Oh my aching Backside! Help!

[LI-ghtcycle]

I have been putting in 27 mile trips in the last few weeks, and I had what WAS a comfortable saddle until about 15 miles in, then it's pretty uncomfortable.

I am looking for the most "bang for the buck" but if the only way I'm going to get relief is to save up and buy a up-scale saddle, that is what I will do. I have used a very cushy saddle that is sort of the foam rubber with the plastic springs (Bell) on another bike, but only on a short distance, and it soaked up big bumps but I doubt it would be very water resistant. (I live in Oregon, rain central )

I'm also using a hardtail, so I might be looking to get a suspension seat post to go with the cushy saddle, I'm needing weather resistance and durability too, so if anyone can tell me about a good experience they have had with an inexpensive saddle, I'm all ears.

If I must go the more expensive route, just know that I am on a budget, trying to scrape together the $500+ to get my bike electrified with an Amped Bikes geared rear hub (hopefully with brake disc mounts too!) and I don't know if I can squeeze it in this month, but I might have to next month. :wink:

 

[spinningmagnets]

The Thudbuster ($160, Yikes!). I don't have one, but I want one some day.

http://www.amazon.com/Cane-Creek-Thudbuster-Suspension-Mountain/dp/B000ZTMUNG

The Avenir, $25

 

[mwkeefer]

Hello,

I have a specialized comfort ultra (think it's an ultra) it's a split saddle with some real comfort and it holds up in rain (doesn't seem to absorb water)... it was about 50.00 (give or take) and I frequently pull 30-40mi daily use out of it.

It's comfortable as a cruiser or in a forward riding speed position (for me).

-Mike

 

[deardancer3]

Many good bike shops will let your try saddles until you find one you like. REI is one.

I can tell you the saddle that I use for 30 mile rides with no problem, but, (pun intended) if you are not built like me or have different posture than me, you wont be happy.

this is one of those things that if a local bike shop lets you 'try till satisfied', they more than earn their keep.

I do 25 mile rides with a standard guys saddle with middle cutout, pedal a lot, upright posture, moderate e-assist, never a problem. (6' 1' 230lb) My bike is adjusted by a pro at a bike shop and fits very well. Seat nose points way down. I also have a hornless saddle from Target that I am testing . Seems good but not enough long trips to say for sure.

Try Performance, REI or a good LBS that gives 'try till satisfied' on saddles. Go during non busy hours. Be cautious about mentioning e-assist. ask a bike rider that looks like your body type.

Yeah, the shock seat post is a good bet if you find one that is tall enough and adjusts right. But (That pun again) depends on what your seat problem is. Might also check a more comfy rear tire too, Big Apple?

 

[Zoot Katz]

It seems counter intuitive but you'll probably find a firmer saddle better for long distances.
Standing helps too. Your knees are better suspension than any fancy seat post or gel filled saddle.
Make a habit of posting over the rough stuff.
It saves your bum and your bike.

I've a long time preference, and prejudice, for leather saddles.
Take care of it like a pair leather boots and it cover when you're parked in the rain.
Don't touch the tension nut or soak it oil and it will last a long, long time.
Since it eventually takes on the impression of your "sit bones" ischial tuberosity it fits perfectly.
Guys with a wider pelvis need wider saddles that make guys with a narrow pelvis uncomfortable and vice versa.

Here's an article that tells you one way to measure that distance along with a lot of other pertinent details about saddle comfort.
Choosing and Adjusting Your Saddle

Another way to measure the distance between your sit bones is to sit on a piece of paper on a carpeted stair tread.
In cycling shorts or jockey shorts so the paper doesn't stick.
Measure the center-to-center distance of the impressions.
Making a broad generalisation, the distance will be about as wide as your fist.

A sprung Brooks saddle and Big Apple tires smooth out some vibration so the ride is less fatiguing

 

[mrzed]

6 years ago I rode the west coast south on hwy101. During the prep time, I was doing regular 60-100Km training rides, and I went through 4 saddles before finding the one. Recently I've been wondering if I should order 2 more before they stop making them.

The only other saddle I've used that came close was a brooks standard leather saddle that I eventually wore out.

I won't mention the model, because it's all about fit. But this is something that better stores should all do (exchange within x time).

I'll also say that if you are on half decent roads, sadlle and bike fit are far more important than suspension for comfort.

And cushy and comfort are two opposite camps when it comes to saddles. The general rule of thumb is: the further your average ride, the firmer the saddle should be for comfort. It's just like office chairs, couches, car seats. The plush ones feel good at first, but for long periods, firm padding and good fit win out.

Then again, I also come from a bike background. If you don't really pedal, perhaps it's different . . .

 

[mrzed]

appears zoot and I were thinking the same thing at the same time. some sort of west coast convergence? but he beat me by seconds . . .

 

[Zoot Katz]

6 years ago I rode the west coast south on hwy101. During the prep time, I was doing regular 60-100Km training rides, and I went through 4 saddles before finding the one. Recently I've been wondering if I should order 2 more before they stop making them.

The only other saddle I've used that came close was a brooks standard leather saddle that I eventually wore out.

I won't mention the model, because it's all about fit. But this is something that better stores should all do (exchange within x time).

I'll also say that if you are on half decent roads, sadlle and bike fit are far more important than suspension for comfort.

And cushy and comfort are two opposite camps when it comes to saddles. The general rule of thumb is: the further your average ride, the firmer the saddle should be for comfort. It's just like office chairs, couches, car seats. The plush ones feel good at first, but for long periods, firm padding and good fit win out.

Then again, I also come from a bike background. If you don't really pedal, perhaps it's different . . .

My computer chair is a 30's era, solid oak office chair that tilts, swivels and rolls with no padding.
Riding longer distances sorts out the good from the bad saddles.

Pedalling and posting help aliviate butt pain. Too many novice cyclists assume the saddle is causing them pain when it's actually muscle development.
Avoiding chafing is a bigger issue. Seams in clothing can also compress nerves and blood vessels causing discomfort.
I always put on seamless padded cycing specific underwear for rides over five miles.

Due to previous permanent nerve damage, my hands were the sore spot for about two years after I got back on the bikes.
In that time I became conditioned so they no longer bother me.
I also did a lot of experimenting with bar, stem, cleat and saddle adjustments to get the most comfortable ride.

 

[amberwolf]

The other option is to do what I did: Go 'bent, and sit in a comfy sling chair. Mine's actually only semi-bent, so I'm not laying back with feet in the air, rather more like a relaxing lawn chair kind of feel.

But you'd have to do some serious modification to the bike to be able to do this. The simplest way to turn a normal bike into something like mine is do what Justin did, with the Xtracycle and seat on top of that, with bars off the seatpost and linked to the front bars. Completely reconvertible back to the original if you need it to be, and if you carry the saddle with you then you could do it on the road anywhere, to get the cargo space back on top of the XC.

EDIT (added): I used to ride no shocks at all, but it was always uncomfortable for mroe than a few miles. Then at the end of 2005 I got an aluminum Columbia "Comfort bike", with front shocks and a seatpost shock. No matter how I adjust it, the seatpost shock helps but not enough, with the vibration. I've tried out dozens of saddle sizes and shapes, and none of them fit my butt. A leather one would be great, but never found one used, and making my own wasn't an option at the time, though it might be now.

I can't use my knees as shocks, because they hurt under load when bending, and that's worse than the butt and back pain.

That's a significant part of what led me down the 'bent path. Comfortable seating for 30-50 mile trips, which I don't take every day, but often enough to hate the regular bike when I do.

 

[317537]

Along with a better saddle and a seat pole suspension you mat get used to it. Its like horse riding. Take a ride for a few hours and youre a little bit sore. Ride all day and you bloody know what sore is. Some people ride all day and almost every day and it takes some time for the body to adapt.

 

[dogman dan]

Exactly what is the problem? There are several saddle issues caused by different things. There is suspension, that usually is felt in the lower back. Chafing, which can be caused by too soft or too wide saddles. And issues similar to chafing that can be caused by sweat, and er personal hygiene.

My personal solutions to these issues was going to suspension, which helped my lower back, combined with a more upright riding position using taller handlebars. The saddle I settled in on is narrow but not racing narrow and has some cushion. Not a super soft jelly saddle, but not a hard one either. It's a ladies saddle, with a split in the rear cushions that allows a bit of ventilation. On a real long ride, I wear bike shorts, or shorts that I sewed a chamois from an old pair of shorts into. And lastly, before a 50 miler, some extra attention, possibly with baby wipes or a fresh shower so you start out squeaky clean makes a difference. Some vaseline can help too, giving a bit of a barrier to bacteria between the sweaty shorts and the skin on the dangly bits.

The saddle on my commuter is made by Bell, and was pretty inexpensive. I belive it may have been called Bellisima? I don't see any markings on it, but it is light colored on the top and dark on the bottom, and is vynil covered so it's rain resistant. It's no longer stocked in my local wallmart.

 

[spinningmagnets]

Split seats seem to be growing in popularity. You could get some high-quality new foam scraps from a local car upholsterers shop (they come in various firmnesses), cut some seat vinyl from a car salvage yard, and make your own to get a perfect fit. Might take a few tries to get it perfect, chances are your butt is not like mine...

 

[docnjoj]

Even recunbent seats have to fit to be comfortable. I have spent far too much time rebuilding this "racing seat" so i could actually fit in it. I even had to tilt it to compensate for the crown in our roads. It really is tiring to have to lean for 15 miles to one side. I had the suspension "jacked" to raise it on the right side but with the seat tilt I can get equal suspension travel again. Finally the "touring" seat arrived from Serbia along with my rear rack. Only took 3 months. It is not just the Chinese that are not great with shipping! sorry for the rant! When the new seat is delivered I will take this one off and finish it in epoxy/glass and have it pro upholstered. At least it is now adjustable!
otherDoc

 

[Drunkskunk]

SHelden Brown's site has a good read on saddles.

The most comfortable bike seat I have is a leather Saddle with spring suspension.
The least comfortable seat I have is a gel seat. Its really damn comfortable for about a mile, but then starts to get uncomfortable. I ride that bike standing up most of the ride, so it works out. Comfortable to sit on and rest for a bit, but then its motovation to stand back up and start realy riding again.

I've tried suspension seat posts, and loved them for a while, but have found that having the distance between my seat and the crank change while I'm peddaling causes my knees to hurt

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Wow! Thank you all for the responses, I am definitely going to check out somewhere that allows me to "test ride" the saddle before I buy. I really see value in the recumbent cycle position, but I'm both financially and fabrication challenged in that department (no access to a good welder atm), I love what you have built, Amberwolf, but although I have the frames lying around to build something similar, I'm staying with conventional stuff until I can afford to do better.

I also can see the value of getting a good leather seat with springs and breaking it in to fit me. I have had military and hunting boots that are the same way, and I love the longevity of leather.

Zoot, would you say using things like Huberd's Shoe Grease would shorten the life of the saddle? I would only use something like that to waterproof, but I can "tough it out" if it's better to not us it.

I have been wearing inexpensive bicycling shorts with padding (goodwill specials, about what I can afford atm) and I have rather firm "mountain biker" bell saddle that I think I paid $16 for it. Here's a pic:

Funny thing is, this saddle was plenty comfortable for me even on 20 mile trips until I started doing 27 miles one way trips on a regular basis (this morning will be the 4th in 5 days) I have been visiting my brother in Newberg (I'm in Oregon City) and I have not done a round trip yet, trying to work my way up to that, so usually I just stay the night and go again in the morning.

Oh, and btw, this is all strictly human power so far, I don't get my Amped Geared Rear Hub Kit ordered for a few days, and even then I will just be using a very light battery set-up for help on hills exclusively.

I'm wanting to get as efficient as possible myself (with-out sacrificing comfort) before I add the motor. I wonder if a well sprung saddle would eliminate the need for a suspension seat-post?

Oh and that "Thudbuster" does it come as a unit? Saddle, and seat post together, and it must come in different sizes?

Well, off to Newberg!

Thanks again!

 

[amberwolf]

Even recunbent seats have to fit to be comfortable. I have spent far too much time rebuilding this "racing seat" so i could actually fit in it.

With that type of seat, it is harder to fit it to you. Pretty comfy once you do, but that can take a while. It's part of why i went from the contoured seat to a sling-chair. Weight was the other--my sling chair is few pounds lighter than my contoured seat. (keeping in mind both are made from whatever junk I had laying around).

The sling is still not perfect, and could use some bends rather than straight tubing, but I don't have the ability to bend this tube--it's too strong for me.

I even had to tilt it to compensate for the crown in our roads. It really is tiring to have to lean for 15 miles to one side. I had the suspension "jacked" to raise it on the right side but with the seat tilt I can get equal suspension travel again.

I had thought about doing something like that for my own trike that's still in design stage, when I was still using the contoured seat on the bike, but with the sling seat I probably won't have to.

 

[dogman dan]

Your bell seat looks a lot like the one I have. I find it tolerable up to 15 miles in normal clothing on my commute. For rides longer than that, I need the padding in the bike shorts. But on a 60 mile day, my butt begins to hurt at about 40 miles, and then mercifully gets pretty numb by 50 miles.

You'll just have to toughen up the ass for really long rides. When I was younger, we all had leather brooks saddles that while heavy by todays standards, were quite good for long distance rides. Sometimes I think vinyl and bike seats should never have been mixed.

 

[317537]

Got a sore backside?

Try one of these.

:lol:

 

[kriskros]

i have a Brooks b67 Taiwn knockoff..... Crowe cycle $61.00 comparing it to a friends the only difference we could find was ...his has 5 rivets at the back and mine has 4 i do not have bicycle butt[too bony] ,,, have always had problems...... i rubbed it with neets foot oil[about 5 times] put one of those padded seat covers on and IM FLOATING... have ridden over 40 mile no problem.... bike is older norco no shocks.... worth a thought.... the leather is thick and the springs seem to be maybe a bit heavier than the brooks....has same adjustment as brooks

 

[WonderProfessor]

Get a recumbent! No butt pain, no back pain, no hand pain, no wrist pain, no neck pain. And most importantly, no penile arterial constriction (a.k.a. numb nuts)!

Those split seats make me laugh. They look really comfortable, huh? A whole lot better than regular seats, right?

Dontcha' all know that upright bicycles were really designed in the Dark Ages by the same folks who designed other implements of medieval torture?

Get a recumbent!

 

[Zoot Katz]

i have a Brooks b67 Taiwn knockoff..... Crowe cycle $61.00 comparing it to a friends the only difference we could find was ...his has 5 rivets at the back and mine has 4 i do not have bicycle butt[too bony] ,,, have always had problems...... i rubbed it with neets foot oil[about 5 times] put one of those padded seat covers on and IM FLOATING... have ridden over 40 mile no problem.... bike is older norco no shocks.... worth a thought.... the leather is thick and the springs seem to be maybe a bit heavier than the brooks....has same adjustment as brooks

Thick leather is good but where it's cut from the hide and positioned on the saddle is crucial to its wear characteristics.
Tanning and treating are important too.

There's too much made of "breaking-in" a leather saddle.
The saddle fits out of the box like a pair of leather shoes.
If it's uncomfortable, it's not likely to ever get much better.
OTOH, if it's comfortable, it's only destined to get better with use.
Like shoes, saddles come in styles, sizes and colours!

Wallingford Bicycle Parts has the best selection of Brooks saddles along with fitting and care information.
They also have a generous return policy for saddles.

Oil isn't the best treatment for a leather saddle. It "softens" leather by breaking down the fibers.
I have used fat and wax based products like boot and tack dressings or Proofide. I went off it after I'd opened a tin that had gone rancid.
For the past 10 years of near daily use on my Champion Flyer, I have been using Sno-Seal. That's a wax and silicone based boot dressing.
The top gets treated about every four to six months. The bottom, twice in its life. That's protected by a fender.
I punched and laced the skirt with leather thong when it started to flare.
It's since acquired an asymmetrical ass print because the rear X5 is slightly off-center.

My 70's era Indian made knock off a Brooks or Wrights road type saddle has six rivets in the horseshoe and three in the nose. My Ideale 90 has six rivets too. I'd think fewer rivets would be prone to failure considering the stresses on the leather.

 

[docnjoj]

"Weight was the other--my sling chair is few pounds lighter than my contoured seat. (keeping in mind both are made from whatever junk I had laying around)." Quote from amberwolf

I am waiting for the "big boy" version of the sling seat from Steintrikes. Fairly cheep and wider than the racing seat. Made of steel by their "blacksmiths" who do nice welding but heavy. Weight really doesnt matter that much since I weigh 220 lbs.
otherDoc

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Well, here is something interesting, I made a new record (for me ) 27.3 miles in 2hrs, 7min and 30 sec. , (Old record was 2hrs,40 min) averaging 14 MPH over-all, but then I realized I had a 10MPH tail wind most of the way, however because I saved myself the extra 30 min. + in the saddle, I wasn't sore.

I also tried some of the suggestions for extra comfort, but I think in the end, I will go with a good leather saddle that truly fits me, that has springs. Maybe I can try that brook's knock-off. However, what ever I buy, gonna try buying it where I can do the few days trial before purchase.

I'm going to have to wait about another 30 days for the Amped Kit, holding out for the new rear disc compatible geared kit.

 

[morph999]

I had to change my old seat in for the new one that was on the GT Outpost Trail because it was making me impotent. If a bike has too much padding and is not hard in the middle or all over then it will put a lot more pressure on the nose right where your package is and you will eventually get erectile problems. My old seat is a selle Royale and it works great. No problems at all. It's a gel seat I think. It's from 1993 but it works great. It's hard all over so it evens out the pressure throughout. When checking out a seat, you want to feel the middle part, if it is too cushiony, it'll make you impotent and hurt your package. Your butt muscles are designed to take some of the pressure but if there is nothing there then the pressure is re-directed to your package.

I've put a couple thousand miles on a seat from these guys with absolutely no erectile problems...they use gel or something in their seats
http://www.selleroyal.com/saddles_selector/products_selector.aspx?step1=Men