Do i need to change my saddle?

Jules Winnfield

Ok then, im slowly trying to regain my fitness on my bike to something like i used to have many moons ago. Ive sorted a few routes on Garmin connect which i follow with my GPS and im slowly riding further and further. Today i done a 17 miler with a few stinging climbs to boot and at the end of this ride, i really felt cooked which is a good thing.

But that wasnt my biggest problem, my backside was quite tender due to my saddle. Granted ive been riding the bike for only a few weeks now and it will take time for me to get used to it again, but at what point do i say enough is enough and i need to upgrade to something different? I want to ride further and further has the months go by but if the saddle is holding me back then it will not be possible.

The saddle is a CSN Superleggera K10 by the way which is quite hard to the touch.....



Cheers folks.

littledove44

Well I started cycling this year. For the first 500 miles I hated my saddle. Now I do not think about it.

1. Make sure it is the correct size for your seat bone width.
2. Do some core excercises that strengthen your glutes.
3. Try to think of something else.

Having said that, if the pain is not on the bones, but in the centre then get a saddle with the centre cutaway immediately and then go back to point 1. above.

cougie

HTFU

Jules Winnfield

Cheers for the replies guys.

littledove44 wrote:

2. Do some core excercises that strengthen your glutes.

I do think this is just the answer and like its been said, the more i ride, the better it will get once i get used to it.

diy

I would say it takes 6 weeks to develop the necessary padding on your bum. A decent pair of bibs can help and tighter or sports underwear (assuming you wear some) also helps to reduce chaffing.

Then make sure its adjusted so that your sit bone fits on the part designed to support it. Some people sit too far forward or back. Only after that is it worth getting one that is potentially a better fit.

diamonddog

Very little padding on my SLR saddle and comfiest yet. Make sure you have a good pad in your bibs or shorts and that they are a good fit, it helps immensely.

buzzwold

Best and comfiest saddle I ever had was leather. Took weeks to adapt to my bum but once worn in, always comfy. This is why Brooks is still in business.

Saddles are a matter of personal preference and many people change their saddles many times. Any activity that keeps you in the same position for hours on end will hurt, no matter what. LittleDove44 was right with the proviso that if it's anywhere else but your bum that's hurting or numb you do need to get a proper fit.

southdownswolf

My Brooks is the most comfortable saddle I own by a long way. It always takes a few rides to get used to my road and mountain bikes when switching from my tourer. However, after a few rides my rear becomes accustomed to the other saddles.

navrig

madasahattersley wrote:

My favourite saddle is completely unpadded. It may as well be concrete to the touch, here's why:

Sit on a flat wood table. All of your weight will be on your sit bones.

Sit on a cushion on that table, and it will feel more comfortable initially because your weight is more evenly distributed, but this means that there is less pressure on the sit bones and more on your soft tissue (where you don't want any pressure). Saddle comfort for endurance riding is mostly a red herring - more is not always better.

My vote is that you just need a few weeks to adapt to the saddle. As said above, I doubt firmness/padding is an issue, but if it stays uncomfortable go to a LBS to test ride some saddles. Don't test the saddle wit the most padding, and if you do buy a saddle make sure you buy it through the LBS after you've tested their saddle.

This. Give it time otherwise you will be constantly chasing the unobtainable - the perfect saddle.

Jules Winnfield

Top advice once again, thanks all

farrina

buzzwold wrote:

Best and comfiest saddle I ever had was leather. Took weeks to adapt to my bum but once worn in, always comfy. This is why Brooks is still in business.

Surely you mean that it took years for your posterior to adapt to the shape of the saddle .... <shudder>

IMHO with Brooks saddles the early years are hell (like sitting on an upturned plank), the middle years bliss and then the latter years (like most things becoming old) they degenerate to the floppy saggy stage.

Happy cycling ;-)

trek_dan

This may or may not help but when I first started cycling bigger distances last year I bought a pair of DHB padded undershorts to go under my bib shorts, helped reduced chafing and soften things up a bit.

keef66

After trying a couple of synthetic saddles and still not being happy I remembered enjoying all day comfort as a teenager on a Brooks saddle. So I went for a B17 special in honey. Tis a thing of beauty with it's copper plated rails and huge, hand beaten copper rivets. Weighs a ton, and looks slightly incongruous on a lightweight aluminium road bike, but it's been sublimely comfortable from the moment I fitted it.

Now contemplating trying a Team Pro or a Swift for the carbon bike...