Riding 50-100 miles a week, still getting sore backside :(

stokieshinobi · February 2015

Hi all, new to the forums!

I'm realtively new to cycling; started in September last year. Am now riding up to 40 miles without a break and am having trouble with the saddle. I have a Specialized Secteur with a Body Geometry Riva Plus saddle.

The problem I am having is the two bones in my backside are really bruising up after a ride. I can't get on the bike for 5-7 days. I am wondering if there is a type of saddle that alleviates the pressure a little of these two bones?

I have done a lot of reading on the subject already. I have bought some decent DHB bib tights, I stand up off the saddle every 15 mins at least to increase bloodflow. The saddle and ride position has been setup perfectly. But its just not sorting it.

I rode it out all this time because I thought it was me just getting used to it, but its just the same. I'm doing a 100m ride in July and need to get this issue resolved sooner rather than later because it is this pain that is holding me back, not my fitness which is annoying.

Do I go for even more expensive shorts - say Assos? Or would a different saddle suit my ass better

Thanks in advance for any help

stokieshinobi · February 2015

Furthermore, I have just measured my sit bone width and its 115mm so that means I need a 140-145mm saddle. I just looked at the one on the bike and it says underneath 14.3mm - so I assume its a 143mm saddle? Don't know why it says 14.3mm. Weird.

I just sat on it there after riding 35miles yesterday and my sit bones are so sore, they feel painfully bruised

diy · February 2015

You say the bike is set up perfectly but how do you know?

Are your sit bones naturally resting on the widest part of the seat?
Do you ride in the drops/arms bent or in the hoods or tops most of the time?

Getting the seat lined up and rotating the body forward can make a huge difference.

Having said that - nothing wrong with going for a softer saddle until you leather up a bit more.

stokieshinobi · February 2015

diy wrote:

You say the bike is set up perfectly but how do you know?

Are your sit bones naturally resting on the widest part of the seat?
Do you ride in the drops/arms bent or in the hoods or tops most of the time?

Getting the seat lined up and rotating the body forward can make a huge difference.

Having said that - nothing wrong with going for a softer saddle until you leather up a bit more.

Thanks for your reply

I ride with my neighbour who has been riding since before I was born and together he has helped me to get my bike setup correctly.

I ride mostly on the hoods because spending too much time down low gives me back pain (I had a bad back before cycling)

I tend to ride just in front of the widest point on the saddle. So my sit bones should be right at the back of the saddle on the widest point?

diy · February 2015

Basically yes.

either move the seat forward a little or tilt the nose a little to line you up better and see what happens.
sort the back pain by stretching and working your back to get more flexible and stronger. See some example vids in my sig.

You need to get lower at the front to take the pressure off. If you struggle with back pain, chances are you are holding your upper body too high to compensate.

See if you can get in the drops more and get lower - Just 10-15% on a ride can be enough to take the pressure off. I'm probably 50/50 hoods/drops.

stokieshinobi · February 2015

I'll try that tomorrow, thanks mate

cadseen · February 2015

I sometimes get a little discomfort on my sit bones, in my case i think its because i am very light and have little natural padding. In the winter months for example i always use 2 pairs of shorts, both with padding which helps a lot. I just keep some of the worn out shorts to wear underneath.

jgsi · February 2015

If you feel that your sit bones are bruised by the small amount of time spent riding and then being incapacitated to ride again ... a few personal thoughts:
That Riva is probably one of the worst saddles known to human mankind... Specialized really should be ashamed of that one.
Apart from that...
do not throw away the thought that a slightly narrower saddle is out of the question... but throw away that Riva.
There are some decent Spesh saddles but my favourite is the Fizik Aliante for winter.. its like a comfort blanket... but bit of a heavyweight.

crankycrank · February 2015

If the suggestions above of adjusting your saddle don't help you may just need a different saddle. I don't think anyone can help much with suggestions as saddles are a highly personal thing, even more so than comfortable shoes. Most companies have come out with charts and what not to determine what shape and width saddle you should use but these are only a very loose guideline. Don't get stuck on the recommendation that you need a 140-145mm wide saddle. I pity anyone who has to go out and find a saddle without having any idea of what works for them as it's usually just trial and error. If you can try to sit on as many saddles as possible in bike shops, mates bikes etc. it may help narrow it down a bit. This won't give you a true test of what works for when riding but if the saddle feels really uncomfortable you can at least rule it out. Pay attention to the shapes of what feels better or worse. Some are flat across the top, some more curved, some have narrow or wide noses, flat or turned up tail sections, etc. etc.

mogrigg · February 2015

I had that saddle and found it awful, so uncomfortable. I now have the Selle Italia (Diva) saddle on all my bikes. They're great.

lpretro1 · February 2015

I'm sure your neighbour is well-meaning in setting up your bike but really if you are suffering so much it would be best to go and get a professional bike fit done.

sparklehedgehog · February 2015

stokieshinobi wrote:

I'll try that tomorrow, thanks mate

Try a 143mm Toupe Comp Gel. Sure it'll help you.

Also make sure your knee cap is directly abc the pedal spindle when the pedals are horizontal by adjusting the fore and aft of your seat to accommodate this. finally make sure your saddle is perfectly horizontal

Manc33 · February 2015

Brooks Colt crew checkin' in.

I tried a Toupe 143mm saddle and the edges were too wide.

Tried a SMP carbon and thats comfy at 129mm wide, but I ditched it due to it making you sit in pretty much one position, its little hammock bit.

Tried the SMP TRK and its too wide.

One I have not tried but want to is a Brooks B15. I just can't get to grips with saddles that rub my inner thighs and far more do than don't. :roll: When they are made from leather it solves all that and sit bones... forget it, its not even like you're sat on anything however long the ride is, unless the leather comes away from the rivets...

kingofthetailwind · February 2015

I tried five saddles before finding that a Toupe worked best for me. It's trial and error. There's always loads of nearly new second hand saddles on Gumtree/eBay/Facebook groups.

But as above, a proper bike fit would be a very good idea. If your saddle is too low (mine was, ridiculously so before my fit) then there will be too much weight on your sit bones. If your position is too upright then there will be too much weight on your sit bones.

Grill · February 2015

stokieshinobi wrote:

I have done a lot of reading on the subject already. I have bought some decent DHB bib tights, I stand up off the saddle every 15 mins at least to increase bloodflow. The saddle and ride position has been setup perfectly. But its just not sorting it.

This makes me giggle. Your mate could be Adrian Timmis and it wouldn't matter. The issues your describing are a combination of poor fit and wrong saddle.

People saying to make sure that your knee is over the pedal spindle, to keep your saddle horizontal, and to get a padded saddle are dispensing poor advice as there are no absolutes when it comes to fitting due to unique morphology. Fact is the only way to get this perfect is with trial and error. You need to make small changes to your position to see what works. This could be raising/lowering the saddle height, adjusting fore/aft and adjusting tilt up/down. Only make one change a few mm at a time and see if the issue is better/worse. A proper fit will help get you closer, but you'd still need to make adjustments as it isn't a magic spell that just makes everything 100%.

In regards to saddle choice, Specilaized is a good way to go as they do a 30 day fit guarantee. This means you can keep changing your saddle until you find the right one (over 30 days of course). Toupe is a good place to start and 143 is a friendly width for most. Padding/gel is individual. I, for example, find padded/flexible saddles unbearable to the point that very stiff full carbon saddles are best for anything from a 10 mile pootle to a 400 mile audax.

In regards to bibshorts, if you can afford a pair of Assos S7 T.Cento then buy them. They will be the best bike-related purchase you make. Seriously.

JayKosta · February 2015

Perhaps your current saddle is concentrating too much of your weight on the 'sit bones' instead of spreading the weight to also be supported by other areas.
The shape of saddles varies - some are 'flat', 'rounded', etc. And what's best for you depends on YOUR anatomy.

Does your position on the saddle feel balanced regarding the tilt?
You should not feel that you are 'falling forward or backward' off the saddle.

Some shops have 'test' saddles that you can try for a week or so.
Also ask if they have any bargain 'old stock' saddles - you might find one that works for you.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

6wheels · February 2015

Toupe for me as well.

I found this to be an interesting read...

http://www.cervelo.com/en/engineering/a ... dles-.html

Keyringkey · February 2015

Re: Saddle problems

This is one of my recent posting buddy, I hope this helps

I have solved the saddle sore problems now and cycling after 5 hours i receive no saddle problems.

Use a cream E45 and bought a new saddle type PHENOM Comp Body Geometry, Padding level 2, weight 260g and width 143mm

I cycled 71 miles using this saddle and cream and it worked for me.

I hope this information helps someone who has problems with their saddle soreness.

ashleydwsmith · February 2015

you have just remindedn me i need to move my saddle forward a few mill. i keep getting sore, and noticed if i pushed my self back i was ok but tended to slip forward so need to move me saddle!

stokieshinobi · February 2015

Thank you all for your help and advice.

I've got hold of a few saddles to try so its very much work in progress

Like a few of you say... I think my problem is a sit too far down the saddle. I feel like I fall forward on it and my sit bones are rarely at the top/back. However - this saddle position is where my knee caps are directly over the ball of my foot on the plumb line test. So maybe I should compromise this a little and more the saddle forward?

I think like you all say, fit is trial and error. I'm still learning. I am somewhat reluctant to get a fit because there are few cycle shops near me that do them (properly with computers anyway). I have even read poor reviews of the Evans Cycles fits as the staff can sometimes be somewhat inexperienced.

Grill · February 2015

KOPS is the biggest red herring in bike fitting. Ignore it and sit where you feel comfortable.

stokieshinobi · February 2015

Grill wrote:

KOPS is the biggest red herring in bike fitting. Ignore it and sit where you feel comfortable.

Thought this was the basis to work from which is why I didn't dare go anymore forward

Thanks - will give the saddle a push forward before next ride see how we go

Grill · February 2015

http://sheldonbrown.com/kops.html

Check out Adam Hansen's position (similar to mine actually), doesn't slow him down. If it weren't for UCI regs governing saddle position, you'd see a lot more pros ride farther forward (more prevalent during TT's).

Pedro872 · February 2015

I recently bought a specialized Allez sport which has the riva seat on it. I did 35miles 3 days ago and my arse still hurts, it's horrendous!

I'm watching a couple of the above saddles on eBay atm but am concerned about getting the right one for me, what should I be looking for?

Thanks,

Pete.

Manc33 · February 2015

Wide saddles (140mm+) are a big no no for me. They are often called comfort saddles, but they aren't.

The comfiest one I have ever used is that Brooks Colt I am on now. Can't even feel I am sat on anything.

stokieshinobi · March 2015

As everyone has been so helpful I thought I would post my successful results....

A friend lent me his Selle Italia saddle - massive difference!

I have dropped the handle bars down a spacer or two to rotate those sit bones so there's less pressure on them

I have raised the saddle and moved it forward a few mm and all feels 100% better.

Still get a little soreness on the ass after 50 miles this weekend but have found padded shorts inside out under my bib tights help that - so when I can get some decent Assos bib shorts think this will resolve all remaining discomfort

Getting there

thanks for all the advice it's helped a lot

Riding 50-100 miles a week, still getting sore backside :(

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