Another Saddle Pain Question



Rych

New Member
Aug 15, 2010
22
2
0
Hi all I have been reading a lot on the internet about saddle pain and different ways to help, new saddle, proper fitting, sitting correctly, standing etc.. I have just got myself a demo saddle, Bontrager inForm RXL which feels perfect and comfortable when I sit on it. Riding up to about 60-70km felt so good and I felt like I could ride harder compared to my previous one which came with my road bike, I almost forgot I was sitting on anything it was so good.

When the pain starts to come it’s a good pain where it should be, right on the sit bones, no numbness at all in other areas. But as the ride got longer I started getting really sore sit bones and was having to stand regularly.

My question is, if this will go away as I get used to the saddle and do more regular long distance riding. I tend to normally do specific training with rides of around 40-60km doing hills, speed, power, sprints etc and only a few long distance rides to get me ready for a race coming up.

To simplify my question, is pain only on your sit bones mean a good saddle as that is where all the pressure should be? It’s a very hard saddle and I am used to one slightly softer.

Thanks a lot :)
 
There is always a certain amount of break in time for a new saddle. Give it two weeks from the time that you started riding with the new saddle, and if you still have significant pain, then you need a different saddle. It sounds to me like you are close to having the right saddle, but you may need one with just a little more padding beneath your sit bones. If you are not wearing padded shorts, you need to get a pair and try them before you try a different saddle.

No saddle pain is good saddle pain. Except for breaking in the saddle or your backside if you have been off the bike for awhile, you should feel no pain. Having a saddle that is wide enough to support your weight on your sit bones is an important factor, but an equally important factor is having enough padding so that you can ride comfortably.

Even though it sounds as if you know what you are doing, here is an article that fully covers saddle technology and adjustments. http://www.jimlangley.net/crank/bicycleseats

Good luck in your saddle search.
 
Originally Posted by kdelong .

There is always a certain amount of break in time for a new saddle. Give it two weeks [COLOR= rgb(255, 0, 0)]Or longer depending on how much you ride [/COLOR]from the time that you started riding with the new saddle, and if you still have significant pain, then you need a different saddle. It sounds to me like you are close to having the right saddle, but you may need one with just a little more padding beneath your sit bones. If you are not wearing padded shorts, you need to get a pair and try them before you try a different saddle.

No saddle pain is good saddle pain. Except for breaking in the saddle or your backside if you have been off the bike for awhile, you should feel no pain. Having a saddle that is wide enough to support your weight on your sit bones is an important factor, but an equally important factor is having enough padding[COLOR= rgb(255, 0, 0)] and or flex[/COLOR] so that you can ride comfortably.

Even though it sounds as if you know what you are doing, here is an article that fully covers saddle technology and adjustments. http://www.jimlangley.net/crank/bicycleseats

Good luck in your saddle search.

kdelong hit it on the nose and I agree with them. I did add a few of my opinions as well.
 
It' nice that bontrager has the unconditional comfort guarantee ,at least you can return it for an exchange if its not the rite saddle for you .I have noticed that the bike stores that offer saddle demo's don't seem to allow you enough time with the saddle to really make an educated purchase . I demo'd some saddles , ended up buying one of them because it felt great - ( selle lite 209 ) 200.00$ plus -all day /all night on the WEB (3 rides - about 30 miles each ) .After a few hundred more miles it did not feel so great . went out and purchased a 70.00 saddle and realized that it was much more comfortable (profile design tri stryke ti ). My rides are usually around 40 miles (short rides ) . I know this is not the highest quality of saddles but it is comfortable under my seat bones and allows me to ride in an aggressive forward position because of the soft gel nose and I feel great after my rides, and that's what counts . Saddles - to each is own . Good luck Rych .
 
Don't feel bad maddog, my two most comfortable road saddles are a $24.00 Performance saddle and a Velo saddle that I bought off eBay for $8.00. I bought the Velo for a photograph of a bicycle that needed a white saddle and then decided to see how it felt riding it. I started with a short 10 mile ride because I thought that it would be torture. I have since ridden it in a coule of centuries wtih no complaints from my backside. I have a 30+ year old saddle on my MTB that is comfortable for the first 20 miles or so and then starts to bother my lower back, but I rarely ride 20 miles off road so it does the trick.
 
When Lance started his comeback campaign in 2009, he raved about the Bontrager Inform saddle on his new Madone. But by the time he started his first race he was right back on his old reliable, the San Marco Concor Light. The only rider I know of who actually likes his Inform saddle is Levi Leipheimer.

One of the few things I'm in agreement with Lance on--the Concor is a better saddle.
 
Thanks for the replies, I'm really liking the saddle and have 110km race coming up in 2 weeks, so will use it for that and see how it goes. Probably will purchase it and I have 90 days to give it back if doesn't stay comfortable on the longer rides. Did a sprint/crit training session today and it was so nice for high cadence on the drops pedalling.