The manufacturer of my tires recommends 100 PSI for a 100 lb rider. If you're a lightweight you may need less air than the guys recommend. Experiment with what feel good to you.

Kathi, that's interesting. I currently pump my tires to 100 or 110 PSI. I weigh somewhere in the range of 94 to 97lbs. But if I were to lower my tires pressure, wouldn't it put me at higher risk for flats?

I had the same problem again this morning and realized that I felt a little dry there and the fleece was really rubbing and chafing while I pedaled. Maybe I should throw in a dab of KY jelly there in addition to a new saddle...

[Kathi]

Kathi, that's interesting. I currently pump my tires to 100 or 110 PSI. I weigh somewhere in the range of 94 to 97lbs. But if I were to lower my tires pressure, wouldn't it put me at higher risk for flats?

I had the same problem again this morning and realized that I felt a little dry there and the fleece was really rubbing and chafing while I pedaled. Maybe I should throw in a dab of KY jelly there in addition to a new saddle...

Nope, you don't have enough weight and too much air will toss you around more. Actually, I thought the same thing as you, but I tried it and couldn't believe the difference. I've been running 100 psi about 4 yrs without issue even on city streets. I also do this on my mtn bike, have ridden 30-35 psi with no problems. I weigh 105 so you might be able to go lower. Experiment and see.

Handlebar height can also contribute to this problem. My very well thought of male bike fitter missed the fact that I have short arms. No matter what saddle I tried I was miserable without tilting the nose down. Consulted a different fitter and it turned out my handlebars were 4cm too low for me.