Tandem Saddle Sore!

[WeLoveTandems]

I am the "stoker" (in the back) on a tandem. I ride differently, more upright than
I do on my single road bike. My butt and crotch areas become hot (and bothered)
riding the tandem. Do you have any suggestions for saddles for my situation?

[denise]

I am also the stoker of a tandem team, and I, too, have noticed that my riding position is different than on my single.

Our tandem came stock with a suspension seat post for the stoker. The reason is that on a tandem, road buzz, rattles and jounces are amplified by the time they reach the stoker. I was skeptical, but after some saddle time, I think it does help.

The stock saddle, however, was thrown out immediately. It was too wide and too soft. I put a nice, flat, hard Specialized Women's Pro saddle on, and that eliminated the butt soreness and numbness I was experiencing.

Finally, I found that since I tended to be out on the tandem longer (more miles), my older and cheaper cycle shorts didn't cut it. I invested in a pair of Pearl Izumi's, and they took care of the rest of the minor discomfort I was experiencing.

[Veronica]

I too have had a hard time finding shorts that work on the tandem. I have a Terry Butterfly saddle on it - and I'm probably going to change it out for a Brooks.

I wore Castelli shorts on the Death Valley Century last weekend (it's actually 105.2! miles) and really liked those. The Pearl Izumis have a lot of padding on the inside of the legs that just really bugs me.

A note about suspension seat posts - on a rough road, the nuts holding them on can be worked loose. Fortunately, I didn't find that out until after the ride was over!

[Veronica]

Well, I finally broke down and got a Brooks saddle. Actually my husband got tired of my complaining and bought it. Tried it out this weekend on a seventy mile ride. It's certainly more comfortable than my Terry Butterfly was. I think I still need to tweak the position a bit. The leather seems to be really hard, but when I am actually riding, I don't notice it. The cool thing is, the company we got it from has a six month return policy.

[swimbiker]

I bought the Brooks Finesse and have ridden it about 50 miles. The "sit bones" area of the saddle is fine, but the nose of it is killing me. Do you tilt your pelvis back or forwards when you ride on it? Did it get better when it gotten "broken in"?

[Veronica]

Neither of mine seemed to really need breaking in. For sure I'd look at the tilt. Ideally it should be flat I think. But we're all different and you may need yours tilted down slightly.


Veronica