Is my saddle okay?



littlebiker

New Member
Sep 9, 2005
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Hi Guys,

I got my roadbike couple of months ago but due to bad weather I couldn't regularly ride on it. yesterday, when I decided to take it for a round I did about 15km (~10mile).

I rode at about 15~20km/hour. City ride. After my ride I was doing quite well except for some pain due to dis-comfort on the saddle. But i think it's too early to decide that my saddle is not good enough. I could think of the following points but I don't know what to do:

1. It maybe something to do with my saddle positioning.
2. I don't have a saddle padding. So the saddle is quite hard.
3. *maybe* I hit some bad potholes.
4. Maybe, it's just something that I have to get used to??!!
5. Maybe I should wear cycling shorts that gives a extra padding

I really don;t know what it is. I have read about the impotent factor but I think it's too much of medical science to think about. I really wanna enjoy my cycling and I really wanna cycle great deal.

1. If i have to change my saddle, How to measure a good saddle? how much of ride should determine the comfort factor?

Please pour in your advice. Also any other related health safety tips.

Thank you! cheers!
 
littlebiker said:
Hi Guys,

I got my roadbike couple of months ago but due to bad weather I couldn't regularly ride on it. yesterday, when I decided to take it for a round I did about 15km (~10mile).

I rode at about 15~20km/hour. City ride. After my ride I was doing quite well except for some pain due to dis-comfort on the saddle. But i think it's too early to decide that my saddle is not good enough. I could think of the following points but I don't know what to do:

1. It maybe something to do with my saddle positioning.
2. I don't have a saddle padding. So the saddle is quite hard.
3. *maybe* I hit some bad potholes.
4. Maybe, it's just something that I have to get used to??!!
5. Maybe I should wear cycling shorts that gives a extra padding

I really don;t know what it is. I have read about the impotent factor but I think it's too much of medical science to think about. I really wanna enjoy my cycling and I really wanna cycle great deal.

1. If i have to change my saddle, How to measure a good saddle? how much of ride should determine the comfort factor?

Please pour in your advice. Also any other related health safety tips.

Thank you! cheers!
Start with cycle shorts.
What saddle do you have now?

Health/safety...be visible. Bright clothing and lights after dark.
 
Don Shipp said:
Start with cycle shorts.
What saddle do you have now?
Health/safety...be visible. Bright clothing and lights after dark.
I think what I have is this: http://www.bikepro.com/products/saddles/velo.html - Velo is the brand name printed on the saddle.
i'll try to get one here in India. But otherwise if I have to order it online from a store which ships internationally. My worry would be the right size then.
 
littlebiker said:
I think what I have is this: http://www.bikepro.com/products/saddles/velo.html - Velo is the brand name printed on the saddle.
i'll try to get one here in India. But otherwise if I have to order it online from a store which ships internationally. My worry would be the right size then.
They don't come in different sizes as such, children's bikes have children's saddles and womens saddles are shaped differently to mens; but there is a huge range of different designs, for road, racing, touring, off-roading, city riding &c. ad infinitum and within each catagory many styles again. One reason why there are so many is that no-one has yet come up with a really comfortable one yet so people keep trying and cyclists keep buying.
Actually there is one that is supposed to be the answer to all our sore-bottom woes, Fi'zik Arione Wingflex or something like that, but it's pricey. Try what you've got with good shorts and wait for your bum to harden up.
 
Don Shipp said:
Actually there is one that is supposed to be the answer to all our sore-bottom woes, Fizik Arianne or something like that, but it's pricey. Try what you've got with good shorts and wait for your bum to harden up.
It's not the bum that's having the trouble but it part which rests towards the nose of the seat.
 
littlebiker said:
It's not the bum that's having the trouble but it part which rests towards the nose of the seat.
I agree with what everyone has been suggesting above. My recommendation is to try cycling shorts first. Also, if you're new to cycling, you're going to have some saddle soreness.

But, if its the nose of the seat thats giving you problems, try a couple of things. Try to adjust the position of the saddle. Slide it forward on the rail and tilt the nose down just a tad. You want to keep the saddle paralle with the ground so nothing too drastic. What this will do is close in the distance between the saddle and the handlebars causing you to get into a more comfortable position.

Hope this helps, and good luck!
 
You might want to try a WTB saddle- reasonable comfort at mostly reasonable prices. After going through the stock saddle (narrow and hard) I tried a Terry Cite (better but still hard), a Serfas (ok), and now a WTB Speed V Comp (good but weighs 390 grams).There are also other iterations of the Speed V that are reported to be comfortable and lighter than mine. Also, the Specialized Milano is said to be comfortable and reasonably light.
 
StartTday said:
I agree with what everyone has been suggesting above. My recommendation is to try cycling shorts first. Also, if you're new to cycling, you're going to have some saddle soreness.
But, if its the nose of the seat thats giving you problems, try a couple of things. Try to adjust the position of the saddle. Slide it forward on the rail and tilt the nose down just a tad. You want to keep the saddle paralle with the ground so nothing too drastic. What this will do is close in the distance between the saddle and the handlebars causing you to get into a more comfortable position.

Thank you! I'll try to get a cycling short and also see what I can do with my saddle. But overall, I am now worried about taking this sport way too seriously. There are too many articles suggesting that it causes health problems. While, I don't want to lead this into a debate about the study stands true or not, I think i don't have immediate access to saddles that I can try and check for comfort and peer support to advice me after seeing my saddle. Although, I feel every sport can lead into a health issue like a tennis elbow or others. But my initial discomfort has been worrying me. Maybe, I can get over this. I hope I can.
 
littlebiker said:
Thank you! I'll try to get a cycling short and also see what I can do with my saddle. But overall, I am now worried about taking this sport way too seriously. There are too many articles suggesting that it causes health problems. While, I don't want to lead this into a debate about the study stands true or not, I think i don't have immediate access to saddles that I can try and check for comfort and peer support to advice me after seeing my saddle. Although, I feel every sport can lead into a health issue like a tennis elbow or others. But my initial discomfort has been worrying me. Maybe, I can get over this. I hope I can.
Road cycling does not cause health problems unless you spend about ten hours a day on the saddle. Some of the off-road riding is harder on the nethers but you're not doing that.
Cycling shorts are designed to be worn without underwear and you should wear a clean pair every day. So depending on how often you ride and how often you do the laundry you might need five or six pairs.
 
My Cycle:

Maybe the saddle position matters. In the picture it horizontally center the saddle insertion frame.

What if the saddle is pushed as much forward as possible? I think it's currently not like how it is exactly in this picture. It's rather as forward as possible.
 
If it is the same as the pix:
1. Adjust the saddle, nose down a little,
2. Turn the handle bar stem over,
Try having the seat and handle bars level, this should be more comfortable.
 
gclark8 said:
If it is the same as the pix:
1. Adjust the saddle, nose down a little,
Okay done. It slants a bit.
gclark8 said:
2. Turn the handle bar stem over,
Please elaborate. Did you mean stem over enough to make the breaks inline with the handle bar stem? I am sorry don't know enough terminology as yet.

By the way, would a sadel gel help?

Thank you so much for the help!
 
littlebiker said:
Please elaborate. Did you mean stem over enough to make the breaks inline with the handle bar stem? I am sorry don't know enough terminology as yet.
The stem is the piece that holds the handlebars to the steering tube.

To raise the handlebars slightly would give you a slightly more casual (and usually more comfortable) riding posture. Because most stems are angled, flipping them over either raises or lowers the handlebars. In the case of the bike pictured, it would raise the bars slightly. Unless you are racing, this won't be much of an isue because your increased drag will be minimal, but it very well could help you to be more comfortable during your rides. It is always easy to go back when your experience and desire for speed makes it reasonable.
 
It ain't the saddle, it's your azz. It needs to get in shape. You haven't ridden it enough. Now that being said, you should make sure it is properly adjusted. if you don't feel comfortable surfing the net to figure that out, hit your local bike shop although being in such a dirtbag country like India this may be a hard task.
 
Littlebiker, as another American, I apologize for Capwater's denigrating and uncalled for comment about India.

Chero
 
chero said:
Littlebiker, as another American, I apologize for Capwater's denigrating and uncalled for comment about India. Chero
No issues about that. I appreciate your gesture. After all, nobody is perfect.
 
dgregory57 said:
The stem is the piece that holds the handlebars to the steering tube. In the case of the bike pictured, it would raise the bars slightly. Unless you are racing, this won't be much of an isue because your increased drag will be minimal, but it very well could help you to be more comfortable during your rides. It is always easy to go back when your experience and desire for speed makes it reasonable.

Thanks. I think I get what you mean. Maybe i'll post some picutre in another thread to show what I have done. thanks again!
 
Before you go out and buy a new saddle make sure that one is properly adjusted. I'm talking about proper fore and aft positioning as well as height. When viewed from behind, your butt should not move much. If it is then you are reaching for the bottom of your pedal stroke because it is too tall thus causing the rock (which will lead to discomfort). Search the web, there are tons of great sites out there detailing fit. Once you get that squared away then you can start mucking with things like stems if you need to, but the saddle fit needs to be the first step completed. Good luck.
 

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