My firm behind

caradale

Ok I admit it Im a mamil, im back on a road bike after many years away(although ive regularly comuted on a hybrid so im not that unfit). A couple of months ago I treated myself to a secondhand 2009 ridley orion. I love the bike in everyway except the battering its giving my posterior.

Looking at online reviews they imply its very stiff at the rear end but as I have no benchmark to compare it to im not sure what to accept as normal. After 25 miles or so im squirming in the saddle and standing up as often as can to relieve the discomfort.

So my questions are
Do I accept this is a characterstic of my bike and just need to wait for my butt to MTFU
Saddle is a body geometry 143, would trying different saddles help but it seems comfy enough up to the 20 mile mark.
Seat post is a Alu FSA SL would a carbon post help ( I doubt it as I don't have a great deal of post showing , not trendy I know).
Wheels are RS20 with 23mm pxt rage k rubber would going up to 25mm tyres at a lower pressure be beneficial.
Currently wearing Decathlon tights do more expensive bibs aid comfort noticeably.

Thanks Andy

rafletcher

Maybe try 25mm tyres, and get something like Schwalbe Ultremos's - Pretty grippy, reasonable wear and a supple sidewall, which will aid comfort. I assume the tights are padded - if not get some, or padded shorts to go under. The sort of pain you're getting won't really be solved by better tights, the better "chamois" is better at stopping abrasion, not impact damage (IMO). R.

ianwilliams

You only have a bit of seatpost showing but could more come up? If the position you sit in puts more weight on your behind than your arms then its always going to become a bit uncomfortable.

desweller

Sounds like your saddle either doesn't fit you or (more likey) the setup is not quite correct. Your best option is to pay a visit to a decent bike shop and get them to help you set it up, or you could wind up spending a fortune on trying out saddles.

That said, there is a saddle swap shop on this forum somewhere, precisely to help solve this problem...I don't know if it is still active.

defride

I'd concur with DesWeller

I've just changed my post and first couple of rides it felt wrong and my arse was sore. 2mm down on the post, 2mm fwd on the rails and hey presto no more sore arse after 30 miles.

Definately worth looking at saddle set up and saddle as a starting point

rjh299

Saddle fit maybe it, better shorts make a big difference though

JayKosta

"After 25 miles or so im squirming in the saddle and standing up as often as can to relieve the discomfort."

---

I had similar experience when I resumed riding with my old 145mm 'Turbo' saddle.
I switched to a wider (155mm) saddle and it works much better for me.

I suggest you examine and measure your current saddle and compare it to other saddles that are available in your area.

BTW - saddle that I'm now using is an old 'NOS' Vetta that my LBS had in his 'bargain bin'.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

jacknorell

Something like a Spesh Cobl-r Gobl-r?

wishitwasallflat

Lots of possible reasons

caradale wrote:

Ok I admit it Im a mamil, im back on a road bike after many years away(although ive regularly comuted on a hybrid so im not that unfit).

Your bum will need time to adapt back to riding - hybrids are very different from road bikes and fitness will translate across but comfort relates to bike geo, materials, components and set-up so won't translate directly unless you have a very aggressive hybrid set-up and/or relaxed road e.g. a friend at work went from a Whyte hybrid to a Sectuer and the latter is less aggressive position

So my questions are
Do I accept this is a characterstic of my bike and just need to wait for my butt to MTFU

Over time you will toughen up a bit but I don't think that woule resolve this

Saddle is a body geometry 143, would trying different saddles help but it seems comfy enough up to the 20 mile mark.

Possible any Spesh dealer will measure you on the assometer - most other saddle makers have similar systems to measure your sit-bone width. You can DIY it Goggle for how. Fit is crucial but as someone else said postion is also a big factor.

Finding a comfy saddle can be a long search - FWIW I too am a MAMIL and Spesh Avatar is my current best but I still think better is out there

Seat post is a Alu FSA SL would a carbon post help ( I doubt it as I don't have a great deal of post showing , not trendy I know).

Not sure on this one but from all I've read and heard seatposts will only make a change if there is a fair amount exposed - makes sense if you think about it; if its all in the frame what can it possibly do? I read a review of one I think it may have been the Canyon VCLS that said minimum was 150mm to get any effect

Wheels are RS20 with 23mm pxt rage k rubber would going up to 25mm tyres at a lower pressure be beneficial.
Currently wearing Decathlon tights do more expensive bibs aid comfort noticeably.

Wider tyres make a huge difference as you can run them a bit lower pressures. Better tyres e.g. Conti GP 4000s or Vittoria Pave's make a huge difference cause they are more supple. The down side is they tend to wear a bit quicker than cheaper harder tyres but IMO it's well worth it. Tyres are a good change to try though cause you will need new tyres eventually anyway so you won't waste money.

Better tights generally will have a better chamois which makes all the difference in the world. Again its personal preference - I get on pretty well with Wiggle's DHB and the Tour pad is better than Giro. That said the best I've ever had was Assos S5 pad but as I am fairly rapidly losing weight (and very happy with that) I don't want to invest in Assos std until I am reasonably certain the fit will last

Thanks Andy

skyd0g

caradale wrote:

Ok I admit it Im a mamil, im back on a road bike after many years away(although ive regularly comuted on a hybrid so im not that unfit). A couple of months ago I treated myself to a secondhand 2009 ridley orion. I love the bike in everyway except the battering its giving my posterior..
Seat post is a Alu FSA SL would a carbon post help ( I doubt it as I don't have a great deal of post showing , not trendy I know).

As it's only been a few months, it could be that your a** just needs to toughen-up a little, possibly.
...but as it's a secondhand bike, and there's not a lot of seatpost showing - possibly the wrong size bike :
A) too big, therefore not much seatpost raised in order to fit the bike?
the right-size bike, with seatpost too low - therefore putting too much weight on your a**?

Pross

skyd0g wrote:

caradale wrote:

Ok I admit it Im a mamil, im back on a road bike after many years away(although ive regularly comuted on a hybrid so im not that unfit). A couple of months ago I treated myself to a secondhand 2009 ridley orion. I love the bike in everyway except the battering its giving my posterior..
Seat post is a Alu FSA SL would a carbon post help ( I doubt it as I don't have a great deal of post showing , not trendy I know).

As it's only been a few months, it could be that your a** just needs to toughen-up a little, possibly.
...but as it's a secondhand bike, and there's not a lot of seatpost showing - possibly the wrong size bike :
A) too big, therefore not much seatpost raised in order to fit the bike?
the right-size bike, with seatpost too low - therefore putting too much weight on your a**?

Very likely this. I got back on my bike after a 12 year break. It was the same bike, same Rolls saddle that had always been so comfortable but like you I was having to relieve the pressure on my backside after around 25 - 30 miles and by 50 miles I was out of the saddle more than in it. After riding for a while the glutes started to get a bit more muscle on them whereas before they were too thin for the amount of weight being put on the sit bones and I was comfortable again.

Teampi

Don't worry I'm a a MAMIL too and my ar*e takes a beating too.

I have changed my seat on my triban 3 to a selle italia seat with a gap in the middle of the seat to avoid rubbing of delicate bits and I can say that it works a treat.

I think I agree with other comments here though, there is still some soreness in the backside area but much less , and I'm hoping at least that I simply get used to it.

Good luck though.