Saddle problems...

[Mia]

Hey Girls,

I am doing something wrong....I need your help. This will probably seem like a dumb question, but as I am still not getting it, maybe you could enlighten me. I am sitting on my saddle wrong in some way, or I need a new saddle. Yes, I had my sit bones measured... At first I was sitting kind of perched on the fat part of the saddle-that made me sore in the nether regions and hurt the backs of my legs. My DH said I was supposed to be putting all of my weight on my pubic bone and sitting further forward. Now my sit bones are hanging off the edge of the skinny part of the seat. I am having soft tissue pain every where there is soft tissue! Should my sit bones be resting on the part of the seat where it goes from skinny to fat? I can't stay uncomfortable all the time, and I can't imagine giving up riding for something so stupid! You girls have always came through for me in the past...

[Squirrel 2]

yes, to both questions -- you are sitting on your saddle wrong, and you need a new saddle. sorry to contradict DH, but he is dead wrong -- you do not sit so that your weight goes on your pubic bones. that is a sure-fire way to hurt yourself. you might need to sit further forward, as he suggests, but your weight should go squarely on your sit-bones, not on the soft tissue, and not on the pubic bones. normally, saddles are designed so that the widest part is wide enough to accommodate your sit-bones & properly support. your sit-bones should not be hanging off the side of the saddle. sounds like this saddle is not working.

[CorsairMac]

not sure what you mean by "the backs of your legs"? were the back of your thighs sore?....as in muscle soreness?....or was it higher up where the backs of your thighs hit the saddle? I sit on my sit bones which rest right about where the saddle "flares". Even in the drops I don't sit on my pubic bones. Sounds like you might need to try out some new saddles - and don't worry, we've All been there done that!

[Irulan]

My DH said I was supposed to be putting all of my weight on my pubic bone

ow ow ow ow ow

that is so wrong!!!! you need to be supported by your sit bones. Ask him to try and ride that way for a few hours.

[Mia]

Thank-you so much for your help...I appreciate it very much. I'm looking at new saddles now, and I already am trying something a little wider than my old one. Maybe one of the Terry's since they have a 30 day return policy.
By the backs of my legs, I meant the area where your leg ends and butt begins. I was sitting too far back and the seat was putting pressure there when I pedaled. I had a hysterectomy about 18 months ago and am still having some problems from that...Scar tissure maybe? Anyway I am pretty irritated inside now from all this wrong positioning. I think I will give my body a rest for a week or so and then try again. Thanks again for your help.

[RoadRaven]

Oh dear!!!

I agree with Irulan... that advice about weight on your pubic bone is just wrong.

Remember women and men are different physiologically, and men tend to have the nose of a seat a little higher then women do...

Do you have a woman at your LBS (or a man with a female cycling partner) you could talk to and who could help fit you to your bike and your saddle?

Good luck...