Saddle Questions

[jwroubaix]

I'm getting quite a bit of sit bone pain and also pain below the sit bones, almost the very top of the back of the thigh and in to the butt area. Does this mean my saddle is too wide or are there other adjustments i can ca make. I got a wider saddle because i had my sit bones measured at my lbs but now i'm wondering if it's too wide? Should I try a new saddle like a Selle or should I get custom fit at my lbs?

 

[kdelong]

Getting a more expensive saddle won't take care of the pain unless that saddle just happens to be the right one for you. Go to your LBS and sit on the foam pad, then let them suggest a saddle to try. Ride with it a couple of times, and if it is not good for you, take it back to the LBS and exchange it for a different one. I just did a 70 mile ride this morning on a $42.00 saddle from Performance Bikes and had no pain at all. Spending big bucks on a saddle won't get you the right saddle, only spending time to try them out and exchanging the ones that don't work will get a saddle that works for you. Just be certain to ask the LBS if they have an exchange plan for the saddle though. Every bike shop that I have been to has one, but there is always the chance that your LBS doesn't have one. If this is the case, find another shop that has an exchange program. The only caveat is that the saddle that you might get may have been slightly used by someone else and it did not work for them.

 

[tonyzackery]

Rearend pain is a symptom. 99% certain your actual problem is that your bike set-up is not correct. I am confident in saying that your saddle height is probably too high, which effectively forces too much pressure to be borne on the bones of your pelvis (too concentrated an area) instead of being shared with the fleshy areas of your butt.

I ride and race on full carbon saddles(!) and have no issues with saddle sores and/or the like - and I'm talking 4hr stretches on occasion. Chasing the problem with money (buying a more expensive saddle) will not solve your problem.

Try lowering your saddle in 2mm increments until your pain goes away.

If your pain is focused on one side or the other, you have a leg length discrepancy that should be addressed with shims or some other device that levels your pelvis.

I'm not an expert, but I have experienced these issues and effectively eliminated them with my own trial-and-error. YMMV.

 

[tonyzackery]

OP, you asked this same type of question back on 7/1 (had to check back as I knew this question sounded very familiar). Apparently, the purchase of a wider saddle didn't cure your woes.

Saddle position fore/aft and tilt should also be addressed in addition to height. Moving it back (aft) effectively raises your saddle, and moving it forward (fore) lowers it. Negative tilt (nose down) effectively lowers your saddle height, and positive tilt (nose up) raises it. Some people are most powerful when their saddle is not perfectly level. Me, I need a slight positive tilt for best power with reasonable comfort. Everyone has different anatomical requirements...