New to Cycling - Seat is KILLING ME!



anonyy

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Aug 28, 2011
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Hi everyone,

I am new to cycling only bought my bike middle of July, i hadn't ridden one for about 15 years even back then I rarely rode one.

My brother has been teaching me and now i ride my bike to work, not bad after only 5 lessons. Anyway. i have a GT Traffic 4.0 its a mens bike unfortunately the seat has been KILLING me! i cannot stand it anymore i am wondering if i should buy one of those women's wider seats, the most pain i get is the front gential parts. The seat itself if you look underneath it where the screw is, has been rubbing or diggin into the underside of the seat, is this a bad sign, i know i am carrying some excess weight i am about 13 stone.

I am constantly shuffling about on the seat, move forward, backwards, side to side its ridiculous trying to get comfortable. Sometimes i have found myself to be sitting on the right side of it, dont know why. Also get off the bike and walk just to give myself a break and get back on after 5 mins.

I am only biking for commuting to work and leisure purposes, not a serious biker, but comfort is definately the key.

Can anyone recommend any good seats/saddles for women?

I have one of those bike cables, as i have bolt on wheels, i want to get something stronger, i would like a D/U shackle, what is the best one.

Also looking for good strong lights, suitable bike clothing for the colder months coming up (i wont ride in winter just autumn, and wet conditions) as i have to get changed at work.

Any advise of where i should look etc.

Thanks in advanced any help appreciated
 
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[COLOR= #ff3399]im getting back into biking myself and was wondering about the same thing..... i saw a article that said if you tilt the seat down forward some it may take some pressure off precious areas lol.... hope that helps... thanks[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #ff3399]Pink Flowerz[/COLOR]
 
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Do a search of SierraSlim s posts, she had the same problem and figured it out..
I am not getting into this again!/img/vbsmilies/smilies/duck.gif
 
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Originally Posted by BHOFM .

Do a search of SierraSlim s posts, she had the same problem and figured it out..
I am not getting into this again!/img/vbsmilies/smilies/duck.gif

i'll try looking but i definately want to get a new seat it is a mens seat, the front is bruising my (you know what) its horrible, i think because it bends down in the middle where the majority of my weight is, the seat seams to be quite flexible, i am carry some weight so i need to look for something suitable, i would imagine something with more padding to allow for the extra weight, at least this is my thinking anyway.

any ideas are welcomed.
 
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Originally Posted by 7PinkFlowerz .

[COLOR= #ff3399]im getting back into biking myself and was wondering about the same thing..... i saw a article that said if you tilt the seat down forward some it may take some pressure off precious areas lol.... hope that helps... thanks[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #ff3399]Pink Flowerz[/COLOR]

i have thought about this but then i thought i would be fighting against gravity all the time i shuffle alot on my bike as it is.
 
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Originally Posted by anonyy .




i'll try looking but i definately want to get a new seat it is a mens seat, the front is bruising my (you know what) its horrible, i think because it bends down in the middle where the majority of my weight is, the seat seams to be quite flexible, i am carry some weight so i need to look for something suitable, i would imagine something with more padding to allow for the extra weight, at least this is my thinking anyway.

any ideas are welcomed.
Everyone's anatomy is a little different. Suggest you go to your local bike shop and try a few seats on their trainer, or better yet take your own bike and see what fits comfortable. Let the fitter review your posture and how you sit on the seat and they may have some suggestions for bothe changed posture and a more comfortable seat.
 
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A good part of it is just conditioning. It can take months to get used to cycling and pressure points are painful. There is no perfect seat and only time and experience and conditioning will lead you to the best combo for you.
 
Well having used my new seat as per previous post it has been really comfortable. I think the main advantage was buying a wider womens seat which stopped the pressure points on the bum and sides the front isn't so bad either. I don't have to dread riding it a more. I don't get the comments of taking months, for me the type of saddle is key the old one was dipped in the middle the new one is completely flat. The widness is a great improvement. I adjusted very quickly to it. I am glad I didn't waste any more uncomfortable time with the old one. Particulary as I rode it to work every day.
 
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It certainly does not have to take time--months as suggested above--to achieve comfort on a saddle. It can take a week or two....maybe. It can also be had right away, in some cases, with the right saddle, saddle position, and shorts. There are no set rules about saddle fit or comfort. Your **** is your own and is enervated by your own unique nervous system whose response can be attenuated by your own unique soft tissue make-up, and in the end, the response of your nervous system is interpreted by your own unique brain. Certainly, no one responds exactly the same to any given stimuli. Anyone who tells you differently is delusional or just an idiot.

You will likely find that the comfort of your saddle may change as you lose weight, if you lose weight. It also may change as build more miles. Your fit on the bike might change and thus might cause a change in saddle comfort. That's all perfectly normal. Certainly, it's okay to use a women's saddle. All that matters is that you find a saddle and position that works for you. When you're sitting on the saddle, no one sees the damned thing anyway.

I can tell you that the idea that gel saddles are cooler is complete ****. I've pedaled bike in a lot of places, currently in the desert southwest, and I've never noticed my saddle being hot underneath my masculine globes (not the seed bearing globes, but the meaty ones in back). Keep an eye on your comfort. If you start putting in a lot of miles, you could find that all that padding in your saddle could start to get uncomfortable or start putting pressure on the nerve that makes John Thomas lively, such that JT could sleep for longer than you'd like. A lot of riders have had this issue with thickly padded saddles, but as with everything else related to saddles, nothing is certain.
 
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i have had no issue with the coolnes of the saddle i have bought, its been designed to be cooler if you take a look at their website. as i said i am happy with my choice for the moment.
 
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I have been riding for almost 10 years. the Selle Italia Diva has been the most comfortable seat so far. Good biking pants are a most. My favorites, Louis Garneau with the blue shamy
 
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I would suggest buying a new seat. There is no such thing as "one fits all". Cycling shorts could also help as they have a small amount of padding built in them. I hope you find a solution to your problem:)
 
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I attempted to use the stock seat on my 2012 Giant Roam 1 and after a 6 mile ride the numbness turned to pain as soon as I stepped off my bike.. lol.. Horrible.. I ran to my LBS the day after and bought the Serfas Women's RX Bicycle Saddle in hopes that it would improve things... I haven't been able to ride since the purchase so if anything good comes of it, I will report back!.. I used to have a gel seat and that still caused discomfort.. So I gambled with the stock Giant Liv seat.. Hopefully this RX seat does the trick! You would think that for those of us out of shape, we would have more CUSHION to alleviate the pain!.. lol

:)

https://www.serfas.com/products/index/saddles/rx-saddles
 
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I am back and checking in with new seat information.. My new Serfas Women's RX Bicycle Saddle worked awesome!.. I rode about 5 miles on a mix of pavement, grass & dirt yesterday and WOW what a difference!! And not sure how many out there are brand new bikes but my LBS actually gave me $10 credit for my Giant Liv stock bike seat towards another seat which was awesome!.. Worth a try with your LBS!.. I think after the credit the seat ran me about $30.
 
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I would definitely suggest buying a new seat. Generally I've found that after three weeks or so, the newbie butt is gone, but if not, it's time to invest in something a little more high quality. Your bum will thank you! My butt was so sore for several weeks, but eventually I got past it, and now I don't even think about it anymore. It's been wonderful getting back into biking. It was definitely worth the three week pain!
 
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I had the same problem and it almost drove me out of the sport. I found a gel seat that saved the day for me. I do not remember who makes it but it is made for women and is wider then most bike seats. It has a gel soft top. The trade off is the extra weight of the seat and the fact that the seat is not stiff and hard so you have to work a little harder. Since comfort is your main objective then find one with the gel on the top and I think you will be pleased.
 
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Haha, your thread title really made me laugh because I've been there, but no worries, there is a simple solution, buy a new one. In fact, it's very important that you feel comfortable in your seat, especially if we ride for long hours, so this is a very important investment we make. :)
 
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The saddle as it is called is one of the reasons I don't ride my bike often. The pain in the rear is just to uncomfortable. I took a quick look at the link in the above post. The still look uncomfortable, the saddles don't seem to have much cushion on them.

The bike I ride is a female bike but the saddle is to uncomfortable to ride it for a long period of time.
 
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