my butt hurts! (need seat advice)

[pam_in_sc]

I just ordered a Brooks Team Pro S. I tried two modern women's saddles. One was too narrow for me--I sank down on it over time because it went between my seatbones. The other felt comfortable at first, but after 15 miles I felt like I had been sitting on a rock. The 30 year old leather saddle from my old touring bike is so much more comfortable. Unfortunately the leather has a lot of surface cracking and chipping, so I need to buy something new. I decided that leather saddles at least have some give under a lot of pressure, while the modern saddles are soft on the surface but rigid underneath.

I'm riding for exercise now so I am more interested in speed than I was when I was touring. But my goal for this fall is a metric century, and I'm not willing to put up with a painful saddle if I'm going to ride distances.

I did a lot of touring in college but haven't ridden in 20 years. It is interesting to see what technology has changed and what hasn't. I bought an Orbea Aspin and I love my shifters on the brakes.

 

[yahtzee]

Hello everyone. I'm a boy with a similar problem to Margaret. I started cycling about 3 years ago and have covered about 6000 miles in that time. Initially i had a wide, deep, sprung seat but i soon changed that for a narrow, harder one which was far more comfortable for speed and distance. I've done thousands of miles on it with no problems. However a couple of months ago I began to experience painful problems around my sit bones. It seems similar to what Margaret described, only it appears to be more of a skin problem than deep bruising and is visible on the surface. I thought the problem might be due to the saddle wearing out (it was cheap) so I purchased a new, slightly less cheap one. But the problem persisted. I have been unable to really ride my bike for at least 2 months. Every time I get back on it, even if only for a couple of miles, the problem reappears, although usually in a very slightly different location (we're talking millimetres here). It also takes a long time to subside.

It so happened that the original onset of the problem was not too long after a 105 mile cycle - the longest i have ever done in a single sitting. Another potential factor is that i had a near-death experience in July 2003 (a high speed cycling accident). I lost a lot of weight in the hospital. I have now regained most of it but it seems to have shifted away from my thighs to my torso. So maybe the loss of some cushioning of the sit bones is not helping.

I guess from reading the other posts I should measure the distance between my sit bones and get fitted properly to my bike. And perhaps get a suspension seat post. I'm also considering paying a visit to my doctor, since the problem seems serious enough. It hasn't really gone away in the last 2 months, even though in that time i've only cycled a total of 65 miles, most of which was in early June.

Any additional advice would be greatly appreciated, as I'm missing all the good summer cycling weather!

 

[Margaret]

Just to clarify, for people who are looking for a new saddle and might consider a Brooks -- it is neither soft nor particularly wide (well, they have wide ones, but also narrow, also standard -- depends on the model). It's true that people who are primarily focused on racing will probably not want a Brooks, because they tend to be heavier than "modern" plastic-based saddles, and the weight trade-off may be too great (although I think Brooks may have a saddle or two meant for racers -- I'm just not sure). But if you don't care about racing or are willing to consider some extra weight, it can be a great option. Seems like Brooks is most popular with touring cyclists -- travel with (usually) loaded bikes, with 40-60 mile days, with little emphasis on speed, but a need for comfort for long, consecutive days on the bike (which made it a good choice for me).

for those who've been following this thread -- just an update. I've just returned from a trip to Canada with four days of consecutive touring cycling -- 52 miles, 38 miles, 55 miles, 44 miles -- on a lightly-loaded bike (@ 20 lbs. of gear) with my new Brooks saddle. The Brooks was GREAT - I loved it. Virtually no soreness at all in the butt -- just a mild bit after day one, which mostly went away by mid-day on day two. I really don't know how a Brooks will perform for those women whose saddle problem is more in the "front" or the specifically female parts, but if you've had serious soreness in your sitbones with modern saddles (as I did), you might give a Brooks a try. Thanks for everyone's input and advice along the way --

 

[closesupport]

I could use everyone's advice on a saddle problem. I have a fairly new Novara Randonee with a Selle Royal Lookin Gel touring seat (unisex). After going on a twenty-mile ride this weekend, my sit bones are totally bruised and sore. I am pretty new to longer rides, although I've had this same problem in the past when I've gone on longer rides on vacation and so on, but since that was always on rented bikes, I didn't think much of it. Now that I have my own bike that is not just for quick rides around town and errands, etc. (and am starting to train for a week-long ride in Canada this summer and a cross-country trip next spring), I really want to get this saddle thing right.

I've done some research on the various posts on this forum and in other places, and looked at the Terry site and Hamoc site. I've never really experienced the major "girl parts" problems that other women seem to have (just some mild soreness that goes away quickly), and most of the posts and advice seem to deal with that. Does anyone else have this sit-bones problem? Any recommendations on which saddle fixed it for you? If it helps, I'm 5'6", @145 lbs., with relatively wider hips/pelvis, and most (if not all!) of my weight unfortunately around the butt and thigh.

Any advice or suggestions are much appreciated!

i prurchased a saddle from www.wiggle.co.uk its not to heavy nor is it to expensive but boy is it comfy.
Selle Italia C2 Vanox Carbon Saddle

£29.00 its a steal

 

[closesupport]

Get a big fat seat and it should solve your problem but don't take it on a long ride cos you will feel fatique.

you wouldn't be suggesting that she got a big **** for her big seat now would you?? big arses are cool.

 

[vreese]

I had that problem for years. I finally got a Serfas gel seat covered in neoprene with a center groove. It revolutionized my ride. I don't have ANY problems at all now.
These seats are relatively cheap, so if it doesn't work for you, you're not out too much.
I also got Specialized Bar Phat (gel) for the handlebars. That stopped the numbness problems. I'm thinking gel is is a very good thing.

 

[diane143]

I
I also got Specialized Bar Phat (gel) for the handlebars. That stopped the numbness problems. I'm thinking gel is is a very good thing.

Can you tell me more about this? I have mild tendonitis in both wrists (well, that's what they said years ago). I don't type as much anymore and hoped it would go away but I do get numbness while riding, primarily in my right hand (I'm right handed so I suspect that has to do with the right hand going first!)

It very annoying althought not really painful, but hard to ride when you have no feeling even though it's 90 degrees out.

BTW, really no butt problems on my stock Cannondale seat although my longest ride has only been 55 miles.

Thanks,

Diane

 

[vreese]

Can you tell me more about this? I have mild tendonitis in both wrists (well, that's what they said years ago). I don't type as much anymore and hoped it would go away but I do get numbness while riding, primarily in my right hand (I'm right handed so I suspect that has to do with the right hand going first!)

It very annoying althought not really painful, but hard to ride when you have no feeling even though it's 90 degrees out.

BTW, really no butt problems on my stock Cannondale seat although my longest ride has only been 55 miles.

Thanks,

Diane

You can get this handlebar product at Specialized.com as Bar Phat Tape. It really help with my hand numbness (more in the right hand like you). However I still do get some numbness. Just much less that I can live with and can enjoy much longer rides.

I also think that having a carbon fork, carbon handlebars and carbon steerer would help as all these components ease the shock from the front end of the bike. My next bike will be outfitted with them.

Let me know if you try the tape and if it helps. Good luck.

 

[zepolie]

I used to have a problem with my seat also until I lowered the seat. Turns out that I had it too high and thus kept too much pressure on my bones.
I also switched from a Hybrid comfort bike to a racer. I find this keeps me leaning forward with less pressure on my butt.