How long until your arse toughens up??

dmch2

bike size depends on the make of mike and your relative proportions. I'm a relatively leggy 6 ft and have a 58cm Trek but in a Cannondale I fit a 56.

But 6'2" with a 54cm sounds small whatever make of bike / shape you are.

I think that the tables to get bike size from leg measurement rely on groin to ground whereas trousers rely on groin to top of shoe. Or did I just make that up?

neeb

I knew I'd read something somewhere about the mechanics behind the common experience that new cyclists have of pain in the sitbone area that gets better as your arse toughens up.

From an ergonomic saddle website:

The human body has muscle covering the sit bones and in some people, those muscles need to be conditioned before total comfort is obtained. The conditioning period varies from one rider to the next but proper conditioning will be achieved. The muscle soreness is the same soreness you might get on your first few visits to the gym or your first day of yard work after a long winter.

So, basically, you need to get those muscles toned up so that they can prop up your sitbones instead of being squashed by them. It will happen automatically the more time you spend in the saddle.

Of course there are other types of pain caused by saddles, but assuming you are being supported by your sitbones (as you should be) and not the perineum (not good), then the above probably applies.

P.S. Moderators - is it really necessary for the software to automatically blank out the "e" in the perfectly good ango-saxon word "arse"? This is 2010 after all... It's particularly culturally prejudiced as the american spelling "ass" is not censored due to its multiple meanings.

UpTheWall

rodgers73 wrote:

It's a road bike not a MTB or anything unusual.

My shorts are Karrimor cycling shorts with a decent thick pad in them.

It's just ordinary sit-bone ache not saddle sores.

It was worse coming home rather than going to work - no bother at all on the 1st leg in fact

I move about a bit in terms of position during the ride due to climbs, hills etc.

I'm not sure on my set up. I'm 6ft 2 and bought a frame size that is meant to match my inside leg measurement/height (54"? I cant remember but I used various sites to work it out, all of which sounded authoritative!). I think the saddle should be higher than the handkebars - is that right? Mine are almost parallel. No knee or other pain though - just sore bum!

Thanks for all the comments guys

Tom

Changing your position in different riding modes is a good habit. E.g. descending on the drops, climbing with your hands on top of the bars. As well as being more efficient, varying your position will rest different muscle groups / pressure points.

Ah - bike sizing. Anyone who claims to definitively know sizings based on a single stat is talking from their batty hole I'm afraid.

Simply going from inside leg or stand over height isn't good enough. And a lot of bike shop staff will still try to push this to get a quick sale, c.f. Evans.

That said, it does sound like your bike may be a bit smaller than it should.

it's all about the three contact points: feet, ass and hands. And it depends on the kind of riding you'll be doing, how comfortable you want to be, how bendy you are.

E.g. I ride distance so I'll be in the saddle for 6 to 8 hours at a time, so although I want to go fast, I'll not spent the entire ride in an extreme tuck like your timetrialers. That said I'm bendy so I'll be pretty low at the front for a fairly aerodynamic position. My bars are about 9cm lower than my saddle.

i'd recommend getting fitted up by a decent outfit. London based? If so you've got http://www.sigmasport.co.uk/app/web/Bla ... bmenuid=49 or the more pricey option of Cyclefit in Covent Garden.

There are some things you can do to adjust your bike, e.g. longer stem, more spacers under your bars, more layback on your seatpost, but this adjusts the handling of the bike as well as the fit.

pickylongstocking

Don't really know its quite a particular thing based on various factors but if you so desire we could meet regularly up Hampstead Heath and find out together how long it takes for your a#se to toughen up xx

celt1972

i have a trek 1.5 with an alledged bad saddle, i dont wear cycling shorts, i use running 5 inch shorts or running leggings when cold. I think you just need to toughen up a bit...

rodgers73

Thanks again all. The 54" measurement was a wild guess - and I cant be bothered to go out to the garage to check!

I'm commuting again next Tuesday so we'll see how it goes.

Tom

StillGoing

Father Jack wrote:

matthew h wrote:

yep - you get used to it!

No you don't, if it hurts that much saddle position or just isn't right for you. I tried to give my Fizik Pave a chance, but after a few weeks still horrid to use. Now have Brooks Swallow

Similar thing with me. After weeks of agony that would start within two miles of setting off, I ditched the Bontrager saddle and purchased a cheap Intake one. Never had a problem since with the backside.

dmch2

My first ride with a trek 1.5 today and a virgin (to a road bike) arse. Hmmm... Am I allowed to use phrases like that on here? :oops:

I've got some gore padded shorts but I could really feel it after 5 miles. On my hybrid with it's cushioned gel saddle I can do 25 miles in plane shorts before even noticing it.

I guess it's just practice and lots of shortish rides and see what it feels like after a month. I also assume that the more aggressive roadie position means I'm using a different bit of my backside that isn't even used to the hybrid's padded saddle.

i have a trek 1.5 with an alledged bad saddle

Is the Trek saddle reckoned to be a poor/uncomfortable one then?

Pretre

dmch2 wrote:

i have a trek 1.5 with an alledged bad saddle

Is the Trek saddle reckoned to be a poor/uncomfortable one then?

You shouldn't listen to what people think about a particular saddle (apart from if it breaks or falls apart after 10 miles, of course) - everyone is so totally different that one person's razor blade is someone else's padded throne.
Rode once with someone who had a full carbon, super expensive saddle - I tried it out on my bike & lasted about 2 minutes before leaping off in agony but he was doing 100km+ rides with absolutely no discomfort whatsoever..

dmch2

I'm not desperate to change it, just keeping my ears open for advice. I'm planning on just using it for the 6 weeks until the free service thing as that should give enough time for my butt/behind/ass/donkey to toughen up.