First Road Bike - Must Change Saddle Before it Does Me Damage!!

[IanT]

Recently, I took my first steps into the scary (well, scary for a MTB rider) world of Road Bikes.

I picked up a Carerra TDF from Halfords for just £263. Got to say; for the money, I'm very impressed - as are some of my mates, who are not easy to impress!!

Whilst I absolutely adore the bike in general, I do not enjoy perching my somewhat robust frame on the standard saddle - which seems designed purely to inflict damage (thank god for the pad in my cycling shorts).

Because of this, I'm currently looking for a new perch. Funds are a little tight - and so I would not want ti be spending silly money.

After a bit of trawling, I have found a Selle Italia XO Flow saddle on the Bay of E for just £20 delivered. It looks good and (from my limited experience) I believe that Selle Italia has a good reputation. After a quick measure of the existing saddle last night, it should fit, too (although it will be 20mm shorter than the standard fit item).

As I say, I'm relatively new to road bikes so, before I dive in, I would really appreciate the opionions of those with more experience on whether this would be a good purchase.

Any advice will be gratefully received.

Thanks,

Ian.

 

[VamP]

You'll get innundated by people suggesting their favourite saddles, Charge Spoon etc.

I have a different take. Especially if funds are short, persevere with the original for a few weeks. If it's still uncomfortable then, start to look for a replacement. It will take your sitbones a few weeks to get used to the different shape and the odd sharp kick up the ass. HTFU and ride through the pain.

 

[accountantpete]

As VamP says - personally I would be looking at getting second hand saddles to try out and would be reluctant to pay £20 (which is cheap) knowing that 90% of cheap products are crap.

I would look at a s/h Fi'zi:k Arione with kium rails.

BTW - there was a TDF in town yesterday and it certainly turned my head.

 

[gbb]

Again, i agree with the above, try to stick with it.
My Ponza saddle was uncomfortable at first, but it takes a little time for the saddle to shape to your anatomy, and for you to adapt to it.
After that, everyones shapes different. You may find a concencus on a particular saddle that is liked by many, but that same saddle (whatever it is) may be uncomfortable to others.

 

[IanT]

Thanks guys.

I do hear the message and, yes, VamP, I think I do just ned to HTFU and stick with it - sometimes, I think you just need someone to tell you that before you take a reality check.

Planning to try and get out on it most evenings this week and will also be out for my regular 30 miler on Saturday - so that should start giving the anatomy time to adjust.

Now I come to think of it, even the MTB left me feeling like I'd just been beaten up at first - now I don't even notice it; even after a long stint in the saddle.

Thanks again.

Ian.

 

[yello]

Don't be afraid to experiment with the saddle position too Ian. Move it back or forward, raise it, lower it, tilt it..... there's a helluva lot of adjustment that can be done before deciding a saddle is not right.

If it doesn't feel right then try to imagine where it has to be for things to be more comfortable (no, not in the bin!). Do you feel like you want to move forward on it? Then stop and nudge it forward a touch. Does the nose feel too high? Then drop the nose. Just tinker (and remember what you've adjusted in case you need to set it back!) until you get the saddle where you want it.

It IS trial and error. You'll read a great deal of advice about 'should be' this or that, and that's a good place to start, but it's your backside. Only you know what's comfortable.

If you can't find a comfortable position then you may have to look at the saddle shape. Again, imagine what changes you need to make your saddle more comfortable. Does it feel like it needs to be wider? Or flatter? Then armed with that info look at what saddles are available.

The rest of the world may say 'buy saddle x' but that doesn't mean it'll suit you. Again, you have to experiment to find out what works.

 

[IanT]

Don't be afraid to experiment with the saddle position too Ian. Move it back or forward, raise it, lower it, tilt it..... there's a helluva lot of adjustment that can be done before deciding a saddle is not right.

If it doesn't feel right then try to imagine where it has to be for things to be more comfortable (no, not in the bin!). Do you feel like you want to move forward on it? Then stop and nudge it forward a touch. Does the nose feel too high? Then drop the nose. Just tinker (and remember what you've adjusted in case you need to set it back!) until you get the saddle where you want it.

It IS trial and error. You'll read a great deal of advice about 'should be' this or that, and that's a good place to start, but it's your backside. Only you know what's comfortable.

If you can't find a comfortable position then you may have to look at the saddle shape. Again, imagine what changes you need to make your saddle more comfortable. Does it feel like it needs to be wider? Or flatter? Then armed with that info look at what saddles are available.

The rest of the world may say 'buy saddle x' but that doesn't mean it'll suit you. Again, you have to experiment to find out what works.

Wise words sir.

With hindsight I think that I have possibly (like many others, I am sure) got a bit caught up in some marketing hype somewhere as well. It is in the interests of accessory manufacturers to convince us that the only way to solve a problem is through an upgrade.

Interestingly, at lunchtime, I was in Halfords and just (out of interest more than anything) compared their aftermarket seats with the OE item on the Carerra. If I am honest, in terms of padding / softness etc - you'd be hard pushed to tell the difference.

Really glad I got some objectivity from you guys here before throwing £20 down the drain.

The more I think about it, I can actually begin to see how seat position affects comfort. I'm sure that the 'professional' setup that Halfords did is not first rate - really think I need to move the seat forwards and possibly up a little.

Thanks again for the replies - and for saving me £20.

Cheers,

Ian.

 

[Zoof]

If we went back to hard wooden bench seats in sckool
A brooks saddle would be the hight of comfort!
Personally I never, even use padded shorts.
This is all due to a good upbringing; and the liberal use of the cane.



One or twice a week in the saddle is just not enough to temper the backside
;so try this training; take out the saddle and stem and fit into a stool and sit on it for breakfast
every morning for a fortnight, guaranteed to work.

 

[HLaB]

After a bit of trawling, I have found a Selle Italia XO Flow saddle on the Bay of E for just £20 delivered. It looks good and (from my limited experience) I believe that Selle Italia has a good reputation. After a quick measure of the existing saddle last night, it should fit, too (although it will be 20mm shorter than the standard fit item).

Everyone is different but I took that Selle Italia XO off my training bike, it could be uncomfortable on longer rides and swapped it for the more comfy (for me anyway) Spesh Avatar that was on my turbo bike. My most comfortable saddle (again for me) is the Fizik Aliante but it is also on my carbon frame bike.

 

[steveindenmark]

I have loads of saddles in my shed. Probably because I have bought loads of bikes in the past. In my experience, above all else all cycle manufacturers seem to fit the crappest saddle they can find.

Even the reasonable price bikes like TREK fit saddles that are only good for knocking in nails. I have wasted pounds on buying gel cover, gel saddles, this saddle, that saddle. In the end I bit the bullet and bought a Brooks Flyer. For the first year I was thinking I had made a big mistake. It was as hard as wood and as slippery as an eel. We are now towards the end of our second year and the saddle is beginning to realise that I am the boss. It is great to ride on and will only get better.

If money is tight at the moment pad your undercarrige with a towel or something but save your money for a Brooks saddle. They are well worth it.

Steve

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

+1 for HTFU: rule 5 rules!

You might like to check the width: fold some tin foil in two or three (if it's too thin it'll tear) and put it on the stairs (assuming they're carpeted), third or fourth one up and sit on it.

You now have an imprint of your sit bones which you can measure and compare with your saddle (or any you might consider buying).

 

[IanT]

+1 for HTFU: rule 5 rules!

You might like to check the width: fold some tin foil in two or three (if it's too thin it'll tear) and put it on the stairs (assuming they're carpeted), third or fourth one up and sit on it.

You now have an imprint of your sit bones which you can measure and compare with your saddle (or any you might consider buying).

Thanks for the tip - that's a really neat trick for measuring your sit bones.

Well......I took the advice and HTFUd. Went out and did 20 miles this morning with the standard saddle. Was not exactly a delight to begin with but, at the end, was actually not noticing the saddle.

Many thanks to everyone for the advice and much needed reality check.

More money to spend on other things - whoopee. Perhaps it'll go on some warmer clothing - actually felt like Autumn today.

Cheers,

Ian.

 

[YahudaMoon]

Id keep the saddle you have. You need breaking in. That selle saddle will just be the same in my opinion. Or you could get a Brooks ? Sorry the Brooks had to come in to it

 

[ColinJ]

Don't be afraid to experiment with the saddle position too Ian. Move it back or forward, raise it, lower it, tilt it..... there's a helluva lot of adjustment that can be done before deciding a saddle is not right.

I strongly second that!

When I was slimmer, my Arione saddles really suited me but I've been struggling with them since I put 3 stone on. (My lard arse must be a different shape to my slimmer one, and there is much more weight bearing down on it!)

I bought a Specialized Body Geometry saddle and tried that out, but was still starting to get saddle sores within 30-odd miles.

I finally came to realise that I had the new saddle too far back so I wasn't sitting on the widest part of it. Instead of my sit bones taking all the weight, the narrower part of the saddle was pushing its way up and taking weight just where I didn't want it. I then pushed the saddle as far forward as it would go and that has transformed my riding experience. I am now more comfortable after 75 miles than I was before after 25!

I also like the nose of my saddle very slightly down, relative to the back. Not so much that I start to slip forwards, but enough to stop NNS[sup]1[/sup] developing, previously another source of great discomfort to me.







[sup]1[/sup] Numb Nuts Syndrome a.k.a. Genital Numbing!