saddle sore

pauln08

Help, im new to road bikes and my saddle is uncomfortable. i have tried moving the saddle and it is now level, and the pain has not eased. The pain is in the perenium area. People have sugeggsted a change of saddle. I have looked on the net and a few have good reviews on the bike radar pages, like the specialized toupe gel,selle italia slr xc gel, bontrager race x lite and the selle italia t1, any thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated.

hopper1

I use a Fizik Arione, and find it very comfortable.

on the road

Have you tried changing the angle of the saddle?

carl_p

It does take a while to get used a saddle so don't be too hastie in getting a new one just yet.

I had some discomfort in that area at the weekend and have since moved the saddle back by 1cm. It seems to have help although I haven't been on a long run yet to really test it. Take an Allen key with you on your next ride so you can make some adjustments as you go rather than enduring an excrutiating ride. Also assuming you have no vehicles close behind you, don't be afraid to stand out of the saddle for a few moments. It really does help.

alfablue

After 15 years of having a sore backside and having tried maybe a dozen saddles, I found Selle Anatomica; it is pricey (not as pricey as top of the range Brooks), retro, and comes from the US (no customs duties to pay, they state the value as $13, delivered in 5 days), but it has really revolutionised my cycling enjoyment.

JF

are u using a good pair of bike shorts ? that was my problem with the angle of the saddle. It cause to much pressur and friction down on the perineum. Chamois cream or , i know it sounds weird, baby powder help alots on the friction part.

Parsnip49

JF wrote:

are u using a good pair of bike shorts ? that was my problem with the angle of the saddle. It cause to much pressur and friction down on the perineum. Chamois cream or , i know it sounds weird, baby powder help alots on the friction part.

+1

Its the question no one asks, they all tell you to spend money on a new saddle.

If your using good bike shorts/bibs and the gooch gets sore at about 70 miles, you need chamois creme. If it gets sore 20 miles in, you need a new saddle.

Give it a few hundred miles for the saddle to break in before you even thing about replacing it.

Personally, i love my 130mm Toupe Ti - took me a while to settle on it though.

sad Bastad

I had exactly the same problem
Try pointing the saddle down just slightly and moving it forward a fraction so that you're resting on the bones in your backside rather than your perineum.
Worked for me

PhilipTom

After a month of pain and numbness from my old saddle, I got one of the C+ "recommended" saddles (Selle Italia Gell Flow Flite) a couple of months ago. I wasn't convinced at first as it took nearly 1000 miles for it to break in. I think it's a great saddle now and reckon that any residual soreness is either down to my shorts (different padding gives different levels of comfort), the amount of time I cycle for (anything over 4 hours is asking for some trouble) and the size and strength of my buttock muscles. The more cycling I do, the harder my bum muscles and therefore the less movement and potential friction and resulting discomfort. I think the best advice is to get the best shorts you can afford, use cream and get as fit and slim as possible.

doktorsteve

If you do not want to spend too much but want to try something different then try a Rido from SJS. I want to hate mine because of their looks but they are always more comfortable than my other saddles so I stick with 'em. Never have any perineum pressure as long as I don't wear shorts with too much padding which defeat the geometry.

alfablue

Whilst I agree with the "wear good padded shorts" thing, and I a recommending the Selle Anatomica, it is worth noting that Bontrager saddles offer a 30 day no quibble comfort guarantee - so you can try one and get a refund if it doesn't suit.

markos1963

I have 2 different saddles on my 2 bikes and I don't get any problems. I assume you have the seat set at the correct height?, any rocking motion is going to cause friction and soreness. Before going out make sure your shorts don't have any creases in that area which can rub. Use a chamois cream if you like or as I do some baby talc( I find it reduces friction a lot). It sounds obvious but don't use the shorts more than once without washing them.

johncp

wot, no mention of Sudocrem :?: Makes a good lubricant and is antiseptic, but I reckon the real key is with the saddle angle and position. As someone said above, not too high or you're rocking and rolling and causing friction at the top of your legs and pressure on your perineum. I have been having problems all year on and off with sore points and actual spots but it has greatly reduced since dropping the sadlle a bit. I did 60 miles in the wet on Saturday and 60 again on Sunday and was just mildly uncomfortable at the end of it all

coffeecup

my advice - suffer baby suffer LOL!!!

it'll go away after many months of endurance

in the meantime try some assos chamois creambefore a big ride

feel

Another thing to consider is have you got the saddle at the right height ? too low will cause pressure in the wrong places for that saddle. I would not rush down the new saddle route until you have had a chance to break the the saddle and your backside in, and you are certain that the saddle is correct for forward and back position and for height.

you say your saddle is now "level" do you mean horizontal or level with the handlebars?

rapid_uphill

everyone gets saddle sores now and again its part and parcel of cycling