Bone soreness at inner edge of pelvic bone

[Awsmile]

Have been reading the tips, but not seeing my difficulty here. I don't chafe so I don't use chamois cream, but my bones get sore. in order to get my sit bones anywhere near my saddle, I have to sit up very straight on the saddle as tall as I can. I have moved my seat forward a ridiculous amount. Did 60 miles the other day and my discomfort is not in my butt where my sit bones are, but in the very inside edge of my pelvis, right next to delicates. I ride on a Terry Cite X gel and was told that maybe I need a wider saddle, but it's already the widest Terry offers. What gives? I also have the nose tilted up a bit as I have to keep hiking myself back on my seat after sliding forward. Nowhere around my home to get a proper fitting. Any thoughts?

[ny biker]

I'm wondering if the rails on that saddle just aren't long enough for proper placement on your bike.

What type of bike do you have and how wide are your sit bones? If you need to measure them, there's a thread that tells you how.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=39475

[sarahspins]

was told that maybe I need a wider saddle, but it's already the widest Terry offers. What gives?

You probably do need a wider saddle. Unfortunately, a common pattern is that the wider the saddle, the more it is padded, and often it's the padding that causes problems in areas other than the sit bones, or they just flat out don't work well for road bike riding position. I've tried almost all of the Terry models and none of them work for me at all - my sit bones are literally hanging over the sides, which makes for a VERY uncomfy ride.

If you haven't had your sit bones measured, start there - you can DIY it or have someone at a shop do it, but until you do you won't know what you are looking for in your next saddle. By DIY measurements I was able to figure that my sit bones were about 165mm - then a few years ago I happened to get a pelvic x-ray and I got a printed copy of it and I was able to actually measure my sit bones on the x-ray... I am 168mm.

I have to date, found exactly two saddles that have worked for me. The now discontinued brooks B68 (I own 3), and the Selle SMP TRK - I really like the design of that saddle a lot (the cut-out is awesome), but it's too padded and I don't like the plastic covering (it's slippery when sweaty), however all of the lesser padded leather-covered SMP saddles are too narrow. I have tried a few other saddles that were okay on my sit bones, but the overall shape of the saddle caused other problems - typically they were too pear shaped for me. The "T" shape of the brooks works very well for me.

[ny biker]

The Cite X is 175 mm wide.

http://www.terrybicycles.com/Saddles...X-Gel-Saddle_2

Another possibility is a problem with the cutout -- too much pressure on the edges.

But the first thing is to find out how wide a saddle the OP needs.

[Owlie]

Have been reading the tips, but not seeing my difficulty here. I don't chafe so I don't use chamois cream, but my bones get sore. in order to get my sit bones anywhere near my saddle, I have to sit up very straight on the saddle as tall as I can. I have moved my seat forward a ridiculous amount. Did 60 miles the other day and my discomfort is not in my butt where my sit bones are, but in the very inside edge of my pelvis, right next to delicates. I ride on a Terry Cite X gel and was told that maybe I need a wider saddle, but it's already the widest Terry offers. What gives? I also have the nose tilted up a bit as I have to keep hiking myself back on my seat after sliding forward. Nowhere around my home to get a proper fitting. Any thoughts?

Ah, I know that feeling. You mentioned you keep sliding forward and you have moved the saddle forward. It sounds like you might be riding a saddle that's too "pear-shaped" for you (given how wide the Cite X is, I wouldn't be surprised), and the pedaling motion is pushing you forward onto the narrower part of the saddle, so that you're putting pressure on the bone forward of your sitbones. Measuring your sitbones can't hurt to make sure that you don't need a wider saddle.

[Awsmile]

That's a huge, cushy saddle. It's likely causing the area in question to be compromised.

I think you should try something more minimal, like maybe a Specialized Ruby saddle, and see how that goes (They have a 30 day return policy). It would be hard to diagnose what is wrong because every part of your current saddle has the opportunity to aggravate you and compress tissue and muscle against bone. Measure your sitbones before buying anything else, regardless.

Maybe something like this? (It's available in several sizes).

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/ftb...ns-ruby-expert

I used a Ruby for about 4 years, now I use a Romin. (A more cutout-aggressive version of the Ruby). The Romin is considered mens, the Ruby womens, but Specialized saddles tend to be unisex. You just have to select the correct width.

Also, have you had a good bike fitting so that you know if the saddle is placed correctly for you fore and aft? It sounds like your saddle is too far back.

Edit: just realized about the bike fitting issue. Can you move the saddle forward?

Thanks for the help from all of you who replied. Now you'll know what a newbie I really am - I haven't found anything on exactly HOW to measure my sitbones. Another thread said she'd tried flour, playdoh, and feet straight up in the air. Sounds a little wonky... Can you direct me to a good discussion of how to measure? I should also mention that I'm 62 and the estrogen is long, long gone, so my delicates are a good bit more delicate by the time I hit 50 miles than some of my younger rider friends! Thanks for any help. I'm loving this new sport but have so much to learn.

[lph]

Plenty of people don't know how :-) Someone else will be able to direct you to a description, but for starters - try just sitting on a hard chair or on your hands, rocking back and forth until you can clearly feel your sit bones. They sort of protrude down like a lumpy knob when you sit on a hard surface. It's good to get an idea of what they feel like before you start rolling around on your back :-D

I think I measured the distance between mine by rocking around on top of a sheet of paper on top of a yoga mat. But you can also do it by lying on your back, feeling with your hands and using a measuring tape, with help from a hubby or friend. Some bike shops have these squishy pillow things that take the imprint. It's not a very exact science, so I'd recommend you measure several times.

Many people find a harder saddle that fits well is more comfortable than a soft saddle. Sounds counter-intuitive, but having support exactly where you need it and nowhere else is a good thing.

[netskyblue]

By DIY measurements I was able to figure that my sit bones were about 165mm - then a few years ago I happened to get a pelvic x-ray and I got a printed copy of it and I was able to actually measure my sit bones on the x-ray... I am 168mm.

I have to date, found exactly two saddles that have worked for me. The now discontinued brooks B68 (I own 3), and the Selle SMP TRK - I really like the design of that saddle a lot (the cut-out is awesome), but it's too padded and I don't like the plastic covering (it's slippery when sweaty), however all of the lesser padded leather-covered SMP saddles are too narrow. I have tried a few other saddles that were okay on my sit bones, but the overall shape of the saddle caused other problems - typically they were too pear shaped for me. The "T" shape of the brooks works very well for me.

I know this is an old thread, but I'm gonna ask anyway - have you since found anything else that works? I think we must be sit-bone-twins, I'm the same measurement and the Selle SMP TRK is the only saddle I've found that works for me. I always want to keep trying though, in case perfection is still out there.