Seat woes...Help?

I think the best thing would be to go to a bike shop that will let you try out saddles for a week or so, it's hard to know which one is right from a picture. You could also try shifting more of your weight forward by lowering your bars a bit. Just mark where they are now incase it cause shoulder pain or something. Good luck 🙂

WTB and Fizik have demo programs at select shops. They let you try a saddle for a few days before buying.

A cutout is not necessarily the way to go.

Good post. I got a new saddle few months ago, because I was getting groin numbness in the same (prostate) area. It's a much harder saddle, but now that I'm used to it, everything feels fine. Everyone's different in that aspect.

Quick question... Watching all of the pro tours on tv, I keep wondering if there is some other, special padding/chamois that the pro riders wear. It just looks to me like the padding they have is better. I have the Pearl Izumi Elite bibs which are good.

gman0482 said:

Watching all of the pro tours on tv, I keep wondering if there is some other, special padding/chamois that the pro riders wear. It just looks to me like the padding they have is better. I have the Pearl Izumi Elite bibs which are good.

Pro level shorts just have more tailoring and closed-cell foam than the shorts most of us buy for less than $100. Just try a pair of PI PRO bibs if you're curious.

Robert Yuras said:

I'm currently riding a stock San Marco seat that came on my Cannondale. Once I hit the 25 mile mark I start aching. The center of my pelvic floor (or prostate area) really aches. Its not from being rubbed the wrong way, its a pressure pain. So I find myself picking up my rear on the down hills to relieve the pain, but this doesn't allow me to rest my legs before attacking the next hill.

SO, I'm on a limited budget and was hoping for some advice on where to begin with seats. Should I go straight to a cut out seat? Or try a solid narrow seat with a pad. I know I like the narrow(er) front. I was actually looking at the Forte seat:

Forté Pro SL Saddle - Bike Seats/Saddles

I would really like some advice please.

Get a bike fit first.

I've had a bike fit. No issues there. The saddle just isn't right. In fact, prior to being fitted, I had all sorts of incorrect angles and aches in the wrong spots. The fit alleviated 99% of them, but created this pain.

So what direction do I work in? Or just pick randomly and go from there?

I've heard good things about brooks saddles. They take a while to get worn in, but once they do, they're supposedly incredibly comfortable. I've been thinking of getting one, my current saddle hurts like mad after a few hours, quite horrible.

gman0482 said:

Good post. I got a new saddle few months ago, because I was getting groin numbness in the same (prostate) area. It's a much harder saddle, but now that I'm used to it, everything feels fine. Everyone's different in that aspect.

Quick question... Watching all of the pro tours on tv, I keep wondering if there is some other, special padding/chamois that the pro riders wear. It just looks to me like the padding they have is better. I have the Pearl Izumi Elite bibs which are good.

The Elites are not far off the P.R.O. level. The chamois is different but not significantly so but you can tell the difference after a couple of hours. I find that the chamois in the P.R.O. bibs are comfier when riding on the flat but I don't notice much difference when riding in the hills, so I'm guessing the padding up front is either better placed or there's slightly more of it. What is significantly different between the two is the weight and compression offered by the P.R.O shorts, which use a thicker material which offers more support. I used to be sceptical about whether the 'compression' material offered benefits but color me sold on that one.

I noticed that new Assos shorts have material that looks like it could be used for hammocks. Very hefty... and feels soft. Mmmmm. $350 though... fark that. LOL

Robert Yuras said:

I've had a bike fit. No issues there. The saddle just isn't right. In fact, prior to being fitted, I had all sorts of incorrect angles and aches in the wrong spots. The fit alleviated 99% of them, but created this pain.

So what direction do I work in? Or just pick randomly and go from there?

If you have 'pressure' in an area that you're not supposed to get pain then it sounds like you're sitting on a too narrow of a saddle. Can't really speak for other makes/models, but I stuck my behind on a Specialized ass-o-meter and bought one of their Body Geometry saddles (Toupe) and despite being very minimalist and devoid of most padding it's that comfy that I don't feel it when I'm riding - even after 12+hours in the mountains.

It's one of the few pieces of bike kit that you'd have to pry from my cold dead hands...

swampy1970 said:

..........I used to be sceptical about whether the 'compression' material offered benefits but color me sold on that one.

Swampy, what's the deal with compression material then? Is this something different than the normal stretchy material used in shorts and bibs?

Ok, I see the +'s on this. Gotta give that a try.

serra said:

I've heard good things about brooks saddles. They take a while to get worn in, but once they do, they're supposedly incredibly comfortable. I've been thinking of getting one, my current saddle hurts like mad after a few hours, quite horrible.

I love my Brooks saddles. And I found them reasonably comfortable brand new out of the box. Wallingford Bike (Wallingford Bicycle Parts www.wallbike.com) will let you try a Brooks saddle for up to 6 months, and will give you your money back or let you exchange it for another model--your choice. Or you can buy one for less on ebay (wallbike sells their returned ones there), but no money-back guarantee. A returned wallbike saddle will be partially broken in, no more than 6 months old, and will be accurately described as to condition. And no, I don't get kickbacks for referrals........just a happy customer.

So I snagged that forte saddle today. I went into Performance and asked if they were willing to work with me until I figured out what saddle was best for me. They told me "no problem", which is why I continue to shop there. The Forte saddle was on sale, for $49.99, which is a steal. Tossed it on the bike today and did 35 miles. No more pressure! The two hot spots on my sit bones came back, though.

Is this the seat for me? I don't think so. Is it a step in the right direction? Yes. I'm going to do a 100k this weekend, so it will give me some great saddle time.

In comparison to the san marco saddle, the Forte is certainly wider at the back and in the curves up towards the middle. The nose of the saddle ends up being the same width as the former, which I like for cooling. I might take this back next week and step up to a Selle, since I've been hearing excellent reviews about those products.

Just thought I'd update the results.

Robert Yuras said:

So I snagged that forte saddle today.

At least you're finding out what characteristics work for you. That Forte by Performance is very highly regarded in some circles. I've got a list of saddles that have more or less worked for me. While none was ideal, I think I'm pretty close to it with my current Fizik Arione. But others I've used extensively and enjoyed until I found something better were the
- Brooks Pro--didn't like sitting on the rivets and the side skirts chafed
- Cinelli Unicanitor, padded with "buffalo" cover--nicer than the Brooks, but I sold it with my Charles Roberts
- Selle Italian Turbo--my main saddle for over 20 years; in hindsight, a little too wide
- San Marco Concor light--narrower, and I like the cantle, but a little too short for a larger rider
- Fizik Aliante--does what the Concor does, but I think the Concor does it better; hard and wide where my thighs want to go
- Fizik Arione--I went into this because we were retiring older (and barely used) demo saddles, with skepticism because it was different from anything I'd used before; almost flat as a 2x4, it's less constrictive to my circulation; long, it give me room to move around; and the flex wings break in exactly as advertised. Bravo!

swampy1970 said:

Specialized Toupe

+1
I currently ride a flite gel flow

which is my most comfortable saddle so far but I have ridden a Toupe and that or similar will definately be my next saddle. It was noticeably more comfortable for me from the second I sat on it.

[IMG]buybikesaddles.comspecialized toupe.jpgOpen ↗[/IMG]

Specialized makes great saddles. It took me a couple of rides to get used to it but now it's comfy.

Wow, seems like a nice seat, at a fairly reasonable price too. Perhaps I'll move up after this weekend.

Those who find comfortable saddles are truly blessed.

I think you're right. I know riders that have been through a dozen saddles and STILL don't have a good fit. Seems like lots of males deal with numbness. I experienced this with my old fuji saddle, but it has gone away with a narrower saddle.