New gel seat or will my backside get used to it?

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Mazzin

Active Member
Started cycling more than my regular commute, with rides up to 50-60 miles. After about 20-30 miles my groin area is aching. Is it something that your body gets used to or should I consider investing a nice new super comfort latex filled gel lined seat?
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Proper padded shorts, the saddle for your sit bones and time to toughen up. Check bit fit, saddle position and angle. I have a costly Specialized gel saddle - the most uncomfortable of the 4 I own but it matches the bike so stays :blush:
 
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User6179

Guest
Gels not great for seats Ime , you tend to chaff more , i use Spesh saddles with a little of proper padding , i tryed the exact same saddle but with gel and it was horrendous .
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
Is your saddle wide enough? Can you put a piece of corrugated cardboard roughly the same shape on it (blue tack), sit on it in your usual riding position and see where your sit bones dent? It should be near the highest part. If not, switch saddle. If so, there's some other problem...
 

Eribiste

Careful with that axle Eugene
Definitely proper padded cycling shorts and a saddle width that suits you. There are 'proper' bike shops that do a measuring service, not that I've used that facility myself though. My route to comfort was good shorts, a bit of E45 cream, and about 300 miles of riding. I have an interesting circular ride in my location of about 28km that I used as my TTT (Tail Toughening Tour) whilst acclimatising myself to the bike.
 

Brommyboy

Über Member
Location
Rugby
In my experience the softer the saddle, the worse the bruising! I also had severe chafe from a synthetic top saddle, so no only use leather for comfort: it is a personal thing, though.
 

shouldbeinbed

Rollin' along
Location
Manchester way
1st up, ensure that the bike is fitted right to you, assuming the frame size is right, seatpost length, saddle tilt fore and aft, stretch to the bars and bar height all have an effect, as does crank length if you're a bit more or less leggy than the average. The same saddle can just need a bit of thought, experimentation and tweaking to potentially go from tortuous to armchair with little apparent visual difference.

They are very individual things though and it could be that your bum shape and size doesn't quite get it on with this particular saddle whatever you do.

But yes there is also a 'bedding in' period as with building up cycling strength, back getting used to bending down over road bars, if you change how fast/slow you pedal etc. If you're always pushing the limit there will always be some discomfort somewhere but in general a properly set up bike shouldn't hurt you.
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
Beware bike fitters about saddles. Some have the idea that you should always kiss the stem on a road bike and so on. If you go for a fitting, stick to your posture because you'll probably revert when out on your own unless you've really decided to change style.
 
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Mazzin

Active Member
Thank you people for your replies. You're a wonderful bunch. I'll take your advice and get my bike measured and check I'm positioned properly. I do already use decent quality padded shorts, but I do think it's partly because I'm relatively new to cycling.
 

sreten

Well-Known Member
Location
Brighton, UK
Hi,

The longer the bike ride, the harder your saddle needs to be, so a comfy gel saddle is a bad idea.

The replacement saddle on my folder was great with normal clothing from the off, but over
about 25 miles in a day it just doesn't cut the mustard, (neither does the bike TBH).

I had problems with the road bike saddle from the off, even with cycling shorts. My
current saddle is a AEST rebranded clone of a Specialized Riva saddle, AFAICT.

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The padding is pretty minimal but its fine up to the 40 or so miles I've done in a day.

Your current commuting saddle may already be too soft for serious distances.

rgds, sreten.
 
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vickster

Legendary Member
Why? Just take some with you, if embarrassed in lycra, wear something else baggy over the top
 
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