Sore bottom!!! take 2!!

GER 67

Bought a Charge Spoon Saddle, I've done 20 - 25 miles nearly every other day on it for the last month, and it was mmm.... ok, but the other day i did a 40 mile on it, for the last 8 mile i was in hell!! soft tissue was screaming, sit bones was crying, the pain was horrible. Where do i go next? I've got £100 to spend on a proper saddle but which one, did fancy the fizik aliante or arione. so confused. and i've got some big rides coming up in 2012,why is it such a pain in the bu......!!! ( TREK ROAD BIKE )

anto164

Go to a decent bike shop, and get them to measure your bum (no really, there is a tool for this! It's like a paddle with foam on which moulds to your sit bones) and then borrow a couple of saddles to find out what suits you.

McBain_v1

For long distance rides I have always used a Selle Italia SLR which seems to suit my white pimply arse to perfection. Saddles are very much a personal thing so make sure that you try plenty out. I'm surprised that someone has not come crashing in here talking about the joy of owning and using a broken-in Brooks but given that the saddle has to break your backside before it becomes comfortable I would give it a miss for now.

Gazzetta67

Best bet is to find a Specialzed dealer - They measure the size of your ars and they can send you away with a temporary saddle to try out for a week.

rogerthecat

Each of us has a different arse; as has been said LBS should have purple / orange test saddles you can borrow and try, I swear by Fiziks Aliante however...

Paul E

I have a spesh romin and once set at the right angle it's comfy as anything, you would need to get your sit bones measured though, I had to go for the narrowest one at 130mm wide. It's lightish too to boot

Wheelspinner

Definitely get "measured" as this makes a huge difference, as above. But even then, can be trial and painful error before you find a good one. Selle Italia SLR XP and the gel flow team version both work for me.

Make sure you have GOOD shorts that fit properly too, with the pad in the right spot.

derosa

San Marco Rolls. Good enough for Bernard & Greg, good enough for me

GER 67

LATEST: Got measured at my LBS, sat on the gel board,bloke in the shop told me that a Bontrager RL {yellow dot} was the seat for me, and that nobody has ever return a Bontrager Saddle after been Gel measured!! How wrong he was!! Done 65 miles last week, and 39 miles over the Snowdonia Pass today, last 5 miles ,agony!!!! Sit bones was the main problem, a sore/cramping pain on the under carriage and buttocks, one thing that has been sorted is the dreadful numb knob LOL!!!! Why is this,been properly measured, so should be fine yes??? With Bontrager there is a 90 day trial, so i can take it back to try another one, but which other saddle will they give me. Should i stick with this one and just grin and bear it, will it mould into my arse with time, or take it back ?

northpole

As one of the earlier posts stated, decent shorts are critical for any length of ride. Hope you have addressed this point?

I found that the Spesh Toupe was great - but only with decent shorts - impossible otherwise! The Fizik Alliante I have also found to be decent and a bit less dependent on padded shorts. Over a long ride though, the Toupe gets my vote - prefer it to the Romin which I also have.

Sounds like you may have to return your saddle but assuming you have decent shorts (sorry or sounding like a broken record on this point!) it would make sense to have another ride or two before the 90 day return period expires.

Peter

Bozman

A recommendation is worth squat when it comes to a saddle.
It took me a lot of time and money to find the right saddle and now i stick to that saddle, just look at the replies on every "What saddle" post, one mans armchair is another mans burning spike!

ajb72

^^^^ Spot on. Getting measured is an advantage, but it is trial and error I'm afraid. I test rode the new Fizik Kurve for a month from my LBS and absolutely love it - instant comfort over any distance. That comfort comes at an almighty price though

carbon337

ditch online and go with a lbs - you will save money in long run.

I tested all the Fizik models and just couldnt get away with any of them - i actually ended up on a selle italia SL xc (mtb saddle by design) as a last resort its still light but the best one i could get from my lbs and only 45 quid.

essjaydee

Just a thought, and I'm new to cycling, but your upping your mileage on your runs quite a bit with a saddle that you haven't had for long, so is it fully broken in yet, and do they break in :?:

I say this because, I have done just under 300 miles on my Boardman now. First few rides, about 20 milers, where ok, but slighlty uncomfortable on the derrier. Then went out with a club and did a 50 mile run, but butt didn't suffer too much. However, did a mammoth run last week of 83 miles, and boy did it hurt my butt :!: Felt like I'd been sitting on a razor blade and you could hear the fizz as i gently lowered my butt into a warm bath, and I had a sharp pain initially too. Was a bit tender the following day and fine now though. I put this down to the much greater mileage done on the day, and the fact that the saddle might not be fully broken in yet. Could be wrong on this though and would appreciate more experienced advice on this, and hoping this may be useful to the OP

warrerj

Quite a few shop now have ranges of demo saddles. Try a few LBS and demo a few saddles. BUT as others have said make sure you have decent shorts and give it a few rides to get used to it.

dbg

What shorts are you using? They are virtually as important as the saddle. Since you are prone to pain you need to be using a damn good pair!

petemadoc

Keep searching, it's all about trial and error.

I'm a Selle Italia fan, the gel flow ones with the hole in the middle. Fizik are very popular and the Arione gets lots of praise, I tried one once and it was hell!

Each to their own.

ToeKnee

derosa wrote:

San Marco Rolls. Good enough for Bernard & Greg, good enough for me

+1 ... not the lightest but comfort abounds.

GER 67

That's the question i want answering 'essjaydee', do saddles break in?? The short I'm using with the Bontrager RL is ENDURA FS 260 PRO, maybe i just need more mileage on the saddle ??.

desweller

Apart from leather saddles I don't think they break in as much as your backside gets used to them.

FWIW I could never get on with the Charge Spoon, it was just too wide and too soft, so I went for a Specialized Toupe and it has been almost indescribably superior.

I think there is a saddle swap shop in the classifieds if you want to try a few others out.