How comfortable should a saddle be?

littledove44

I am well aware of the need to MTFU and not moan about my saddle, so I have stuck with my Specialized Toupe since I bought the bike last summer.

In the beginning it hurt like a mother after 20 minutes, but now it doesn't and there are times on road rides when I actually think it is comfortable. Having said that, on the road we frequently stop, stand up, or shift around so the pressure is not constant. On long rides (four hours for me) my rear end is quite pleased to stop at the finish.

I use the same saddle on my turbo and after an hour of staying put I can certainly feel it, and feel the need to stand to relive pressure, or shift around a bit.

My problem is that not having tried lots of other saddles I do not know if what I have is as good as it gets. If you can tell me that your saddle never hurts then perhaps I should begin the big hunt for the love of my life.

I did once rent a bike with a Fizik Arione and hated it, so perhaps the style with a cutout it best for me, not sure.

So, what do I do?

1. Stick with the MTFU strategy.
2. Shop around.

If it is number two, any suggestions as how to create a short list? I could really do without just trying loads and loads of saddles until I get lucky. Surely there must be some sort of categories/styles/manufacturers that I can count in or out.

Can't see me being willing to try more than ten.
P.s. I have done the whole measuring thing and they tell me my bones are 120mm apart, so my current saddle was advised to be a 143mm one.

Thanks.

animal72

By the sounds of it, shop around.

I went through 3 or 4 saddles before ending up with the Fizik Antares, which I now have 3, one for each bike.


eBay is your friend.

marcusjb

Saddle issues are not just about the saddle. Your whole position on the bike needs to be considered.

I can almost tell you my saddle never hurts - a few small issues on extremely wet rides, but nothing that is a show stopper.

Whilst not a magic bullet, a good bike fitter will be able to advise on saddle choices and positioning.

Beyond that, I assume you are wearing decent shorts (again, there are shorts that work for you, and those that don't) and lubing up well?

kajjal

Where does it hurt ?

My experience with my old saddle was after about an hour it was painful in the soft tissue between my legs. I measured myself and bought a 155mm specialized avatar saddle which has a cutaway to remove pressure from the middle. Now I can ride for hours with no problems. My saddle is setup horizontal by using a spirit level.

Also make sure you wear proper padded shorts etc.

littledove44

Thanks for the answer.

A bit more info.

I always wear good padded shorts or bib tights.
No lube needed. My problem is not chafe. It's pain under the sit bones. Not extreme but it is there.
I have had a full BG fit. Saddle is set level with a spirit level.

t4tomo

littledove44 wrote:

Thanks for the answer.

A bit more info.

I always wear good padded shorts or bib tights.
No lube needed. My problem is not chafe. It's pain under the sit bones. Not extreme but it is there.
I have had a full BG fit. Saddle is set level with a spirit level.

Try it with the saddle nose tipped down slightly. This will shift a bit more weight to your hands and off our sit bones and might help. The idea is to balance weight between bum hands and feet. Worth a try before you start trying loads of saddles.

BillyMansell

littledove44 wrote:

Thanks for the answer.

A bit more info.

I always wear good padded shorts or bib tights.
No lube needed. My problem is not chafe. It's pain under the sit bones. Not extreme but it is there.
I have had a full BG fit. Saddle is set level with a spirit level.

Assuming the saddle height is right for you try raising the nose of the saddle a fraction to spread the load over all the contact points on the saddle.

marcusjb

t4tomo wrote:

Try it with the saddle nose tipped down slightly.

BillyMansell wrote:

try raising the nose of the saddle a fraction

So there's the answer! :P

giant_man

A saddle with a cut out is an enhancement and nothing to do with the actual shape of the saddle, which is the most important factor in comfort for YOUR bum. You are going to have to try several saddles before you hit on the one which is acceptable for you. all a very personal thing. I wouldn't rely on the manufacturer's services like the Spesh 'geometry fit' and Fizik 'spine concept' which are marketing gimmicks to sell more saddles imo.

'Trying loads and loads of saddles until I get lucky' is the best way of finding the saddle for you.

Trial and error is what is going to find your perfect saddle. If you didn't get on with the Fizik Arione you could try the Aliante or Antares.

ugo.santalucia

marcusjb wrote:

Saddle issues are not just about the saddle. Your whole position on the bike needs to be considered.

THis is the key...

Too much weight on you ass and there'll be no saddle that works for you... too little and any saddle will work fin but you'll have aches and pains in your back, neck and shoulders
You need to find the happy compromise. Start experimenting by rising the saddle following the Lemond method... then check your stem length etc...
If no improvement, invest some money in a bike fit... if you have done the latter already, it was a waste of money...

neeb

littledove44 wrote:

My problem is not chafe. It's pain under the sit bones. Not extreme but it is there.
I have had a full BG fit. Saddle is set level with a spirit level.

If the pain is directly on the sitbones then your saddle is pretty much doing its job and I would look at setup, position on the bike, weight distribution, etc. You don't want the saddle to be exerting pressure somewhere else instead of the sitbones... You could look at shorts with more padding, but probably the ultimate solution is to improve your position on the bike, strength and flexibility so that your weight is distributed more evenly front/back and your pedalling action is relieving some of the pressure.

<edit> As ugo said above!

topdude

Can a bike saddle ever really be said to be comfortable, funny how we choose not to sit on one indoors while watching television
Anyway to be a bit more helpful, maybe trying one of the older style "classic" saddles would be more comfy for you.
These seem to be the universally accepted most comfy saddles :

A nice leather Brooks,
San Marco Rolls,
Charge Spoon,

Maybe not the lightest but often the most comfy

northpole

I definitely agree that you should experiment a bit with the positioning of your saddle. I have a toupe and found it very fickle to get right. If you are going to experiment, be careful to record exactly what adjustments you have made. If that fails and you want to start considering other saddles, I would suggest you stick with the Spesh family in the first instance. Quite a few people on here have changed over to the Romin Evo with very positive feedback. In particular the expert version seems to strike a good compromise for folks between stiffness and padding/ compliance. The S Works variants are like blocks of concrete by comparison - completely rigid. I can't vouch for the Evo but I think there is merit in moving to a saddle not too dissimilar to the one you have and work from there. Your lbs may be willing to lend you one for a weekend - I think Spesh offer a return policy where if you buy one you can bring it back and try another.

You need to be a bit careful with saddles before you end up spending a chunk, without success guaranteed. One I was tempted to try but haven't got round to is the SMP4Bike Forma. It looks a little bit unconventional and has a large cut out. My attempts to go with Fizik etc with no cut out has not worked - to me they feel very uncomfortable after the toupe.

Peter

wishitwasallflat

The Avatar model is also in the Spesh BG range so its not a million miles away from the others - has a built more padding than the rest as far as I can see so it may help. Only costs £55 and Spesh do a system where if you buy one you can exchange it for another in the range. I use one and its the best I've tried - so far!

Bo Duke

Animal72 wrote:

By the sounds of it, shop around.
I went through 3 or 4 saddles before ending up with the Fizik Antares, which I now have 3, one for each bike.

eBay is your friend.

+1 for the Fizik Antares, I'm on my second and would happily replace with another. I'm a big lad and the Antares looks as thin as a razor blade but its as comfy as they come. Recommended.

Monty Dog

It's strongly recommended that male cyclist's don't adopt a nose-up saddle position as it can put excessive pressure on the perineal area and create all sorts of problems. Generally, a saddle that's off-level is a pretty good indicator of a poor position or bike set up, with the saddle adjusted to compensate rather than addressing the core, bike-fit issue.

ai_1

You shouldn't be in pain. Like others have said, start with your position, not the saddle.
I think most people with persistent saddle problems suffer with pressure on soft tissue. This tends to cause numbness or pain in parts you don't want going numb. That's what cut-outs aim to prevent - they aim to prevent you takin gthe load on soft tissue but rather on the sit-bones. If your pain is on the sit bones then that doesn't really point to a cut-out saddle as the solution.
If your pain is at the bones I would imagine the problem is either the width/curvature/angle of the saddle at your sit-bones or the problem could be movement on the saddle.
If the saddle is too high you rock side to side as you ride. You may not notice you're doing this but if you are it would be likely to cause pain on the saddle and can cause other problems too. Try dropping the saddle a little and see if that helps. If in doubt, I think you're better off with the saddle a little too low than too high. I cycled with my saddle slightly high for the first few months I had my current bike and it definitely caused saddle discomfort although it took a while to realise it.
Many LBS lend trial saddles so you can try a few different ones for a couple of weeks each before deciding. It's much simpler than buying saddles and selling them on if they don't work for you. Although this is usually only an option for more expensive saddles. Usually you pay a deposit and get it back when you return the saddle.

keef66

I tried to get on with the Selle something or other that came on my bike, but couldn't get beyond 25 miles before my sitbones became painful. I think it was just too narrow.

I then tried a Charge Spoon because a) people on here were recommending it and b) it was cheap. This seemed an improvement; my weight was being supported over a larger area and I could get to 40 miles before the discomfort kicked in. I was wanting to ride further than that though.

So I got to thinking that as a youth I'd ridden thousands of miles in complete comfort on some kind of Brooks saddle. So I invested in a Brooks B17 Special. OK so it weighs over a pound, and when you tap the leather it sounds like it's made of plywood, but from the outset it has been supremely comfortable. After an 80 mile sportive last year the only thing not aching was my behind.

The B17 Special comes with the large, hand beaten copper rivets, and copper plated rails. It is a thing of great beauty and craftsmanship. It may look slightly incongruous on the lightweight alloy winter bike, and borderline criminal on the summer carbon one, but I care not! My bum is very happy with it.

I did wonder if it's just my backside getting tougher, but when I occasionally go back to riding the other bike with the Spoon, it's still nowhere near as comfortable.