Saddle Issues

[richfootfastfate]

I've ridden about 200 miles now in the past 12 days, mostly in 25-30 mile rides. I'm having some bad "rear end" pain from these rides. To be blunt and gross, it's specifically perineum pain. Every time I get on, the pain is significant for 5 minutes, then I ride through it, and feel the pain again after.

I know there's a TON that goes into this topic--position, technique, saddle height and tilt, etc. I want to say the position is ok, as the ride is comfortable otherwise. Am I just a newbie, and the pain will eventually go away, or should I be taking steps to fix the problem?

I'm riding a Giant Defy 5 size medium-large, all stock parts. If it matters, I'm 5'10" 175 lbs, an active athlete well before starting cycling. I'm open to all suggestions, including buying a new saddle, but I've read that this isn't always the fix. All input is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Totalarmordestine]

I do not know your age, but guys sometimes new to this bicycle riding thing develope an inflamed prostate. Thus you see a lot of road saddle with a depression in the center, or a grove. Keeps pressure off your prostate.


http://www.prostatitis.org/bikeprostate.html

 

[thepieeatingjay]

A different saddle can make a difference. But a new cyclist also has to give time to get use to a saddle. Rather than breaking in a saddle you break in your **** I hate to say. But then again you have to find the right saddle for you too.

 

[tarverten]

Perineum pain or numbness is a very common complaint when the saddle doesn't properly support the rider's weight on the sit-bones. It might be as simple as adjusting the saddle's fore/aft tilt or positioning but it might also not be a suitable saddle for one's particular anatomy. If that's the case it might be necessary to look into a saddle with e.g. a center cut-out or groove to reduce pressure on this region.

 

[blastguardgear]

6', 200# here. I bought a large 2014 Defy 5 last October or so, and changed out the stock saddle almost immediately, numbness being the main issue.

My first replacement saddle was a Brooks, which was good at the beginning of a ride...exhibiting much less numbness... but it routinely became painful in the sit bone area after 30-40 miles. I gave it about 300-400 painful miles before I decided it wasn't going to work for me. (My daughter loves it on her bike though.)

I then went on to a free Diamondback saddle equipped with a longitudinal indent that I thought might help the numbness and the sit bone pain. It helped with both enough that I thought a full cutout might be the solution.

A $20 Craigslist Specialized Phenom with full cutout came next. It was somewhat better, but the sit bone soreness routinely became a sit bone rash after 60-70 miles, even when slapping on some pre-ride Bagbalm. At this point, I probably had logged 1,500 miles trying out these different saddles, but the pain was not going away and I was beginning to doubt that I hadn't given my ass enough miles to toughen up.

I thought I hit the jackpot with the Defy's current saddle, another Craigslist-purchased Specialized Romin....nearly no sit bone pain and very little rash even after a full century. I was getting ready to equip all of my bikes with one, when...

...about a month ago I bought my factory-build Surly 29+ hardtail kitted up with an el cheapo Velo 2155 'comfort' saddle. Holy ****, the thing nearly disappears under me, even on a 50-60 mile pot-hole ridden gravel logging road ride. I was stunned. No pain, no numbness, no rashes or skin rubbing off. Of course, on these gravel roads my cadence is much, much slower than when I'm hauling flat out on pavement with the road bike, so that might have something to do with it as well. Still, its got me thinking in different directions again.

Point being to all of this wordiness, once you've got the height, tilt and forward to back stuff squared away, and it still doesn't feel quite right, a new saddle might in the end just be the option the works out best for you. And it might not always be the most expensive one out there. If you've got some cyclist friends, see if you can borrow a few different types and see what direction you think your butt is telling you to move in before you start shelling out money for new saddles.

 

[shadowsupernature]

See if your LBS has a seat testing program. The one near me has a wall of yellow "loaner" seats, and you pay a monthly fee and test out different seats until you find the one your butt is happy with, then buy a non-yellow, normal version of that seat. I went through 5 seats before getting to my current seat, through old fashioned trial-and-error.

 

[Corzhens]

Especially for women bikers, the saddle is very important. Our first consideration in a bike is the comfort of the saddle. You see, it holds the most delicate part of our body and it is not good to compromise that part with an improper saddle. Even when I was in school, our teacher would always tell us to sit comfortably because the health our delicate part should not be compromised. I studied in an all-girls school from elementary to high school.