Pains when riding

[bluerider]

you might need to get a different saddle. When I got my tandem
the seat on it was a woman's seat with a cut out. I knew that no amount of riding was EVER going to improve that agony. I went through 3 other saddles before (including a Terry butterfly) before i said the heck with the cut outs
i want a BROOKS!
and lived happily ever after.

Yeah! Happily ever after sounds good...

The weird thing is I've had this saddle before...and it never really gave me problems...so I hope it's the fit and not the saddle...

Most times I appreciate the unique differences of my body, but sometimes that uniqueness takes longer to find the perfect fit!

[Kathi]

Bluerider, I understand about wanting to ride distances at this time of year. I got my Serotta 2 weeks before my bike tour (400 miles) in N. Dakota.

I was really concerned because my longest day on the tour was going to be 80 miles and my longest ride this season was only 54 miles and I had a new bike and a hurting knee. Then the bike fitter said don't be so gung ho!

Anyway, it all worked out.

I'm sorry you're not happy with your new bike as I love mine the more I ride her. She just feels so comfortable and fitted perfectly to me. I didn't think I could get a stock frame to fit me well, that's why I did custom. I'm so glad I did.

[bluerider]

Bluerider, I understand about wanting to ride distances at this time of year. I got my Serotta 2 weeks before my bike tour (400 miles) in N. Dakota.

I was really concerned because my longest day on the tour was going to be 80 miles and my longest ride this season was only 54 miles and I had a new bike and a hurting knee. Then the bike fitter said don't be so gung ho!

Anyway, it all worked out.

I'm sorry you're not happy with your new bike as I love mine the more I ride her. She just feels so comfortable and fitted perfectly to me. I didn't think I could get a stock frame to fit me well, that's why I did custom. I'm so glad I did.

Thanks Kathi. I'm glad you finished the tour!!!

I went back tonight and the owner was awesome, spent half an hour tweaking the saddle and my positioning and making me ride before I left the store. Apparently the saddle was positioned too forward, essentially scrunching me up so moving it back alleviated the nose off my sensitive bits.

I wish I had the $$$ for a custom but amazingly I've owned two 47cm have fit me very well, plus or minus my saddle woes!!!

[Kalidurga]

I went back tonight and the owner was awesome, spent half an hour tweaking the saddle and my positioning and making me ride before I left the store. Apparently the saddle was positioned too forward, essentially scrunching me up so moving it back alleviated the nose off my sensitive bits.

You're right that it's quite a journey, and it's not even just the saddle and position. Before my fitting, I had decided that it was a saddle/position/chamois geometry riddle, and I failed math! Let us know after a couple of rides if the adjustments you got did the trick.

[bluerider]

Hi everyone,

A brief update on the pains....I rode comfortably for a little while after my last adjustment and now the pains are back...but it's really strange, I've developed saddle sores on my left side only...how does that happen!?!?!?!?

I have really good shorts and use Chamois Butt'r religiously. I'm a fairly experienced rider. The rest of the bike fit feels great. I feel comfortable, stable, and everything fits okay. How can it only be one side that is creating an issue?

I am planning on changing the saddle from the Selle Italia Lady Gel to a San Marco Glamour Aspide. I find the Lady Gel too wide in the rear and the cutouts only comfy when I find that sweet spot.

I rode 100km last weekend and almost cried when I got off the bike. The distance hurt but it was more the saddle that was pinching that hurt more.

I don't want to go back to the bike shop anymore...I sound like a whiner...

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Won't you consider trying a Brooks leather saddle? Look at the saddle threads- the Brooks have more fans than any other saddle. I'm a true believer myself.
My 2 cents: having to sit on all those lumps of gel and foam is probably what's hurting you...

(remembering my one AGONIZINGLY PAINFUL 2 hour ride on a borrowed soft cushy foam so-called "comfort" saddle)

[PinkBike]

bluerider, if you figure it out let me know!! i only get pains on the left side of my . . . um . . . . nether-regions, too. i also only get foot pains on the bottom of my left foot, but i think that might be that it's the foot that takes all the weight every time i clip out (with my right foot) at a stop. i think maybe that one-leg-shorter-than-the-other phenomenon may be the reason for the saddle sores on only one side, too. don't know how to fix it or how to find out. any ideas out there?

[bluerider]

Won't you consider trying a Brooks leather saddle? Look at the saddle threads- the Brooks have more fans than any other saddle. I'm a true believer myself.
My 2 cents: having to sit on all those lumps of gel and foam is probably what's hurting you...

(remembering my one AGONIZINGLY PAINFUL 2 hour ride on a borrowed soft cushy foam so-called "comfort" saddle)

Thanks Lisa. My local LBS don't carry Brooks. Can I buy this online? What do you like about the Brooks specifically? Based on a picture and nothing else, they look really padded? I like a stiff saddle and a narrower nose. But it does look like a lot of the ladies here like this saddle!

[bluerider]

bluerider, if you figure it out let me know!! i only get pains on the left side of my . . . um . . . . nether-regions, too. i also only get foot pains on the bottom of my left foot, but i think that might be that it's the foot that takes all the weight every time i clip out (with my right foot) at a stop. i think maybe that one-leg-shorter-than-the-other phenomenon may be the reason for the saddle sores on only one side, too. don't know how to fix it or how to find out. any ideas out there?

Thanks PinkBike. I'm glad I'm not suffering through this alone. But it is really strange. I just want it to go away!!! I am left-handed but that shouldn't have anything to do with it!!!

Btw, that book looks like the 2006 2200 Trek WSD? I am a Trek rider myself.

[PinkBike]

its a 2005 trek madone 5.2 (in the red/white/blue usps-type paint job, the "clonestrong"), i had it custom painted

[bluerider]

its a 2005 trek madone 5.2 (in the red/white/blue usps-type paint job, the "clonestrong"), i had it custom painted

OMG!!! I love it!!! Sorry, I totally had the wrong bike. But I love it!

[emily_in_nc]

Saddle sores/pain on only one side can be caused by a leg-length discrepancy. But I am sure there are many other causes.

Good luck!

Emily

[Rebeccah]

Saddle sores/pain on only one side can be caused by a leg-length discrepancy. But I am sure there are many other causes.

Good luck!

Emily

Well, here's something interesting I discovered while fine-tuning the fit of my new B.67S (Brooks) saddle:

You know how the clamp for the seat has ridges for adjusting on both sides? Well, if you get the left and right side adjustments off by one notch, or a half a notch, or somehow just not exactly seated right on both sides, then one side of the saddle ends up a small fraction of an inch higher than the other, and one side can get sore from impingement while the other side is fine.

Ask me how I know.

Rebeccah

(of course, a leg length discrepancy can do it, too)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Thanks Lisa. My local LBS don't carry Brooks. Can I buy this online? What do you like about the Brooks specifically? Based on a picture and nothing else, they look really padded? I like a stiff saddle and a narrower nose. But it does look like a lot of the ladies here like this saddle!

Au contraire...it is NOT padded, it's heavy leather, and it slowly forms to the shape of your own butt as you break it in. I think the Brooks saddles have more comfortable fans here on the forum than any other type saddle. Read some of this thread, it has all the Brooks saddle info you'll ever need:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=1493