Seat Discomfort

[RitaL]

Hi,

I'm about ready to dump my new road bike in a ditch. It's so uncomfortable! The dealer is no use. They are a ski shop and bikes are a sideline.

Anyway, I think I have the seat height right. Also the fore-and-aft position. The problem is extreme discomfort and pressure, mostly on my pubic bone. This has happened with 3 different saddles, various seat and handlebar heights, various fore-and-aft positions, and various up-or-down tilts. Nothing seems to make a difference. Is there any possible cause I might have missed? (Other than some odd body geometry?) <grin>

TIA

Rita

[Mary T.]

Sometimes seat trouble comes from the way you are sitting on the saddle. On a road bike you are not supposed to just sit straight up and bend over to the handle bar. You should pick yourself up on your pedals and rotate your hips slightly (sticking your butt up in the air). I am much more comfortable with my sit bones on the very back of the saddle. Plus it takes a while to build up a sort of callus that comes with time in the saddle. Not that there really is a callus per say, it is like breaking in a new pair of shoes, every spring you also have to break in your butt/crotch when you get a new bike or after a few months or weeks off. With the right saddle and position it gets better quickly.

PS- it sounds like you have the nose too high. Take a yard stick and place it long ways on the saddle to see if it is level. Or it could be your bike is too big for you. Ask some seasoned cyclists or racers if possible.

[roadie gal]

I agree with Mary T's thought that the bike might be too big. If you have to stretch way out to reach the hoods or the brakes, you're going to be putting a lot of pressure on the pubic bone. Do you have any standover height? If you have about an inch then the bike is probably the right size. If so, then your stem may be too long. Swapping to a shorter stem may go a long way toward fixing the problem even if the bike is a size (or 2) too big.

[Jen]

I was thinking of switching to a shorter stem but read you should not go more that 2cm shorter than what you have because if affects the handleing. That doesn't see enough to matter. The bike shop raised my handlebar height to bring the brakes closer but it looks funky. How stretched out should you be when your hands are on the brakes?

[annie]

I was thinking of switching to a shorter stem but read you should not go more that 2cm shorter than what you have because if affects the handleing. That doesn't see enough to matter. The bike shop raised my handlebar height to bring the brakes closer but it looks funky. How stretched out should you be when your hands are on the brakes?

You should be able to reach the brakes and ride on the hoods while comfortably keeping a slight bend in your elbows. You should never have your elbows locked out in order to reach.

annie

[trigurl]

Can we assume you have a saddle with a cutout?? that makes a difference, if you do, try a man's saddle with the cutout, that is what I find more comfortable. The one I have has a wider cutout than others I looked at.

[bcipam]

It's well worth the money, to save the investment in your bike (and saddles and stems etc.) to pay some money to have a proper fitting. Most decent bikes shops and clubs know of someone who does fittings. Get it done right the first time around. Why hassel and guess!