Any advice/guidance on switching to a saddle with less padding?

[MattTuck]

So I saw the dermatologist today, and she ruled out a medical condition as the cause of my recent chaffing issues. So, now I'm onto the task of trying different equipment/apparel/chamois cream choices.

One thought that I had is that perhaps my Fizik Aliante has too much padding and as I sit on it, my sit bones sink into the padding, exposing more pressure along the center of the saddle to my perineum and potentially causing chaffing. I do have the versus saddle, but question how much of an impact that channel really makes.

Anyway, considering a move to a different saddle with either a more substantial cut-out, or a flatter saddle with less padding.

Any thoughts?

[45K10]

You could try a Specialized Toupe. It is fairly flat with very little padding and you can normally get some take-offs pretty cheap at a Specialized dealer.

[Louis]

Option #2: you could try a Brooks saddle from Wallingford Bike:

http://www.wallbike.com/brand/brooks

6-month money-back return if it doesn't work out

They aren't cheap, but if it works it will be money well spent and you won't mind the cost one bit.

I'd call Bill and see what he thought was best for your situation.

[kramnnim]

Seems like something worth pursuing, I'm quite uncomfortable on the SLR XP (extra padding), but the regular SLR is great. No clue what the no padding version of the Aliante would be, though...

[Climb01742]

Maybe a different shape of saddle too. In the past when I had chafing issues, they seem to have related to too wide of a saddle, both in the saddle seat and nose. Have you ever tried a narrower saddle? In the 130ish range?

[professerr]

***

[mtechnica]

Make sure the saddle isn't too high or not level, un or lightly padded saddles are great, SLR especially, trick is using good pro level bibs IMO my santini bibs made for non padded saddles are glorious feeling. Flatter saddle can help chafing if its positioned right.

[MattTuck]

You could try a Specialized Toupe. It is fairly flat with very little padding and you can normally get some take-offs pretty cheap at a Specialized dealer.

Yep, specialized has to be in the mix if I'm considering a true cut out saddle. I used to ride an avatar, and that seemed ok until I wore the gel inserts out.

Option #2: you could try a Brooks saddle from Wallingford Bike:

http://www.wallbike.com/brand/brooks

6-month money-back return if it doesn't work out

They aren't cheap, but if it works it will be money well spent and you won't mind the cost one bit.

I'd call Bill and see what he thought was best for your situation.

Likewise, I need to get over my "I don't buy the brooks hype" and I should probably try one out.

Maybe a different shape of saddle too. In the past when I had chafing issues, they seem to have related to too wide of a saddle, both in the saddle seat and nose. Have you ever tried a narrower saddle? In the 130ish range?

I have tried a 130mm scratch pro from prologo. I may need to try some other brands in that width as well.

Make sure the saddle isn't too high or not level, un or lightly padded saddles are great, SLR especially, trick is using good pro level bibs IMO my santini bibs made for non padded saddles are glorious feeling. Flatter saddle can help chafing if its positioned right. This is my first order of business. Trying to lower the saddle a bit to see if I get some relief. It is currently matching previous fittings I've had, but I may have lost some weight, and who knows if the lack of tissue is causing sit bones to sink further into the saddle.

My completely personal un-expert opinion is that lots of padding makes up for a saddle that doesn't properly fit the width of your sit bones. When my sit bones rest on the saddle where they are supposed to they carry all my weight, and I need very little padding from the saddle or shorts. So I tried out a number of Specialized saddles in various shapes and, most importantly, widths to see which fit my bones best.

Good points. I've tried out several specializeds in the recent past, but none hit the sweet spot. Maybe I need to give my search more time. My only issue with specialized around here is there is no good demo program. The shop will let you buy it, and then give you credit if you need to return it, so you can try a new one. Kind of lame, in my opinion.

[OtayBW]

I have tried a 130mm scratch pro from prologo. I may need to try some other brands in that width as well.
Selle Italia SLR Kit Carbonio Pro. Cut out, ~131 mm, and just enough padding to give slight cush as you're suspended on your sit bones. Minimalist and perfect for me. If the width is right for you, it could work.

[mtechnica]

+1 for the current model SLR, it's far and away the most comfortable road saddle I've used even since ride 1, I've tried 'em all' short of an smp. Set the thing level and enjoy imo, also wrt brooks saddles they disgust me as they are incredibly heavy and are extremely difficult to achieve proper setback with. Theres a reason you just don't see racers on them they just need to go away, and leather provides some suspension but carbon is better... Disregard my advice if you're much more than 170lb / don't ride with much force on the pedals, the saddle really is more of a perch another reason I suspect many have the height too high as they have constant discomfort issues, been there.

[stien]

If you've had the saddle a long time, dint forget they can also wear out. I looked at mine one day and my sitbones are permanently etched into it and it was tilted to one side. And the padding sagged so it almost hit the rails.


Try a toupe, I love them!

[John H.]

If the shape of the Aliante is good for you- might want to try Aliante VSX?

[FlashUNC]

I had issues with the Arione. Went to the less padded CX model and those problems disappeared.

[Fatty]

Selle Italia SLR Kit Carbonio Pro. Cut out, ~131 mm, and just enough padding to give slight cush as you're suspended on your sit bones. Minimalist and perfect for me. If the width is right for you, it could work.

Hey I like this one also.
Actually bought the manganese rail version for about $30 on the e-Bay and it has turned out to be one of my favorite saddles.

[ojingoh]

As a starting point you have to assess your current physique. Being at different times a fatty and a whippet, I've found that when I have a robust posterior I do better on robustly padded saddles. Conversely, when I can see the top of my hip bones when I bend over, I do better on thinly padded saddles.

A good article about shapes of saddles: http://www.cervelo.com/en/engineering/ask-the-engineers/the-four-and-a-half-rules-of-road-saddles-.html (http://www.cervelo.com/en/engineering/ask-the-engineers/the-four-and-a-half-rules-of-road-saddles-.html)

[ultraman6970]

Sometimes the problems the op is having are because of the shorts or bibs...

No idea what the op is using.

Op have you ever wonder if you are using the saddle too high??

[brockd15]

You might try an Adamo if you haven't yet. Of course it's all very personal, but I could tell instantly the difference when I went from an Arione to an Adamo. All of a sudden there was zero pressure anywhere but the sit bones. I'm not a fan of the look, but it works for me.

The Road and Race models seem about the same for me and both have been great. The Podium felt more like other saddles, which I'm thinking is due to there being less drop front to back than on the others.

[MrCannonCam]

Personally I prefer to ride something like an SLR. It's got great flex and my sit bones are not wide nor do I weight much (140 lbs), so it's a good fit. It all depends on your build and personal preference. I've seen some guys with saddle issues try one with a relief channel and it's worked wonders. The Specialized Romin is nice, I was pleasently surprised with it while borrowing a friends bike (coming from someone very anti-specialized is saying a lot).

[93legendti]

[QUOTE=stien;1586228]If you've had the saddle a long time, dint forget they can also wear out. I looked at mine one day and my sitbones are permanently etched into it and it was tilted to one side. And the padding sagged.../QUOTE]

Chamois in shorts can also wear out. If your saddle isn't that old, trying a different make of shorts might be easier to try than different saddles. I hate changing to a different model saddle...

[MattTuck]

Sometimes the problems the op is having are because of the shorts or bibs...

No idea what the op is using.

Op have you ever wonder if you are using the saddle too high??

I have some craft and pearl izumi bibs. I have some rapha bibs also (gasp!) that are unused. I got them on special and plan on using them when I drop another 5 pounds.

Yes, I've considered the saddle is too high. Definitely a possibility that my previous fits were off, but unlikely. I'll drop the current saddle 1st, by about 5mm. And if that doesn't work, I actually have a newer version of the same saddle on my secondary bike... so I'll give that a try also.

Still, I need to consider the possibility that I need to change the type of saddle I ride.

Also, to you guys that 130 or 140 pounds... I've got a lot of weight on you. I need a big boy saddle.

[MattTuck]

Chamois in shorts can also wear out. If your saddle isn't that old, trying a different make of shorts might be easier to try than different saddles. I hate changing to a different model saddle...

Have you seen the price of bib shorts lately? :eek:

I hear what you're saying though, shorts as a potential cause is on my radar.

[Louis]

Also, to you guys that 130 or 140 pounds... I've got a lot of weight on you. I need a big boy saddle.

In that case, SSM Regal. No two ways about it.

Get a steel rail if you want to save some $, Ti rail if you want to save on weight.

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=san%20marco%20regal%20saddle&tbm=shop


http://www.qbike.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?st=san+marco+regal

[lhuerta]

Matt, I had similar issues with chafing and mild numbness. First I switched from Assos cream to DZ Nuts...there was an ingredient in Assos that was on my allergy list). Then I switched to a firmer saddle....ended up on the Specialized Chicane after trying the Romin and other cut out saddles. My body never adjusted well to deep cutouts, so I found a good intermediate cutout/grooved saddle...the Chicane.

I tried a couple different widths an settled on the 143.

I have a 155mm available for sale...might be worth trying.

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=152071

Lou

[ultraman6970]

Ultra is 220 pounds in a good day.. toupe... I cant stand any other saddle but the toupe in specialized brand. Saddles are too expensive to buy and sell everymonth :(

The Kontact saddle is not bad but in my particular case if that saddle had a cut out would be fantastic. The contact dude needs to come up with a racing version of his saddle, thin and with a big ass cut out.

[93legendti]

Have you seen the price of bib shorts lately? :eek:

I hear what you're saying though, shorts as a potential cause is on my radar.

I like the chamois in Performance Elite bibs. No need to spend a ton of money on shorts...LG also makes reasonably priced bib shorts with a nice chamois...

[kramnnim]

I have a new shape SLR XC and a first gen SLR that I can lend you if you want, just pay for postage. Might be cheaper to buy them on eBay and resell them if they don't work, though.

[T.J.]

Combo of worn bibs and saddle ?

[MattTuck]

Combo of worn bibs and saddle ?

Yep. Definitely in my mind as a possibility. Issue with changing so many variables at once is that if you don't get improvement, you don't get any new information... Seems easy to try an older (but not used much) pair of performance bibs, that I have lying around before getting a new saddle.

At some point, I may have to spring for some new bibs as part of this epic quest.

[oldpotatoe]

So I saw the dermatologist today, and she ruled out a medical condition as the cause of my recent chaffing issues. So, now I'm onto the task of trying different equipment/apparel/chamois cream choices.

One thought that I had is that perhaps my Fizik Aliante has too much padding and as I sit on it, my sit bones sink into the padding, exposing more pressure along the center of the saddle to my perineum and potentially causing chaffing. I do have the versus saddle, but question how much of an impact that channel really makes.

Anyway, considering a move to a different saddle with either a more substantial cut-out, or a flatter saddle with less padding.

Any thoughts?

SMP, maybe the Glider? Got a SMP test shop around?

[tlittlefield]

If you are not sure what width saddle you should be riding?

Specialized dealers (or at least the used to) have a measuring device that you sit on. It tells you where your sit bones are and exactly what width saddle you should be riding.

[Louis]

If you are not sure what width saddle you should be riding?

Specialized dealers (or at least the used to) have a measuring device that you sit on. It tells you where your sit bones are and exactly what width saddle you should be riding.

One can also do this as home by putting a piece of paper on the carpet, sitting on it (with a minimum of cloth between you and the paper), and measuring the distance between the divots. Sometimes you have to hold the paper at an angle to the light to see the dents, but they will be visible.

[MattTuck]

One can also do this as home by putting a piece of paper on the carpet, sitting on it (with a minimum of cloth between you and the paper), and measuring the distance between the divots. Sometimes you have to hold the paper at an angle to the light to see the dents, but they will be visible.

Louis, you are the MacGyver of saddle fitting :banana: