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

[aeiea]

Hello all,

I just got a new road bike a few days ago and wondered how long it would take to "wear in". Whether it's the saddle wearing in or my body (particularly sit bones) adjusting. Does this "wearing in" happen?

Basically, the saddle is hitting/mashing the girly bits in the front. I did some research on the forums but thought I should get more detail before making saddle adjustments or buying a new saddle.

I noticed this pain when I first rode the bike, so I asked the guy at the LBS if I should tilt the saddle down, and he said no (for various reasons that I forget). He did a fitting on me and said everything looked good. So I thought, ok, let me take a few days. But it has been a few days of pain!

If I sit further back on the saddle, there's less mashing of the girly bits, but requires more balancing of my sit bones on the back part of the saddle. It also feels better if I place my weight on the pedals, but I don't think that's right either. I've tried this both with the bike shorts and with normal shorts, same pain. Also, yesterday after riding a long time, I almost got a blister on my right hand.

Am I just positioned incorrectly? I'm used to a cushy mountain bike saddle, where I sit back, relax, and enjoy the slow ride, so maybe that's the problem.

[Cataboo]

Your sitbones will toughen up...

However, your girly bits up front are unlikely to... you can tilt the saddle down a little bit, but what that's going to cause is for you to slide forward, then you'll put more weight on your wrists and your wrists may hurt.

I don't know if it'll help a bit to slide your saddle forward on the rails since it sounds like you're sitting a bit forward on it? You do want your weight to rest on your sitbones, and not on your girlie bits.

A saddle with a cut out area in front is best for girlie bits - does your saddle have a cut out?

Blister on hand - are you holding too tight? where are you holding on the bike?

I guess if you post pictures of yourself riding the bike, some of us might try to comment on fit (which you should take with a grain of salt)

[HillSlugger]

Your sit bones will get used to your saddle, but your girly parts never will. You need to adjust the bike fit or switch the saddle to get some comfort.

I don't think the lbs guy should have dismissed you like that. You can try tilting the saddle down just a bit, but you don't want to be sliding forward at all. You can also try moving it forward.

WRT the blister, are you wearing bike gloves?

Good luck.

[aeiea]

thanks all... ok...

--Not wearing gloves; are you recommending I do so? I figured the blister was a result of me perhaps not sitting correctly. Or holding on tight to pull me up a bit from the girly pain.

--My saddle is the default one that comes with the Bianchi Dama She. It seems very weirdly shaped, long and thin with a bulb-shape at the back end. (my friend actually said it looks like a torture device). It seems to not have a cut-out, but I don't know what that is. Do you have a picture of a saddle that has a cut-out?

--Yes, I think that's what the LBS guy said -- if I tilt the saddle, more pressure will go to my wrists (which I don't want since I am already showing minor signs of tendonitis from computer work), and I"ll slide forward. So then I was like, ok, let's keep the saddle as is.

I'll try to post a picture, though that might take some time. The bike is http://www.bianchiusa.com/09-bicycle...ix-triple.html and the saddle is a Selle Royal Dardo Lady, whatever that means.

omgggg I want to wear a female version of a jock cup, lolsad.

[HillSlugger]

thanks all... ok...

--Not wearing gloves; are you recommending I do so? I figured the blister was a result of me perhaps not sitting correctly. Or holding on tight to pull me up a bit from the girly pain.

--My saddle is the default one that comes with the Bianchi Dama She. It seems very weirdly shaped, long and thin with a bulb-shape at the back end. (my friend actually said it looks like a torture device). It seems to not have a cut-out, but I don't know what that is. Do you have a picture of a saddle that has a cut-out?

--Yes, I think that's what the LBS guy said -- if I tilt the saddle, more pressure will go to my wrists (which I don't want since I am already showing minor signs of tendonitis from computer work), and I"ll slide forward. So then I was like, ok, let's keep the saddle as is.

I'll try to post a picture, though that might take some time. The bike is http://www.bianchiusa.com/09-bicycle...ix-triple.html and the saddle is a Selle Royal Dardo Lady, whatever that means.

omgggg I want to wear a female version of a jock cup, lolsad.

Your saddle does not have a cutout. It is an unusual shape for a woman's saddle.

I've always had my saddle slightly tipped down without sliding forward, but "slightly" is the important part.

Before you replace your saddle, try sliding it forward; you shouldn't make really big changes all at once, so make only like 1/2 inch changes with a ride inbetween.

[Sadie]

I'm having sort of the same problem also, only I tilted my saddle back so I would sit more on my butt, and less pressure on the girly parts. But I have to keep sliding back because I end up too far forward. I need a saddle fitting for sure.

[kmehrzad]

I'm having sort of the same problem also, only I tilted my saddle back so I would sit more on my butt, and less pressure on the girly parts. But I have to keep sliding back because I end up too far forward. I need a saddle fitting for sure.

I have a women's specific road bike and the bike shop swapped out the saddle that came with it for another that was more narrow because I was getting saddle sores. I really like the Specialized Jett Saddle 130 mm. In fact, I bought another one for my Bike Friday, a folding bike. You may need to try another saddle if the one you have continues to give you problems.

[Aquila]

First, congrats on your new, beautiful bike!

I agree with MDHillSlug about trying to move it forward a tad, maybe. But you might also go to the bike shop and try riding around on other saddles. (Even if it means trying out a different bike). Saddles vary widely, and so do our bodies; what works great for me might not for you. But it's likely you'll find a saddle you love that will fit well.

Good luck and contrats again!

ps. Gloves! Yay for gloves! They really do help.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Gloves are essential for when you are riding 25 mph and somehow fall and wind up skidding on your palms on asphalt. It's instinctual to put your hands out to break your fall, but it's not like falling while walking or even running. At higher speed, you can do horrible damage to your hands and wrists and nerves there, not to mention losing a lot of skin. PLEASE wear gloves- they are very important for safety.

[OakLeaf]

Gloves are essential for when you are riding 25 mph and somehow fall and wind up skidding on your palms on asphalt. It's instinctual to put your hands out to break your fall, but it's not like falling while walking or even running. At higher speed, you can do horrible damage to your hands and wrists and nerves there, not to mention losing a lot of skin. PLEASE wear gloves- they are very important for safety.

+1 - but 15 mph is plenty fast to lose a whole lot of skin. Even if "all" you have is road rash and no permanent damage, losing all the skin off the palms of your hands can keep you from working or doing just about anything for a couple of weeks. The guy who built the frame for my race bike did just that - didn't put his gloves on for just a "little" commute across campus, wound up with both hands in bandages for way too long.


Re: your saddle - search this forum for saddle fitting. You can do a couple of tests at home to figure out how wide a saddle you need and whether you need a cut-out or not (not everyone does, and for those who don't, a cut-out can actually cause problems). There's still quite a bit of trial and error involved in finding your perfect saddle, but you can narrow your search considerably by knowing those two things.

Another thing that can cause you to slide forward on your saddle is having a "pear-shaped" saddle (gradual transition from butt to nose) when you need a more "T-shaped" one (sharp transition). That was my experience anyhow - as I pedaled, my thighs would pull my butt forward to the narrower part of the saddle, because when my legs are extended, I don't have that much space between my thighs.

[Biciclista]

My son ended up in ER (my 28 year old son) after a slow mo fall onto his hand off his bike. Nothing heals slower than a palm. He won't ride a bike without gloves, and he's a tough guy.

please get gloves

and as for your saddle, please get it fitted. what helped with MINE was to turn the saddle ever so slightly UP in the front, which keeps me on my sit bones. But if your saddle isn't really supporting you correctly anyway; that might not help.
Good luck; there are lots of better saddles; i ride a brooks.

[GLC1968]

Another thing that can cause you to slide forward on your saddle is having a "pear-shaped" saddle (gradual transition from butt to nose) when you need a more "T-shaped" one (sharp transition). That was my experience anyhow - as I pedaled, my thighs would pull my butt forward to the narrower part of the saddle, because when my legs are extended, I don't have that much space between my thighs.

Ditto this, I had the same problem. And even though I've got a bigger lower body than upper body, until I started biking, I had no idea that my pelvis is actually quite narrow and my sit bones are close together. I need a narrow saddle which is totally counter-intuitive based on my shape. You just never know until you take some measurements!

In addition to the advice given here, there is one more potential issue to think about. If you are finding yourself sitting on the front of your saddle more than back on your sit bones, it may be that your reach to the bars is too long and you instinctively scoot forward to compensate. Soooo many different things come into play when it comes to comfort on a road bike...if one tweak doesn't work, don't give up. You should not have to live with pain (at least, not that kind of pain!).

[lo123]

If you think you'd benefit from trying a different saddle, ask the folks you ride with. Before I bought my saddle, I tried several other riders' old saddles. I didn't end up getting any of them, but it did help me figure out what I was looking for in a saddle.

[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.