Pain in the ****

[fudgedog]

Cycle 3 times a week 25 to 50 mile each ride (did the etape this year last 10 miles agony). As miles increase so does discomfort (in sit bones ). Have Assos shorts, Selle Italia saddle, carbon framed bike so where am I going wrong. Sure this topic will have been covered before, but any hints will be greatly received.

 

[Matthames]

Cycle 3 times a week 25 to 50 mile each ride (did the etape this year last 10 miles agony). As miles increase so does discomfort (in sit bones ). Have Assos shorts, Selle Italia saddle, carbon framed bike so where am I going wrong. Sure this topic will have been covered before, but any hints will be greatly received.

Your saddle is probably the wrong one for you.

 

[Bigsharn]

Your saddle is probably the wrong one for you.

As above, it's taken me 10 years of cycling to find my saddle - a Brooks B17 fits my posterior perfectly, it just depends on the shape of your rear end. I have a Charge Spoon on my fixed gear and, though some folk regard them as the comfiest saddles around, I can't stand to do more than 5 or so miles on it...

 

[al-fresco]

As above, it's taken me 10 years of cycling to find my saddle - a Brooks B17 fits my posterior perfectly, it just depends on the shape of your rear end. I have a Charge Spoon on my fixed gear and, though some folk regard them as the comfiest saddles around, I can't stand to do more than 5 or so miles on it...

Yep - we're all different - my Madison Flux (Charge Spoon in all but name) is perfectly comfortable for 90 miles of Welsh Hills. I've had a couple of Brooks - which were OK for me but I gave them both away.

 

[John90]

As above, it's taken me 10 years of cycling to find my saddle - a Brooks B17 fits my posterior perfectly, it just depends on the shape of your rear end. I have a Charge Spoon on my fixed gear and, though some folk regard them as the comfiest saddles around, I can't stand to do more than 5 or so miles on it...

Is there any way of finding the ideal saddle in less than ten years? I don't have a particular problem with mine but I don't know if there's something better out there. Are particular saddles better for particular body shapes? Or bikes?

 

[boydj]

Before you spend money on a saddle, you should get your position on the bike checked to make sure you've got the saddle at the right height and distance from the bars. Might seem a bit obvious for an experienced rider, but it's worth checking.

 

[cyberknight]

Before you spend money on a saddle, you should get your position on the bike checked to make sure you've got the saddle at the right height and distance from the bars. Might seem a bit obvious for an experienced rider, but it's worth checking.

+1

and right tilt, a few degrees is all it takes to make a saddle uncomfortable.

 

[Ride]

Have you been fitted for a saddle? There is this plate with a bladder of what looks like white clay in the middle of it. You sit on this and it makes an imprint of your bottom's profile. You have to sit in it with a particular posture; it took me a few tries. Then a measuring plate is placed behind the imprint that tells you what width of saddle you need.

I did this yesterday at the bike shop with a Bontrager measuring plate (my 2012 Trek 7.5 FX Disc should be here soon ). If you've not similarly measured yourself then you could simply be sitting on a seat that is the wrong width for you posterior. I would recommend that you have yourself measured and then you be certain that you purchase a male seat. However, I'm new here and have not even had a ride as yet so take from my comments what you will.

Ride

 

[Bigsharn]

Is there any way of finding the ideal saddle in less than ten years? I don't have a particular problem with mine but I don't know if there's something better out there. Are particular saddles better for particular body shapes? Or bikes?

Yes there is... until recently (past 5-6 years) I didn't even know bike parts were interchangeable... I went around on the stock saddles

 

[John90]

Before you spend money on a saddle, you should get your position on the bike checked to make sure you've got the saddle at the right height and distance from the bars. Might seem a bit obvious for an experienced rider, but it's worth checking.

Not obvious to me, although I have done the rule of thumb adjustment (heel of foot on pedal, leg almost-but-not-quite locked out). I'm unclear on distance from the bars - presumably the correct distance depends on the type of bike, how much you want to lean into the bars? Anything else?

 

[John90]

Before you spend money on a saddle, you should get your position on the bike checked to make sure you've got the saddle at the right height and distance from the bars. Might seem a bit obvious for an experienced rider, but it's worth checking.

Not obvious to me, although I have done the rule of thumb adjustment (heel of foot on pedal, leg almost-but-not-quite locked out). I'm unclear on distance from the bars - presumably the correct distance depends on the type of bike, how much you want to lean into the bars? Anything else?

 

[cyberknight]

Not obvious to me, although I have done the rule of thumb adjustment (heel of foot on pedal, leg almost-but-not-quite locked out). I'm unclear on distance from the bars - presumably the correct distance depends on the type of bike, how much you want to lean into the bars? Anything else?

Once you have your saddle height you need to set saddle set back on the rails , many use knee over pedal spindle method , you can then work forward or backward from there till you get it right for you.

You need to get this right before you worry about reach as you adjust the reach after you set your saddle otherwise you are altering your pedaling efficiency and moving the saddle forwards or backwards slightly alter your effective saddle height. You can adjust reach by changing the stem for different sizes in combination by using the spacers + flipping the stem to alter the handlebar height and effective reach.

To set reach a rule of thumb is ..
on the hoods .. look at your stem where it meets the handlebar as it should obscure your front wheel axle, for flat bars use the regular position.
Another option is to put your elbow on the tip of the saddle and the tip of your fingers should roughly be touching where the middle of the stem.