Seats, seats, seats
Discussion
Used to me a mountain biker and loved everything muddy. My old machine was a rare Polygon Cozmic RX but at 45yo I've moved onto the road.
Im now in training for JOGLE in May 22 and in need of some seat advice. My old MB Giant seat was comfy enough (yes bog standard "comes with the bike" seat has served me well for about 5 years and been swapped over to many different bikes) so i just stuck that on my road bike and up till now it's been fine. However i recently started to cycle upwards of 2 hrs and at the end my perineum is aching. no issues with any other parts of my ass just that area.
So i did some research, measured my sit bone etc and then bought a Bontrager Paradigm RL in what has been suggested is my size (148). It's way less padded than my old seat but it seemed right and has decent reviews. So far I've been out on 2 rides at about 25 miles and my sit bones are sore after an hour or so. No issues with my perineum at all, but worse pain with the sit bones.
What's the next step? soemthing wider, thinner, more padding?
Im now in training for JOGLE in May 22 and in need of some seat advice. My old MB Giant seat was comfy enough (yes bog standard "comes with the bike" seat has served me well for about 5 years and been swapped over to many different bikes) so i just stuck that on my road bike and up till now it's been fine. However i recently started to cycle upwards of 2 hrs and at the end my perineum is aching. no issues with any other parts of my ass just that area.
So i did some research, measured my sit bone etc and then bought a Bontrager Paradigm RL in what has been suggested is my size (148). It's way less padded than my old seat but it seemed right and has decent reviews. So far I've been out on 2 rides at about 25 miles and my sit bones are sore after an hour or so. No issues with my perineum at all, but worse pain with the sit bones.
What's the next step? soemthing wider, thinner, more padding?
TheDrownedApe said:
Used to me a mountain biker and loved everything muddy. My old machine was a rare Polygon Cozmic RX but at 45yo I've moved onto the road.
Im now in training for JOGLE in May 22 and in need of some seat advice. My old MB Giant seat was comfy enough (yes bog standard "comes with the bike" seat has served me well for about 5 years and been swapped over to many different bikes) so i just stuck that on my road bike and up till now it's been fine. However i recently started to cycle upwards of 2 hrs and at the end my perineum is aching. no issues with any other parts of my ass just that area.
So i did some research, measured my sit bone etc and then bought a Bontrager Paradigm RL in what has been suggested is my size (148). It's way less padded than my old seat but it seemed right and has decent reviews. So far I've been out on 2 rides at about 25 miles and my sit bones are sore after an hour or so. No issues with my perineum at all, but worse pain with the sit bones.
What's the next step? soemthing wider, thinner, more padding?
I've had an interesting experience with seats on MTBs and road bikes. As you know, everyone is different shaped so you really have to shop around and find what fits you best, and if you don't borrow/buy second hand or get gifted them it can be an expensive exercise. I think now I've got the right combination through trial and error. One thing I definitely know is I like a more padded seat than the superthin, light weight saddles which I find start hurting after about 15 minutes!Im now in training for JOGLE in May 22 and in need of some seat advice. My old MB Giant seat was comfy enough (yes bog standard "comes with the bike" seat has served me well for about 5 years and been swapped over to many different bikes) so i just stuck that on my road bike and up till now it's been fine. However i recently started to cycle upwards of 2 hrs and at the end my perineum is aching. no issues with any other parts of my ass just that area.
So i did some research, measured my sit bone etc and then bought a Bontrager Paradigm RL in what has been suggested is my size (148). It's way less padded than my old seat but it seemed right and has decent reviews. So far I've been out on 2 rides at about 25 miles and my sit bones are sore after an hour or so. No issues with my perineum at all, but worse pain with the sit bones.
What's the next step? soemthing wider, thinner, more padding?
It's a shame you had issues transferring your MTB saddle over as I swapped my WTB Volt saddle over to my roadbike for a while which was really comfy on both bikes and I could go for hours and miles.
However, I've found that some saddles feel and perform differently on different bikes too!
I was given an old but barely used Fizik WIng Flex Nicene which a friend bought to try on his MTB (can be either MTB or Road bike)) but he hated it (hated me too I think, that's why he gave it to me)! I originally tried it on my mtb, as it has a bit of extra padding so in theory is more comfy that a usual race saddle. But I couldn't really get comfortable on it, final straw was doing the South Down's Way (yes I know!), so afterwards I chucked it in the back of the shed and went with WTBs ever since.
Originally my road bike that I bought last year came with a light and thin Selle San Marco which was really uncomfortable even after a short time, so after using the WTB for a while figured I would give he Fizik a go and to my surprise it has been great - can ride for miles without any discomfort! The San Marco has ended up doing commuter duties and pootling around with the kids on and off road on my single speed hard tail without issue strangely.
So I guess I'd recommend WTB as they have been consistently comfy for me, though you may be looking for a much lighter, road focussed saddle
others can recommend.
Regarded as a bit of a standard as an endurance saddle and a lot of people seem to get on well with its shape. Worth seeing if your local shop has a test saddle to try
https://www.fizik.com/us_en/aliante-r3-open.html
https://www.fizik.com/us_en/aliante-r3-open.html
I had a bit of trouble across different saddles a few years ago. Hired a specialized on holiday and the Power Expert saddle was excellent for me. Instant replacement.
N+1 last year and looked around for similar (short nosed & holey), but cheaper. Ended up trying a £20 'EC90' eBay copy because nothing branded... that's pretty decent too.
At the risk of possibly saving you some money, I'd suggest that if you have only just started riding >2hrs on road, then a sore a**e, especially around the sit bones is entirely normal.
MTB doesn't leave you sitting in the same position for hours, you move around as does the bike. Plus more upright. Perenial pressure, numbness 'there', tingling all very bad. Sore a**e somewhat normal I'd say - it's not used to the pressure. IME its trainable - it gets used to it over the space of a few weeks. If it doesn't, then start looking for saddles.
Also, just in case, make sure you're wearing *decent* padded shorts. Road saddles tend to be firmer and we carry more padding in the shorts.
MTB doesn't leave you sitting in the same position for hours, you move around as does the bike. Plus more upright. Perenial pressure, numbness 'there', tingling all very bad. Sore a**e somewhat normal I'd say - it's not used to the pressure. IME its trainable - it gets used to it over the space of a few weeks. If it doesn't, then start looking for saddles.
Also, just in case, make sure you're wearing *decent* padded shorts. Road saddles tend to be firmer and we carry more padding in the shorts.
Thanks all. Yeah my shorts are ok, but nothing approaching the quality i should be wearing (everything is so expensive).
I've just had to buy a new rear wheel after I noticed a buckle, tried to straighten it and found the rim had cracked. Cheapest i could find for a decent replacement was £80 (11 speed, centrelock rotor etc).
Shorts should be here within 10 days (birthday pressie) and I will try a little longer with what i have and get something with sightly more padding JIC
I've just had to buy a new rear wheel after I noticed a buckle, tried to straighten it and found the rim had cracked. Cheapest i could find for a decent replacement was £80 (11 speed, centrelock rotor etc).
Shorts should be here within 10 days (birthday pressie) and I will try a little longer with what i have and get something with sightly more padding JIC
I've had a couple or so of saddles over the past 6 years and here are my postulations
1st Charge Spoon. IMO if your of any reasonable adult weight range avoid as this flexed so much it chaffed sores into my perineum. That took some antibiotics and expunging by a district nurse (the missus) to fix .
2nd SDG Duster worked lovely until I ripped the cover
3rd Specialized Expert/pro short nose saddle. lots of sit bone hurt for the 1st few weeks but now feels comfortable , it comes in various padding options I think I got the thin one ?
4th SDG Radar (maybe a Duster?) flat style saddle for 2nd bike, didnt feel as comfortable as 1st SDG (maybe a fading memory) and makes me realise the Specialized has now moulded my butt into it and feels nice (or as nice as a thinly padded saddle can feel).
From the above I think my butt prefers flat and reasonably firm saddles with perineum cut outs. I've avoided the scooped shape since being @rse raped by the charge spoon.
One thing to note is I ride exclusively off road on local forest trails though have longish periods of seated climbing but the key message is finding a saddle for your butt isnt easy beyond measuring the sit bone width the rest takes saddle time to work out what is good for you . I'd have bought a 2nd Specialized expert or Pro for my 2nd bike if they weren't so expensive hence trying 2nd SDG, though have noted there are a lot of other vendors jumping onto that style of short nose saddle now .
1st Charge Spoon. IMO if your of any reasonable adult weight range avoid as this flexed so much it chaffed sores into my perineum. That took some antibiotics and expunging by a district nurse (the missus) to fix .
2nd SDG Duster worked lovely until I ripped the cover
3rd Specialized Expert/pro short nose saddle. lots of sit bone hurt for the 1st few weeks but now feels comfortable , it comes in various padding options I think I got the thin one ?
4th SDG Radar (maybe a Duster?) flat style saddle for 2nd bike, didnt feel as comfortable as 1st SDG (maybe a fading memory) and makes me realise the Specialized has now moulded my butt into it and feels nice (or as nice as a thinly padded saddle can feel).
From the above I think my butt prefers flat and reasonably firm saddles with perineum cut outs. I've avoided the scooped shape since being @rse raped by the charge spoon.
One thing to note is I ride exclusively off road on local forest trails though have longish periods of seated climbing but the key message is finding a saddle for your butt isnt easy beyond measuring the sit bone width the rest takes saddle time to work out what is good for you . I'd have bought a 2nd Specialized expert or Pro for my 2nd bike if they weren't so expensive hence trying 2nd SDG, though have noted there are a lot of other vendors jumping onto that style of short nose saddle now .
I can't wait to go touring in the alps again... as soon as the rules allow I'm there.
One other thing I'd say is LOJOG might justify some self research into how your posture might change when riding 5 hours plus a day, versus a fitness ride, or a mountain bike ride. It's likely you will sit a bit differently over this amount of time, and therefore your sit bones will rest in a different place on the saddle, possibly.
I personally found it useful to do a search for 'touring saddle posture'. Above comment about hammock over perch rings true for me too.
But everyone is different.
One other thing I'd say is LOJOG might justify some self research into how your posture might change when riding 5 hours plus a day, versus a fitness ride, or a mountain bike ride. It's likely you will sit a bit differently over this amount of time, and therefore your sit bones will rest in a different place on the saddle, possibly.
I personally found it useful to do a search for 'touring saddle posture'. Above comment about hammock over perch rings true for me too.
But everyone is different.
As ever, one mans meat is another man's poison. Saddles are a personal thing, and what is great for me might be torture for you. Hence, I don't think recommendations from other folks are much use, other than 'this is a good value version of <whatever> saddle type'. Anyone who tells you saddle x is great / saddle y is terrible is most likely missing the point completely.
e.g. The spoon is a good value for money example of a curved type with no cutout. Actually it worked fine for me on a MTB (i.e. upright), but was torture on my road bike. I've found I'm much happier with a flat saddle. Different strokes for different folks.
e.g. The spoon is a good value for money example of a curved type with no cutout. Actually it worked fine for me on a MTB (i.e. upright), but was torture on my road bike. I've found I'm much happier with a flat saddle. Different strokes for different folks.
upsidedownmark said:
As ever, one mans meat is another man's poison. Saddles are a personal thing, and what is great for me might be torture for you. Hence, I don't think recommendations from other folks are much use, other than 'this is a good value version of <whatever> saddle type'. Anyone who tells you saddle x is great / saddle y is terrible is most likely missing the point completely.
e.g. The spoon is a good value for money example of a curved type with no cutout. Actually it worked fine for me on a MTB (i.e. upright), but was torture on my road bike. I've found I'm much happier with a flat saddle. Different strokes for different folks.
Spoon all day long for me on my road bike- lovely.e.g. The spoon is a good value for money example of a curved type with no cutout. Actually it worked fine for me on a MTB (i.e. upright), but was torture on my road bike. I've found I'm much happier with a flat saddle. Different strokes for different folks.
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