Uncomfortable and sore after 17 months without problems?

[night cycler]

About one month ago I started feel sore and uncomfortable while out cycling. Nothing unusual there you may say. However, when I explain that from new, I`ve cycled 2000 miles over a period of 17 months with no problems of this nature, so why now?

It started in cool weather, so I can rule out the weather. I wear padded bibs and my saddle is a gel type (the one in the link).
https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/terry-figura-gt-gel-men-saddle/aid:549741

I`ve tried using cream to no avail. I`m now thinking of changing the saddle. Anyone else experience this same problem starting for no apparent reason? Also any suggestions on a different saddle?

 

[Yellow Saddle]

This is the cue for dozens of saddle recommendations. These will all come with brand and time-span of use without problems. However, it's all to no avail since no-one knows what or where your pain is. Find your ischial tuberosity, palpate it a bit and see if the pain is there. Then translate the pain and or damage as abrasion or internal tenderness. Once you know this, then people can advise on a suitable way forward. It will also help if we understand your riding frequency and if there were any lapses.

 

[Pale Rider]

Have you lost - or gained - weight?

That could make a previously comfortable saddle feel uncomfortable.

 

[night cycler]

OK, thanks. I`ve palpated my ischial tuberosity and there is no pain there as of now. The is in the region of pain when riding. However, I think we could possibly rule this out as the pain seems to be from the body tissue as opposed to skeletal structure.

My cycing frequency is 2 or 3 times each week, and there has been no lapses up to the pain becomming apparent.

 

[night cycler]

PR: No significant loss of weight noticed. No weight gained.I can however feel my bones if I press my fingers on the cheeks of my posterior. I`ve never been a large build.

 

[Pale Rider]

As you know, saddle recommendations are too personal to have much value.

However, I've been impressed with the suspension seat post on my latest bike.

The cheap coil springs ones are pogo sticks, I had one on the last bike and replaced it with a solid one.

A quality suspension post might be worth a try.

The Cane Creek Thudbuster is the money no object option, although Suntour make a budget version.

Note that both have a parallelogram action, meaning the saddle moves up down vertically.

One of the problems with the coil spring posts is they push the saddle up and back.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/cane-creek-...|pcrid|67090789142|pkw||pmt||prd|5360145972uk

https://www.rosebikes.com/article/suntour-sp12-ncx-suspension-seat-post/aid:614120

 

[Yellow Saddle]

PR: No significant loss of weight noticed. No weight gained.I can however feel my bones if I press my fingers on the cheeks of my posterior. I`ve never been a large build.

Well, if you can feel your ischial tuberosity (sit bones), describe the pain. Are there nodules in the soft tissue? Is the skin abraded? Is it merely a bruising in the soft tissue directly between the saddle and sit bone or is the pain elsewhere?

 

[night cycler]

PR: The sun tour seat post is one I will consider. Thanks for the links.

YS: I am experiencing two different pains. One is the "chafing type" (abraded) pain like I used to feel years ago while cycling in jeans & boxers on an old bike before I knew any better. There is nothing visible.

The other pain is the type of discomfort that would be felt if sitting on broken bricks, though not as severe of course. Certainly this pain sensation feels like bruising when I press my fingers there, but again nothing visible.

 

[Globalti]

Be careful. At the age of about 55 Mrs Gti suddenly realised that she couldn't sit down any longer without pain in the ischial region. Two orthopedic and one neurological consultants have failed to diagnose the problem but she believes it comes from many years as an area sales manager sitting in modern cars with stiff bouncy suspension, and pressing on for long drives when she ought to have been stopping for regular breaks. Four years later she is still not able to sit for long periods of time. Some have suggested bursitis, also known as weaver's bottom.

 

[Ian H]

Chafing suggests that perhaps your shorts no longer fit as they did. Losing their elasticity?

 

[Racing roadkill]

Gel saddles have a habit of re - distributing their gel oddly over time. A gel saddle which was once comfy, can develop a different and odd 'lumpy' profile, over time.

 

[vickster]

Check the state of the padding and fit of your shorts (both can degrade over time, especially with regular washing)

 

[night cycler]

I've just removed the seat & post to see what options there are for fitting another sadle to this post. I have observed that the clamp is broken (maybe bolts too tight at time of assembly)? Unsure if this would contribute to the pain I describe.

Can anyone tell me what saddle limitations I have if I want to fit a softer saddle to this stem. Also, is it the stem that determines the sadle options or is it something else?

 

[Pale Rider]

Saddle rails are all but standard, so any saddle will fit your current post/clamp.

In the pic, the clamp is too far forward on the rail - one of the rails will probably have range marks stamped on it.

That may have caused the clamp to break, you sitting on the saddle has applied too much 'up and back' leverage to the clamp.

Your weight acting mostly on the back of the saddle will exert quite a lot of force on the clamp, particularly when you go over a bump.

 

[night cycler]

I do tend to try to sit back on the sadle as I seem to slip forward. There are marks on the rails. I will mount the clamp further back on the rails when it arrives. I've just ordered another from ROSE. I was thinking that the clamp was unique to the specific sadle, and that I may have got the part for free. Maybe I could have bought a clamp from a local cycle shop.

I have to wait until the weekend now for the part to arrive.