Teaching an old dog new tricks (saddle!)

[Kelly126]

After ten years on a "comfort" bike, I bought a Giant Avail I for my 50th birthday and am gearing up for a 50 mile organized ride with a few friends. I have ridden 20 to 30 miles on a semi-regular basis on my old bike with a HUGE gel seat, but yesterday, after taking my new bike out with the stock seat, I, for the first time in my life, had a serious fear that I had damaged my "soft tissue" areas. I've had minor numbness issues before, but I am talking about swelling of VERY fragile parts. After reading some of the posts, it appears to me that (a) I'm not supposed to wear undies with my shorts? (b) I might need a new seat with cut outs? (c) I might actually have to "lube" either aforementioned parts or the gel pad in my shorts (Pearl Izumi Ultra Sensor Short)? What else? How could I have ridden this long and known so little? Help... (a friend bought the same bike & same shorts and we're haveing the same problem - all advice appreciated)

[TrekTheKaty]

Don't feel bad. It's happened to all of us. I also tried my new stock saddle--because DH said it looked cool (it was white). Nothing hurts more than road rash down there

Definitely no underwear under bike shorts!

When I get over 25-30 miles, my "regular" bike shorts aren't enough. I've invested in some more expensive SheBeest for longer rides.

Chamois cream can't hurt to minimize friction, but isn't necessary.

Saddles--whew! I believe there is a forum just for saddles. It's a very personal choice and involves trial and error. I use a Brooks.

After chafing down there, my SheBeest shorts and Brooks saddle didn't seem like such an expense

[zoom-zoom]

Yep, I love my saddle with a cut-out. I have a Selle-Italia Lady Gel Flow...so far, so good. It's not great on a trainer, but everyone tells me that no saddle is comfy on the trainer. The saddle that came with my bike was a bad fit everywhere--too narrow through the sit bones.

Definitely no to the undies with shorts. I have learned to go commando while running, too...either tights with no panties or a running skirt that has an attached brief with reversed seams.

I use chamois butter for anything over an hour, though I'm sure once I get outside that I won't use it for anything under 2.

[KnottedYet]

I'd really suspect sitbone width to saddle width is a major contributor to your distress.

If you could stand a huge gel saddle for 20-30 miles but then have big problems on a different saddle, I'd suspect width.

Lots of folks have problems from too much gel or cushion (because it compresses upwards) on the huge gel saddles and find them uncomfortable for the substantial rides you've done on it. Thick gel and cushion saddles often chafe and compress tissues worse than standard saddles. Loss of the gel is less likely in my mind to have caused this much trouble. What may be more likely is that you were weightbearing on your pelvic floor tissues and compressing the pudendal nerve and blood vessels and grinding the nose of the saddle into the softer bits, because the new saddle is narrower and maybe too narrow for the portion of your pelvis that contacts it.

Ideally you should be weightbearing on your sit bones. Sitting on a bike saddle with full weight on it (like, take your feet off the pedals) should be no more uncomfortable than sitting on a hard wooden chair.

You mentioned reading saddle posts already, so you've probably already found the saddle sizing threads. It really might be worth your time to do the various sizing tests. (BTW, hip width has very little correlation to ischial tuberosity width or pubic rami angle, so don't listen to bike shop boys who try to tell you what size you need just by looking at you.)

I have wide ischial tuberosities (in the 180mm range) and when I first got my Brooks B67 (210mm across the saddle cheeks) I nearly wept for joy over how incredibly unbelievably comfortable I was. Somewhere out there is the saddle for you, too! And you will probably feel that "aaaahhh" moment when you find it!

The right saddle is just as individual as the right pair of shoes. Sometimes it takes "trying on" several and a lot of trial and error. When you find the right saddle, buy 2 or 3 extra. Companies are notorious for changing designs.

[featuretile]

Both my new bike (Ruby Compact) and my previous bike (Specialized Vita) came with a Specialized Dolce WSD seat. I know that saddle comfort is individual, but this seat is really comfortable, so it would be worth a try. The only time I felt sore, was the first time I rode the new bike because the seat was tipped up a little too much for me. I tilted it down a little, and it was great the next time. So, that is something you could try with your existing saddle or a new one.

[Kelly126]

"Knotted Yet," I think you're right. I'm envisioning sitting on the seat and I think my pressure points are in the wrong spots. The thing that really threw me is that the tissue that's causing pain and seems most aggitated is an area that I thought of as somewhat protected by exterior parts. It has to be a compression problem. I appreciate all of your responses - it really helps.

[MartianDestiny]

I'd really suspect sitbone width to saddle width is a major contributor to your distress.

This.

Have a bike shop measure your sitbones (I know any Specialized dealer will be able to do this), and that will give you an idea what width saddle you need.

Cutouts could help, but they won't make a difference if you still buy the wrong width! (My saddles happen to have cutouts, but that's not why I bought them).

And yes, you are correct, no undies with the bike shorts.

Honestly, I've never used chamois cream and never had an issue. My typical ride is 40-55 miles and I have done centuries. Other people swear by the stuff. The cream will help primarily with any saddle sore or ingrown hair issues; it won't help with private area issues that are due to an ill fitting saddle.

Good luck and have fun at the ride