Saddle for 100+ Miles

mcxfisher

Faced with the prospect of a 100+ mile effort in late June I'm looking for thoughts on saddles.

I'm late 60s, fit (3 training rides/week) and happy up to 70 miles on a pro-fitted Synapse Carbon running on 25 mm Schwalbe Lugano at 90 psi, and premium Gore bib shorts behind. I currently have 2 saddles: a Bontrager Elite (fitted for 138 mm sit bone dimension); and the Selle that came with the bike (which is pretty good but a tad wider). However, by the time I'm approaching 70 miles my backside is giving indications of possibly being a limiting factor.

Comments and recommendations gratefully accepted, thank you.

slowmart

Saddles are subjective and what's the specific issue at 70 miles?

Given whichever saddle is the most comfortable I'd persevere with that choice as it's possible your body needs to get used to the extra time on the bike.

mcxfisher

Thank you - good sound points. The issue is just general stiffness/dull ache in the sit bone area.

My weekly endurance training ride is going up to 60 miles next week, so I can see over the next 3-4 weeks whether acclimatisation helps. Meanwhile the two 30-40 mile strength & intensity sessions will remain unchanged.

slowmart

Try and get out of the saddle.

Increasing your endurance mileage by about 10% a week will also help build other areas which will come under increased pressure, hands, shoulders, neck, core strength etc. While it's logical to look at the bike the answer is usually more to do with the body and the questions you're asking of it.

Best wishes on your century ride in June and don't forget to enjoy the day.

jgsi

Given that you are using saddles of different widths, are you certain which width is actually correct for you?
Saddle choices are imo subject to so much bs.
The commuter bike which I currently use for 95% of rides (including centuries) has a 131mm el cheapo, I mean el cheapo at £12 . Cosine saddle... the limiting factor normally is that too fcked to carry on.
Everyone, I mean everyone does not ride a road bike for over 5 hours and says , oh what an absolute dream, it was like lying on a sun bed being fed mojitos.
I'd just grit the teeth and just do it, unless you are getting something like chafing that is descending into saddle sore territory.

Cannock Chase

I'm middle to late 60's (66 actually).
I would say that if you can cycle up to 70 miles without much discomfort there's not much wrong with your saddle choice. I think any problems there may be would have manifested themselves way before then. Maybe your backside just needs more time to get used to more time on the saddle.

Over my 50+ years of cycling my most comfy saddle was an original Brooks B17 leather saddle. Over the years I bored fellow cyclists senseless saying how good leather saddles are. So when I retired from work I was given a new B17 as a retirement present. Despite a 'breaking in' period of over 2000 miles it never got comfortable. So the retirement saddle got retired.

I have different saddles on all my bikes, road and mtb, and at the moment the most comfortable for distance is a sub £20 Charge Spoon. It obviously suits my shape.

ZMC888

All saddles hurt a bit, it's the nature of such a tiny contact area. Personally I use Fizik saddles, but many other brands are just as good, but I like their admittedly gimmicky fit system, as at least I have a clue about what direction to be headed in. The most important thing is to follow the setup guide and tilt the saddle down by 1-2 degrees using a spirit level to put the bubble on the line.

I just finished a 230km ride yesterday on my new Fizik Antares, it was fairly comfortable, I'm sure I could find something (but the vast would majority be worse) better, but that's an expensive past-time.

alanparsons

What bib shorts have you got?
A better investment in comfort would be a top end set of bibs, £100+ (obviously there are discounts to be had).
When I go out for long ride duration then the Sportful/Santini bibs come out and I can ride all day.
For shorter rides under 4hrs then I have some more budget shorts.
Both my bikes have Selle Italia SL saddles, but 5hrs+ in cheap shorts is still uncomfortable.

mcxfisher

alanparsons wrote:

What bib shorts have you got?
A better investment in comfort would be a top end set of bibs, £100+ (obviously there are discounts to be had).
When I go out for long ride duration then the Sportful/Santini bibs come out and I can ride all day.
For shorter rides under 4hrs then I have some more budget shorts.
Both my bikes have Selle Italia SL saddles, but 5hrs+ in cheap shorts is still uncomfortable.

Top of the range Gore Oxygen, which I find to fit my Anglo Saxon shape better than continental brands.

cycleclinic

I find most saddle issue are due to incorrect placement. Saddle to low or fore and aft wrong or saddle not level. Riding with the club today nearly everyone was siiting to far forward on their saddles. Ensure the position is right first. Saddle dhould be level and your bum should be at the back of the saddle. Correct these first before buying a new saddle.

mcxfisher

Thank you everyone for your helpful replies.