Long distance saddle choice

yannshukor

Every year I travel home to Nice, on my own, from a European capital with my bike ex. Paris, Salzburg, Naples, etc.
Last year I started off from Madrid, and this year from Berlin; both of these trips took me nine days (~1500 kms).

I ride a Giant Defy Advanced bicycle equipped with disk brakes and Zipp 303 wheels.

My current saddle, ASTUTE Skylite, replaced the original Fizik saddle that came with the bicycle; I was told that most manufacturers equip their bikes with 'lesser' versions of saddles in order to trim the overall cost.

Previously I rode a TREK fitted with a Selle Italia saddle.

Sizewise I'm 1,72m and 68kgs

I wear an Assos T.Cento bib designed for long distances (purchased 2015) and apply copious amounts of Assos chamois cream

In preparation, during the year, I cycle once a week 60-80k with at least a 500m climb

My main difficulty during these trips is my back side

The sit-bone area becomes swollen with a sore on each side which gets understandably quite painful; Compeed and Doliprane/Neurofen are my only recourse

Each evening I wash my clothes with shampoo in my hotel room

Having adopted a vegan diet I have also chosen to avoid leather based products.

I'm still searching for THE saddle that will allow me to pursue such trips without the suffering.

Should I accept that it is the mileage and duration of these trips, or even lack of preparation, that are to blame for my plight and will remain thus whatever saddle I may choose ?

So far my research has brought me to look at the Well model developped by Selle SMP. Some stores are able to lend you a saddle in order to try it out for a few days, which is exactly what I plan to do

cheers

ugo.santalucia

Brooks B15 or B17 depending on your behind. It won't look great on your bike, but it's the only safe bet. You need to buy it well in advance and wear it in, so that it takes your shape

joe2008

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Brooks B15 or B17 depending on your behind. It won't look great on your bike, but it's the only safe bet. You need to buy it well in advance and wear it in, so that it takes your shape

Might be worth noting that the OP's a vegan who has chosen to avoid leather based products

ugo.santalucia

joe2008 wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Brooks B15 or B17 depending on your behind. It won't look great on your bike, but it's the only safe bet. You need to buy it well in advance and wear it in, so that it takes your shape

Might be worth noting that the OP's a vegan who has chosen to avoid leather based products

Didn't read that part... well, guess it's his choice... there is nothing quite like it on the market so saddle sores is, 'mfraid

keef66

I too was about to wade in with my B17 recommendation till I spotted the vegan bit. That must make things quite tricky in lots of ways.

Many of the synthetic saddles seem to focus on reducing perineal pressure, but the OP's issue sounds like saddle sores and sitbone pain.

1) have you had your backside measured? I'm not a big bloke, but I was surprised to find that my sitbones are further apart than I'd thought. I need the wider models in the Specialized range.
2) have you tried a Specialized Power saddle? They are wider and shorter than others. I bought a used one to try and find it very comfy.

webboo

I think you problem may be that you are only riding once a week for 3 hours or so. My backside would be sore if I was only doing this then going on a big tour.

mrb123

http://road.cc/content/tech-news/229473 ... sed-79-day
Details here of the saddle used by Mark Beaumont for his round the world ride. Not to say it will necessarily be any good for you...

ryan_w-2

There are no 'comfy' saddles, there's just saddles that suit your sit bones and ones that don't.

I did 1,030 miles over 8 days on a 104g full carbon saddle. Didn't get any saddle sores or suffer any discomfort.

fenix

You need to use your training to test saddles to see what suits you - and yeah jumping from a small distance to a big one could cause problems for anyone.

PhilipPirrip

I'm currently using the SMP Hybrid which I think has the same shell as the Well but with more padding.

I'm a recent convert to Selle SMP after many many years of trying numerous saddles based upon the sit bone approach but with no success in terms of long ride comfort. I'm sure you've read that SMP eschew the sit bone approach and I have to say their approach works for me. Saddlesores haven't been a problem as there aren't the high pressure contact areas on the sit bones of traditional saddles although if the saddle is too wide it can cause some chafing but that shouldn't be a problem either with the Well.

I would say, if you get the Well, don't be afraid of their suggestion of dropping the nose. Set the saddle height with the saddle level then gradually drop the nose between 0-5 degrees until comfortable. If you find yourself sliding forward a lot you've probably dropped the nose too much.

yannshukor

Thanks Philip

ugo.santalucia

I know you are vegan, but may I just point out that:

1) leather is a byproduct of the meat industry... no animal is raised for the sole purpose of collecting its skin, so not to be confused with the "fur industry". If there wasn't a leather industry, the skin would probably be converted into something else or disposed of, cows would still be slaughtered. Arguably, if there was no meat industry, there would be no leather.

2) Leather is for life... it is an extremely durable material and your purchase (which has NOT killed a cow) will last many years... arguably makes the slaughter of an animal a bit less wasteful.

ryan_w-2

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I know you are vegan, but may I just point out that:

1) leather is a byproduct of the meat industry... no animal is raised for the sole purpose of collecting its skin, so not to be confused with the "fur industry". If there wasn't a leather industry, the skin would probably be converted into something else or disposed of, cows would still be slaughtered. Arguably, if there was no meat industry, there would be no leather.

2) Leather is for life... it is an extremely durable material and your purchase (which has NOT killed a cow) will last many years... arguably makes the slaughter of an animal a bit less wasteful.

Not entirely true.

Bentley and Rolls Royce raise cattle just for their use of skin.

However, saddle coverings are defo a by-product.

ugo.santalucia

Is there such a thing as a "modern non-radical vegan"?

graeme_s-2

What about a Brooks C17 Cambium? They're still a suspended skin, but the skin is rubber rather than leather. You'd need to do your own research to check there's no animal products in there, but might be worth a go.

http://www.brooksengland.com/cambium/

graeme_s-2

Oh - I also agree with the view that you're not cycling regularly enough in the build up. You need to get out on your bike more frequently in the months before your tour.

Nick Payne

Another vote for the Brooks Cambium saddles. The tops are natural rubber and cotton rather than leather, and they come in a variety of widths (C13, C15, C17, C19). They also have the advantage over the traditional Brooks of not needing protection from rain, which can be impossible to avoid on a tour of any length. I have the Cambium C17 on a couple of bikes, including my touring bike, and I rode that for about 30 days non-stop last summer, without any backside problems, when riding from the middle of Switzerland to the Pyrenees.

Another thing I do when touring is to not wear the same brand of knicks on successive days - that way you don't always have the seams and edge of the chamois in the same place relative to your backside. I normally take three pairs of knicks from different manufacturers with me when touring so that I can rotate their use.

http://www.brooksengland.com/en_row/saddles/cambium.html

mercia_man

I agree with Nick's advice above about taking different makes of shorts on long rides and to use them in rotation. I've got 30 years of cycle touring experience and this is one of my top tips for avoiding the build-up of pressure points after several days of riding.

cgfw201

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Is there such a thing as a "modern non-radical vegan"?

2 weeks ago (on a cycling trip) i had a 20 minute argument with a vegan who was telling me that the honey I was eating (fresh from the personal hives of an Italian farmer) was wholly unethical and how they didn't understand how I could sleep at night knowing that bees had died in the making of my lunch.

webboo

I imagine you slept really well once you had strangled them.

stormsedge

I have a Brooks B17...why not look at the rubberized versions of the Brooks?

Stkilda41

G'day,

Sorry to but in but I'm new to the Bikerider forum and found it hard to navigate. I am a 56 year old Aussie who has cycled across the continent and would like to ride LEJOG/JOGLE. I was wondering if anybody could advise on safe routes, I will have plenty of time and don't want to break any records just enjoy the ride. Cheers.

peat

You're probably best off starting your own thread, Stkilda41. It'll just get lost in here.

Re: Saddles
I'm at what i hope is an end to my saddle quest.
I have a wide but boney arse.
I started with the stock Bontrager that came on my road bike and soon found myself getting numb-nether regions.
I then went down the Specialized Body Geometry route and had a wide Toupe saddle.
That served me ok for a while, but I ended up swapping to a Charge Spoon. I liked that saddle so much I switched to that on all my bikes.
However, I started Audax'ing last year and found they were only comfortable up to about 200km, from there it was agony. So the search was reignited.
I tried many brands, one notable was the SMP Pro & Drakon. Interesting feel, the Drakon certainly felt very good but the shape induced too much of a setback, meaning i was too far from my bars. So, on my current frame, it was a non starter.

I was just about ready to give up and accept agony, but I decided to take my old tourer on a gravel Audax. It has a Spa Nidd (a B17 rip off...). I had ridden that saddle for months on a tour and never really got on with it. However, age had stretched it adequately and I was amazed at how good i felt after 145 miles. For the first time, it was my legs that started hurting before my arse!

This has now sent me down the Brooks philosophy and I am happy as larry. I have a C17 Carved on my road bike now and while you lose a bit of absolute power (bobbing) and gain a bit of weight, it is the best saddle I have had by a mile. Looking forward to many an hour in the saddle now.

Bo Duke

Is it possible that the riding position is messed up and you're putting parts of your bum under pressure that shouldn't normally be the case? You know what I mean...