Saddles (again)

sarajoy
sarajoy Posts: 1,675
edited April 2009 in Commuting chat
I think I've been on my bike long enough to work out whether I'm just a little saddle sore or if I just don't get on with my seat, now.

Just feels a bit, well, angular at times.

What do people make of Charge saddles? I like the look of the brown one for a bit of Brooks style without the breaking-in period (oh, and cost): http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Charg ... 360032998/
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Comments

  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    Get thee to a bike shop that has one of those sit bone width measurement thingies and get your sit bone width measured. Because (as wiggle says) ladies have varying sit bone widths, if it ain't right it won't be comfortable.

    Never used the Charge ones, I have tried a few of the specialised ones, and have just purchased 2 more of the Jett so all my bikes have the same. The sonoma is also good if you want something a bit softer, but TBH it's the shape and size that provides the comfort, not squidgy stuff.
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • roger_merriman
    roger_merriman Posts: 6,165
    charge saddles seem to be well thought of, and their is purple ;-)
  • sarajoy
    sarajoy Posts: 1,675
    edited April 2009
    Well I already have a Sonoma :? Damn, maybe I just have a sensitive botty.

    I got it measured when I thought I was having troubles before - I am fairly pear shaped, but the sit-bone wotsit came up showing my bones as 125-ish mm apart, so my current one (155mm) isn't too narrow.

    I wouldn't mind if I had a less soft saddle, just more.. well rounded might be nice. Can't tell until you sit on one, can you :S
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  • gtvlusso
    gtvlusso Posts: 5,112
    Charge spoon is comfy on my fixie - cheap too. On the road bike I use a Specialized Tri Tip gel saddle - really comfy for distance.

    Ultimately - Evans, in Bristol, will take the saddle off the shelf for you and let you sit on it to get your comfort zone.....
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    No indeed not! The bum has the final say...

    You might be better off with a narrower one... I'm surprised you find the sonoma too angular though, definitely don't try the Jett! :)
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    Saddles are a dark art! Different brands suit different bums, but all need breaking in. Counter intuitively, the less padding the better. Invest in a decent pair of padded shorts and as LiT says, get down to the LBS.

    Personally I find the Specialized BG range excellent. Perhaps try the BG Jett Saddle or the Ruby Saddle.
  • sarajoy
    sarajoy Posts: 1,675
    I guess it's possible it's a little wide so I'm getting irritated at the bottom of my stroke maybe? I find myself repositioning all the time trying to get comfy.
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  • gtvlusso
    gtvlusso Posts: 5,112
    sarajoy wrote:
    I guess it's possible it's a little wide so I'm getting irritated at the bottom of my stroke maybe? I find myself repositioning all the time trying to get comfy.

    Maybe more a case of bike setup - seat height, stem length and so on......few adjustments usually help allot with comfort and re-adjusting.....bike, won't be like an armchair though......
  • sarajoy
    sarajoy Posts: 1,675
    gtvlusso wrote:
    sarajoy wrote:
    I guess it's possible it's a little wide so I'm getting irritated at the bottom of my stroke maybe? I find myself repositioning all the time trying to get comfy.

    Maybe more a case of bike setup - seat height, stem length and so on......few adjustments usually help allot with comfort and re-adjusting.....bike, won't be like an armchair though......
    Well, aye, but I've been through loads of iterations of positioning now. Went through a couple of weeks of shifting stuff about a mm or two at a time... It was dead comfy for a while but now starting to feel niggly again...
    ...maybe I'll give it another week or two. OR just buy the brown charge sadlle cos I wants it, my preciouussssss
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  • c12345
    c12345 Posts: 99
    I'm using a spoon atm. Its ok, but not as good as the specialised toupe that got run over by an over enthusiastic car. I can't afford to replace it.

    To be fair to the spoon, for the price its worth a punt. I think its a little wide for me, so it may well not suit you perfectly.

    My advice is to buy from ebay, and sell on ebay over and over until you find one that is good. In theory, you'll only be spending postage costs that way.

    Also, I'm serious about my previous comment about liberal use of sudocrem. I'd be feeling alot more sorry for myself without it.
  • gtvlusso
    gtvlusso Posts: 5,112
    sarajoy wrote:
    gtvlusso wrote:
    sarajoy wrote:
    I guess it's possible it's a little wide so I'm getting irritated at the bottom of my stroke maybe? I find myself repositioning all the time trying to get comfy.

    Maybe more a case of bike setup - seat height, stem length and so on......few adjustments usually help allot with comfort and re-adjusting.....bike, won't be like an armchair though......
    Well, aye, but I've been through loads of iterations of positioning now. Went through a couple of weeks of shifting stuff about a mm or two at a time... It was dead comfy for a while but now starting to feel niggly again...
    ...maybe I'll give it another week or two. OR just buy the brown charge sadlle cos I wants it, my preciouussssss

    It is a good saddle - I would not go mega miles on it though. Prefer my Specialized Tri Trip (50mm) for any distance work......It is very much personal choice, go and sit on a few in Evans in Brizzle centre on Sat am.
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    sarajoy wrote:
    I guess it's possible it's a little wide so I'm getting irritated at the bottom of my stroke maybe? I find myself repositioning all the time trying to get comfy.

    Could well be. The reason I am replacing the sonoma 143 with the Jett 143 is that the sonoma is too wide, so as you say it's not as comfortable.

    As Jash says, the less comfortable it looks, the more comfortable it is likely to be!

    spec%20jett%20womens%20saddle.jpg

    Comfy

    Ergogel%20Womens%20A.jpg

    Not.
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • whyamihere
    whyamihere Posts: 7,714
    Could be because you wear underwear. ;)

    I'm being serious actually. The rubbing (oo-er) could be what's causing discomfort.
  • sarajoy
    sarajoy Posts: 1,675
    It feels like a pressure thing rather than an undies thing... But I suppose.

    But, it seems Charge are well-regarded, and I wants a brown saddle, so maybe I just get it anyway and then work on my aversion to dropping my knickers...
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  • roger_merriman
    roger_merriman Posts: 6,165
    sarajoy wrote:
    It feels like a pressure thing rather than an undies thing... But I suppose.

    But, it seems Charge are well-regarded, and I wants a brown saddle, so maybe I just get it anyway and then work on my aversion to dropping my knickers...

    your wearing kickers under lycra shorts? oooh.

    honest drop the knickers be happier dryier sara. or you can get your money back.
  • CiB
    CiB Posts: 6,098
    Sarah

    MTFU and get yourself one of these. You know it makes sense.

    :)
  • attica
    attica Posts: 2,362
    SJ

    Try Strada cycles in Bedminster, they have a selection of Selle Italia saddles that you can test ride for free.

    They're a nice bunch in there and should be very helpful, they're on North Street
    "Impressive break"

    "Thanks...

    ...I can taste blood"
  • sarajoy
    sarajoy Posts: 1,675
    Nice tip Attica thanks - though I suspect I may be a little cheapskate for those...

    gtvlusso will get the pleasure of my gloriously pink visage post-hill on the way home tonight, will see what his 'very comfy' spare is like :)
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  • dodgy
    dodgy Posts: 2,890
    I've just put a Charge Knife on my summer bike, chuffed with it. I was prepared to take the gamble by buying mail order.
  • Stone Glider
    Stone Glider Posts: 1,227
    +1 sudocrem the cyclist's friend.
    The older I get the faster I was
  • andrewjoseph
    andrewjoseph Posts: 2,165
    Brookes saddles are the only saddles I am aware of that get better. They change to your shape, You can buy them ready broken in and soft, but I've been comfy on them straight off.

    My wife can't get on with them though, she prefers Spesh BG .... erm.. Dolce?
    --
    Burls Ti Tourer for Tarmac, Saracen aluminium full suss for trails
  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    Sara, give no-pants a go for a week or two and see if you feel better as a result. Because if it IS the unnecessary pants that's causing the problems, then the new saddle won't make things better no matter how incredibly ergonomic or your-bum-shaped it is.
    My Focus / My Bob Jackson
    Blog (incl. bikes)
  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    biondino wrote:
    Sara, give no-pants a go for a week or two and see if you feel better as a result.
    Spring is in the air.
  • tardington
    tardington Posts: 1,379
    It's the draft that freshens the daffodils!

    Have you tried the undershorts/pants with the pad in?
  • sarajoy
    sarajoy Posts: 1,675
    Guys, please give up on the knickers thing, eh?

    One day, maybe. Not right now. Not soon.

    It's not like I'm putting hulking great boxers in there! We're talking thin little knickers. Girly ones.

    ANYWAY, opinion on the saddle, in this saddle thread, that I asked about - seems to be quite good. And I want it. So I may well go at get it, knickers or not.
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  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    sarajoy wrote:
    Guys, please give up on the knickers thing, eh?

    One day, maybe. Not right now. Not soon.

    It's not like I'm putting hulking great boxers in there! We're talking thin little knickers. Girly ones.

    ANYWAY, opinion on the saddle, in this saddle thread, that I asked about - seems to be quite good. And I want it. So I may well go at get it, knickers or not.


    You do understand I'm not being the sniggering pervert type (on this thread at least), right? You have a specific problem which sounds exactly like it might be caused by chafing on underpant seams but you're point blank refusing to consider it! If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck...

    Wear two pairs of padded shorts. Wear padded shorts under baggies. Do whatever is necessary to preserve your modesty, but at least have a go at wearing clothes the way they're designed to be worn!
    My Focus / My Bob Jackson
    Blog (incl. bikes)
  • sarajoy
    sarajoy Posts: 1,675
    Blimey.

    Yes I understand. I've even said I might consider it some time.

    But the point was I'm after a new saddle (mainly for the brown colour, admittedly), I asked for opinions of said saddle, just to make sure I'm not buying something awful.

    If, once I've got what I want and still feel the irritation, then I will consider going knickerless.

    BUT this is something I will come to in my own good time! Goodness me, I'm not about to let an online forum bully me into taking off my underwear!

    I very much accept that it may well be causing my problem, but 1) I don't have enough shorts to keep changing them and 2) don't have time nor inclination to wash them daily.

    Stop, please?
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  • Ghengis
    Ghengis Posts: 90
    How about this.... I've got a Charge Spoon, I've used it for about a year now. It feels fairly firm and unforgiving compared to previous MTB saddles I've used but once you get going it's comfy. I mostly ride trails and rough stuff and it generally is quite good. Occasionally I do long distance stuff like C2C and it is fine for 2-3 days on the bike. I commute every now and then a 62 mile round trip and it feels OK for that too.
    It does however rub like hell if I get the wrong shorts, so make sure you have some good ones. It's holding up well too, not showing any major wear and tear after several crashes, thrown down the road or trail and general miss use.
    Best thing would be to see if a bike shop will let you try one - no matter how good a saddle is if it doesn't fit it's no good.
    Nearly there, just over this hill and round the next corner...

    2005 Specialized Rockhopper Disc
    2009 Giant Defy 2.5
  • sarajoy
    sarajoy Posts: 1,675
    Too late, went and ordered the Charge Ladle last night! GTV did however have what we think was a Charge Spoon on his fixie, so I had a little sit on that and it felt fairly nice.

    This morning I had a very comfortable ride in and I think I've found a big part of the issue - my other SPEG shorts (that I wore last week) have very substantial padding which generally feels nice but somehow seems to slide backwards a bit - and I /think/ it may be possible that my sit-bone is hanging off one or other side of the padding.

    The 3/4 legging things I had on today have a fairly pathetic excuse for padding but it appears to be just enough, or maybe covers a larger area. Not sure. Will investigate when I change over again.
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  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    I just noticed that your bike has a kick stand. This could be the root of your problems and you should remove it.



    of course, the kick stand has nothing whatsoever to do with chafing, but really, kick stands are an abomination and I'm simply trying to ease another one out of service without the owner loosing face.

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