Newbie - saddle sore!

dcfcfan

Hi

I've got a new trek 7.3fx

I cycled for a couple of hours today and picked up a new saddle (one which is especially designed to increase blood flow etc etc)

I already had some padded under shorts but still got a bit saddle sore

The bloke in the shop told me to expect this for a while. How long before your bum becomes hardened!?

redddraggon

Only a few days. I felt it really bad when I got my bike at first. After two weeks (if that) perseverance I felt nothing.

johnno_uk

I think you need to look at your riding position as you shouldn't be sore. I'm not sure the soft tissue around your sensitive bits is designed to harden up. I've just started riding again on a road bike , and can go for about 2 hours without any saddle discomfort, so i think i was just lucky with saddle position . I did spend some time in the kitchen before i went out getting the height / reach and saddle angle what i felt to be just right.

dcfcfan

Yes, I do feel as if I'm stretching forward a bit too much.

I'll move my seat forward

My handlebars are also lower than my seat. Although raising them will put MORE weight on my bum, I instinctively feel that I want my handlebars higher.

Just got to work out which allen keys to undo to raise the handlebars. I have some at the side of the stem and one on the very top. Trial and error!

Dorian Gray

Not sure you can adjust the handlebar height much (if at all?) on that bike. Anyway, it would be a miracle if you didn't have sore sit bones when you're starting out. Unless you have a huge amount of fat to protect you, you're going to hurt for at least a week or two. Nothing you can do about it except persevere!

When I started cycling again after a break of a year, by the third day I was so sore I couldn't sit for more than five minutes on the bike. Two weeks later the pain had gone completely.

If you put the seat forward you may cause yourself other problems, such as sore wrists or number fingers from too much pressure on your hands. Your body pivots around the pedals like a seesaw, your bum balancing your upper body. If you put your saddle forward it's as if you moved closer to the seesaw pivot, meaning the other end (i.e. your upper body) will go down with more force (on your hands).

bikeit65

dcfcfan try flipping the handle bar stem around most stems wiil have a low position and a slightly higher position.

Blonde

Depends where you are sore. If it is from pressure of saddle, ie - your sit bones that are hurting, then, yes, this does get better the mroe cycling you do - that is assuming that the saddle is the correct width for your sit bones. If it is too wide, you will get sore skin and sore perennium area from the excess padding chafing your groin. If it is too narrow it will not support your sit bones and they will flop either side causing you to sit on soft tissue which again will hurt. Also if it is very padded (ie, any type of 'gel' saddle) this usually does cause problems as you simply compress the padding with your sit bones as you sit down, so it rides up around your sit bones and into soft tissue areas. See here for reasons why harder saddles are actually more comfy than gel padded ones: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html - This web page also tells you how to make sure your saddle is positioned for optimum comfort.

If this a sore skin issue - from sweat/salt or chafing you can try changing the shorts - some are better than others for wicking sweat away and some have better seam placement than others. Saddles that are leather (not leather covered, but actually a peice of leather stretched over a frame - such as this type: http://www.mcmwin.com/saddle%20shop%20new.htm) will be more breathable and less sweaty than plastic/vinyl/synthetic covered ones and also leather covered plastic/foam combination saddles.

The sort of saddle you have has a dip or cut away hole in the centre? If so, yes, this can help stop any pressure on the perennial nerve, which can result in temporary numb penis after cycling and which is a problem for some men. However, it does depend on the position of the hole/dip whether this is right for you, and how padded the surrounding saddle area is. If it is a soft saddle, again, you sink in and find the edges of the dip or cut away hole can irritate and cause pain. I have 3 Selle Anatomica saddles, one for each of my bikes, imported from the US (see the MCM saddles link above) and I find it great for rides of up to 600km, with no chafing or pressure anywhere. If you click the link at go to 'Home' page, 'R &D video clips' half way down the home page in the centre, and open one of the MPEG files, you will see exactly why these saddles do not chafe or put any pressure on the rider - you can see one in action - as the rider pedals, it actually flexes with them. You won't see many saddles that do this. A guy from Sigma sport in London got on my bike and pedalled round in order to check something for me whilst I was out in the Alps in June, and said afterwards: 'That's the most comfortable saddle I've ever sat on, it feels like someone gently cupping your buttocks!'

dcfcfan

many thanks for such a comprehensive response. The pain is (was) in my sit bones so I think it's just I need a few days to get used to it (that was my first bike ride in years on Sunday!)