Saddles - All weight on sit bones?

montarius

Hi, I've always ridden with Charge Spoon saddles on all my bikes for as long as I can remember but with more milage I'm starting to get numbness which I'm certainly keen to avoid!

I have very bad flexibility so following the Fixik spine concept ended up purchasing a Aliante R3 Open.

First ride was a mixed bag, numbness totally gone and power / effeciency felt really good too however the amount of concentrated pressure through my sit bones felt very concentrated.

I did a further ride 2 days later with similar discomfort and then again last night but my sit bones really weren't up for it.

My question: Is this just a case of my sit bones needing to toughen up? I presume I'm used to having my weight incorrectly spread across the entire saddle... or shoud a new saddle feel good from the offset and this isn't worth trying to ride through.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

pippi_langsamer-2

I'd say give it time. Years ago when Specialized first introduced the Toupe, I switched from my usual Arione. Felt like by backside had been pummelled with a cricket bat for a handful of rides 'til my sit-bones got used to it. It was fine after a few rides, and was comfy.....until the Toupes started to crack.....and I realised they were a bit naff in terms of durability. I'm sure (?), they're better now, although PRO Stealths are on all my bikes now.

akh

Saddles are very personal, but I could have written your post a few weeks ago, so maybe we've got something in common.

I've owned a Charge Spoon and still occasionally ride one on a relatives bike. I've been riding an Aliante R5 Open for a while but recently has sit bone pain after I lowered my saddle height because of an unrelated injury. This got me sitting more upright and the firm padding just wasn't comfortable with so much weight on my sit bones.

Unless you're doing something weird, you can't really move around on a saddle as sculpted as the Aliante like you can on a flat saddle, so you can't really sit on it 'wrong'. For a given saddle position and tilt, its shape forces you into a fairly set position. Changing the saddle position or tilt will change the way your sit bones contact it and might solve the problem (as it caused mine), but you can only alter this providing it doesn't ruin other elements of your fit on the bike.

For me the Fizik seems harder to find a sweet spot with than the Charge. It's so sculpted and has so little padding, if you're just a bit off it's really unforgiving. I loved my Fizik for months, but after I changed the position it ruined the comfort for me. I tried to push through, but ended up in exactly your position. My sit bones got so bad they were tender the next day and I had to rest for about a week. If you're in pain as soon as you sit on the bike or within a few minutes of riding, you should probably let whatever damage heal, as it'll be almost impossible to evaluate any changes in that time. I don't think pain that's getting progressively worse is a sign you're adapting, to me that's damage.

I guess you can always try it again after some rest and see if you do toughen up, but I'm sceptical. I'd guess if there's any hope of getting on with the Fizik you'll need to try experimenting with the position or tilt a bit. If you decide to try, it's always best to go slowly and change one thing at a time by a few mm. Good luck.

fenix

Are your bars too high ? You shouldn't have all the weight on the saddle. Maybe even just bending your arms would spread the weight more evenly.

montarius

@akh - thanks for your reply, does sound like we've gone through a similiar experience.

I think the lack of ability to move around is what bothers me. I'm not very flexible and therefore struggle to stay in the drops for long periods of time so often find myself changing my seating position. I did notice when riding in a more aggressive position that it improved my pain but its not something I can maintain.

I think i've decided the saddle isnt for me. The pain I was getting just feels wrong to me, its not as if I haven't spent much time on a bike recently as my wekly mileage has been high.

Out of interest, have you gone back to the Spoon or did you get a replacement? I'm considering getting a Spesh Toupe or a SLR Boost

akh

I haven't decided if I'll go back to the Spoon yet. I'd like to try some other shaped, cut out saddles because I think the concept is great and it could really work for me. Saddles aren't cheap though!

I'm hoping I can make the Fizik work like it did, but I'm not going to compromise other aspects of my position to achieve that.

I've also found it better in a more forward leaning position. I actually have OK flexibility, but my current bike doesn't suit that and it's not what I'm looking for.

lakesluddite

I think, given that it's not usual for the sit bones to take all your weight, then it would take a period of getting used to. I researched getting an ISM saddle for triathlon (ie lots of time in the forward, aero tuck position), and eventually did so, having read in numerous reviews that the sit bones do need a while to HTFU! The first couple of rides on it have confirmed this - very little pressure on the soft tissue, but I can really feel it on the sit bones. I will persevere, as the reviews recommended, and hopefully feel the benefits before I get back to triathlons (probably next year now).

Darius_Jedburgh

Funny thing is...when I was riding mtb Charge Spoons were my saddles of choice.
Now I'm back on the road they give me severe pain in the todger!
I ride San Marco Concor Open saddles on the road and am pain free.

It's difficult to be precise because you can really only tell what will suit when you are out riding.

montarius

Thanks for everyone's responses.

For anyone interested ive been ridding a Fabric Line saddle now for the past week and can report I'm very happy with the saddle. No more pain and also able to get into a more aggressive position for longer. I went for standard width which matches well with the spoon. I believe Fabric are a spin off company of Charge.

Recommended for MTB riders coming from a charge spoon.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Charge Spoon feels very comfy on Voodoo when commuting in work clothes, but on the more aero position on the Cube while wearing padded shorts it gets quite painful after ~1 hour.

I'm now starting to wonder if my Funkier 14-panel shorts are at least part of the issue, I'm struggling to stay pain free beyond ~90mins outdoors.

Indoors, the new https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CLPXP3BS/planet-x-pro-line-365x-bib-shorts are quite comfy until ~75mins, not done a ride longer than that wearing them outdoors since they arrived.

I've tried various saddles on the Cube after not getting on with the default one, including a Fabric Scoop, currently using a San Marco Mantra Supercomfort Open Saddle.

It probably doesn't helped that I dropped the stem 3cm around November, to try and get used to a less upright position, but that's bound to affect how I'm sitting on the saddle and I need to find a tilt angle that moves the pressure point backwards towards my sit bones.

Charlie_Croker

montarius said:

My question: Is this just a case of my sit bones needing to toughen up? I presume I'm used to having my weight incorrectly spread across the entire saddle... or shoud a new saddle feel good from the offset and this isn't worth trying to ride through.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

montarius I believe there is a balance to be found of your saddle feeling right straight away and getting used to sitting for long periods (as in long distances) in that position. As what many have pointed out, what suits one my not suit another, so it’s a bit of a lottery.
You specifically mention your ‘sit-bones’ in your original query. With that in mind have you considered the Infinity Saddle which removes all the pressure from your sit bones and pubic area.

Certainly worth investigating I think. Above is the basic model. There are now more versions available, not cheap but like your pedals you can keep it when you swop cycles.
as I said it’s not for everybody but if your seriously looking for a saddle to relive your sit-bones it hast to worthy of consideration

https://infinitybikeseat.com

montarius

When you say not cheap...!! Crazy prices!!

Anyway, thanks for sharing but really happy with the Fabric Line now - I was just updating the post to let others know should someone stubble upon the same dilemma as me in the future!

First.Aspect

Why on earth was this flagged?

Munsford0

Kenny spambot dug up a 3+ year old thread to post some generic ai waffle

pblakeney

First.Aspect said:

Why on earth was this flagged?

As Munsford0 says kennethclark7102 is a bot. I flag anything it posts, same with Samantha wotsits name. A bit overkill if it's relevant but meh.

Munsford0

Ah, Ms Nicholls. Usually stuff about construction workwear, boots, gloves, safety specs and the like. At least 'she' posts links to occasionally interesting things...

froze

And to think, I once knew a young woman who raced bikes, she would ride without ever setting completely on the saddle, she claimed her sit bones never touched the saddle, and she could do that for many miles, and then stand climbing mountain grades.

imposter2.0

froze said:

And to think, I once knew a young woman who raced bikes, she would ride without ever setting completely on the saddle, she claimed her sit bones never touched the saddle, and she could do that for many miles, and then stand climbing mountain grades.

cool story...