Reply With QuoteNarrower saddle, get the saddle off your arse bones
I know there are some keen cyclists amongst members. I fall in to the mature age, leisure category, local roads, towpaths, paths through parks and woodlands.
I’ve recently got rid of my old hybrid, front suspension forks, sprung seat post, padded saddle, I could ride for several hours comfortably.
My new bike has a solid seat post and Bontrager Sports saddle, barely 45 minutes and my arse goes critical around my sitting bones.
What brings the best improvement to comfort? Padded shorts, a wider saddle, sprung seat post, saddle cover, toughening up and getting used to it, getting my old bike back from the person I gave it to? Straight handle bars and a quite upright riding position.
Ta for any tips.
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Narrower saddle, get the saddle off your arse bones
Replicating what worked before would seem to be the easiest solution. Buy the same saddle and whack it on your new bike.
This: https://www.terrybicycles.com/saddles Do a quick search for the UK's sales rep.
And your troubles will be gone.
I bought a new bike exactly a year ago and a co-worker (>10k kms/yr on various bikes) gave me the advice to ask for a Terry saddle fitting test. I had to sit on a pressure plate and that showed the distance between my bones. The seller picked a saddle from the wall, one that was suited for the distance of my bones. I had and have no saddle pain (anymore).
Highly recommended
Menno
Many thanks, I’ll take a look.Originally Posted by thieuster
And, Happy Birthday! Am I right, it’s around about now isn’t it?
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This is counter intuitive to me. If your pubic bones are not taking the weight, then surely it is left to your more soft, squishy and delicate parts? My saddle is wide and supports my pubic bones. It has a hole down the middle so there is no weight on your arse, which helps prevents piles.
You are right in the sense that bones should be the contact point.
Getting measured is certainly the best idea, but it is not a service that we can get here.
A lot of people swear by the Brooks B17, but I just couldn't get on with mine. I spent 500 agonzing miles trying to break it in, I then got a ferry to Aberdeen and headed 54 mile NNE, on a loaded touring bike, and was in dire pain after the first 20 miles. I made the rookie mistake of wearing paper pants under cycle shorts, They really do need to be next to your skin.
I bought a Pearl Rivet saddle, which is sort of B17 shape, but with a slot that gives relief to the perineum. Cycling shorts will give you more pain-reduced miles. If I get sore, rather than pressure pain, I used a cream for nappy rash - sudocrem. Alternatively you can pay more than twice as much more for half as much chamois cream, and be one of the cool kids. The sudocrem is a bit thick for applying I must admit.
I also use a Thudbuster seatpost to take the jar out of some of the unexpected pot holes. Every little helps.
Borrow the old bike back, measure saddle and handlebar position relative to each other, and to the bottom bracket.
Then try and replicate that with your new bike. The saddle may be the issue, but position is just as important.
Pete
I use a Suntour NCX on my hardtail. It's very nice.
I have 3 Pashley bikes, all fitted with the Brooks B17. You got to rub plenty of the Brooks saddle polish into it in order to soften the leather and allow it to mould to your bum.
I suffer from no discomfort at all.
Before you spend money on a different saddle buy some good quality padded shorts, no matter what's bolted to your seat pin this will be a big improvement. For good value/quality DHB and Lusso are worth a look. Selle Italia make a good range of saddles and I'd be surprised if you couldn't find something to suit in their range. If you have a local bike shop I'm sure they'll offer good advice in your choice of saddle, it's something you shouldn't try to buy cheaply online unseen/untried, buy once buy right as they say!
F.T.F.A.
Definitely wear padded shorts. I find that saddles take a time to wear in, and to get used to. Experiment a bit with the angle.
https://www.brooksengland.com/en_uk/b33.html
Put one of these on my leisure / touring bike .... a classic “sit up and beg” and it worked wonders.
B33 for me too on my electric SUAB
B17 on my classic 1960s Peugeot.
The classic Romein Dutch bike gets the B33 when used, but has its Royale…
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Thanks! Yes, the 13th. Great original gift from my wife: a new flagpole in the garden.
I had this problem, and once it hurts whatever you do it keeps hurting for about a week, i tried several different saddles, eventually I got measured , the result was to get a 25mm longer handlebar stem, now I’m fine whatever saddle I put on, they also spent a lot of time obtaining the correct knee angle 32 degrees I think
Yes, I have done that too Mick with no success. I started to think that the only bike that I would get on with was the one whose frame is not rigid, and tightens up when you sit on the hammock style seat. Age has mean that I have forgotten the make of it though.
i have to use gel ones but the padded shorts obviously work since it is what all the pro riders use
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