Saddle comfort tips...(from someone with a bit of experience)

[SoCalSteve]

Hi all,

As some of you may know, I have had a long and pretty arduos journy to find the perfect "modern plastic" saddle. I have learned a great deal along the way and would like to pass these tips onto my fellow Forumites.

Many of these may be obvious to you and I apologize for that. But, if one of these "obvious" tips helps just one person become more comfortable riding, then it was well worth it, right?

1.) Get a good bike fitting done.
2.) Have your tush measured on a "ass-o-meter" (Specialized) or whatever Bontrager calls theirs and then figure out what width you need based on your style of riding. (as a side note, I was fitted with the ass-o-meter and the gentleman assumed that because I had previously used a Brooks saddle, that I should be on the widest saddle...Well, he was wrong).
3.) Base your saddle on the type of riding that you will be doing
4.)There are pretty much 2 styles of saddles: flat and rounded. Try both styles in your width.
5.)Try a few saddles in your size and shape range and see which one feels the most comfortable after a couple rides. Give yourself at least an hour on each saddle. If you cannot tolerate an hour, sell the saddle here on the classifieds.
6.) When you do find a comfortable saddle for you (one that you can tolerate for more than an hour), try moving it up and down a little bit, fore and aft and tilt it. A little bit of these movements can go a long way for comfort. Not too much in any one direction.
7.) Dont discount trying a few different sets of shorts. Chamois come in all different shapes and styles. One may be much more comfortable than another. I found this out the hard way.
8.) Once you have found this "comfortable" saddle, spend many hours-miles on it EXCLUSIVELY. Let your butt muscles/nerves, etc get used to one saddle.If it is truly the "right" saddle for you, then it will eventually get even better the more you ride it as your muscles/nerves, etc adapt to that particular saddle.
t9.) Stand frequently when you ride. This truly does lessen long term pressure on your behind and it will also make you a better, stronger and faster cyclist.
10.) Stretch, stretch, stretch...Hamstrings, quads, glutes, calves, lower back, etc, etc, etc...everyday and if possible, 2-3 times a day.
11.) Sit-ups, push ups,dead bugs and any and all core work that you can do.
12.) Lose weight.
13.) What works for one person may not work for another. Dont be discouraged, eventually you will find the perfect saddle for you.

Anyone who would like to add other tips or suggestions, please do so. I am sure I just scratched the surface on this topic.

Anyone who would like specific questions answered from my experiences, feel free to PM me or send me an email: Local399@aol.com. I am NOT a bike fitter nor do I play one on TV. I am NOT an expert on anything (except maybe selling the saddles that didnt work out for me). I just know what worked for me, that's all I can go by (my personal experiences).

Many happy (and comfortable) miles in the saddle, :banana:

Steve

[scrooge]

Thanks Steve. Can you clarify what you mean by flat/rounded? I was thinking there are those that are flat in the back (Arione?) and those that tend to go up in the back (arione?)...is that what you mean?

Also, I admire your perserverance. I don't think I've found the perfect saddle for me yet--trouble is that a) I'm too cheap to keep trying something different and b) I don't like all that fussin' with trying to achieve the same setback etc. I have one that doesn't make my parts go numb, and I've settled with that for now.

[Ahneida Ride]

I found that trivial angle adjustments translate into huge distinctions
in comfort.

If you invest in a Brooks, Please take the time and effort to adjust the
tilt angle. Mine is tilted up just a hair.

I also find that keeping the tension screw loose adds to the comfort.

Finding the sweet spot for a Brooks takes experimentation.

Finally, my B17 Ti disappears.

[SoCalSteve]

Thanks Steve. Can you clarify what you mean by flat/rounded? I was thinking there are those that are flat in the back (Arione?) and those that tend to go up in the back (arione?)...is that what you mean?

Also, I admire your perserverance. I don't think I've found the perfect saddle for me yet--trouble is that a) I'm too cheap to keep trying something different and b) I don't like all that fussin' with trying to achieve the same setback etc. I have one that doesn't make my parts go numb, and I've settled with that for now.

I guess what I had in mind was:

Flat: Arione, Antares, most Selle Italia saddles, Toupes and the ilk
Rounded: Aliante, Regal, (I am sure there are many more, I just cant think of any now)

As for being too cheap, buy used and sell if you are not happy with your choice. You will lose very little money.

Good luck!

Steve

[Ray]

The flat vs rounded (laterally) thing is important. But as Scrooge mentioned, so is the flat vs dipped (fore and aft) thing. I thought the aliante was the most comfortable saddle ever and did lots of very long rides on it but I gradually got to where I was riding it with a pretty extreme nose-up position. People looked at it and assumed I'd slide off the back, but the back part, where my sit bones perched, was flat. When I'd mash my belly into the nose when I was in the drops, I knew something was wrong because I didn't have that much of a gut. Finally started playing with flat, non-dipped, saddles and found bliss again. First on a Specialized Phenom and then even more bliss (Argentina soul-mate bliss) on a Koobi Xenon.

-Ray

[Louis]

The search is REALLY over! I mean it this time, really...I do!

Until the manufacturer discontinues the only model that works for you. :crap: :crap: :crap:
(Happened to me when Selle Italia stopped making the ProLink design I used.)

If you think the saddle will have a long shelf-life I suggest stocking up. Or, keep track of what is still being made. The minute you realize that they no longer make "your" saddle buy as many as you can get your hands on. That will then give you some time to experiment on a bike you don't ride often.

[MattTuck]

Is this the last unexplored frontier in bike fitting?

Custom designed saddles, or custom molded or atleast a system that can take into account rider characteristics and preferences and then generate a list of suggested saddles.

What are you doing this weekend? Oh, I'm going to have my ass measured so that I can have a custom saddle that is precisely designed for my butt.


FWIW, I notice a big difference in the feel of a saddle with a fairly minor (say, 10 pounds) change in weight.

I'm still looking for a perfect saddle too, but am happy with my specialized... atleast my nuts aren't numb.

[Wiley J]

Steve, what is the full name of your perfect saddle that you have pictured?

[happycampyer]

Steve, what is the full name of your perfect saddle that you have pictured?Pretty sure it's the Selle Italia Prolink Light Gel Flow. Here's Competitive Cyclist's description:

"Selle Italia tasked themselves with the challenge of making a race bike-quality saddle focused first and foremost on comfort. The result was the Prolink Light Gel Flow. On many of their saddles you might find one or two of Selle Italia's comfort features, but here they've gone for broke and added them all. Sandwiched between a full grain leather cover and a 10% carbon composite shell is differentiated-thickness padding more generous in volume than what you find in the "self-modeling" padding of the Flite. You get a cut-out along the middle of the saddle. This cut out relieves pressure, while gel padding in variable thicknesses surrounds the cut out to ensure that the transition from saddle-to-cut out isn't overly abrupt. Furthermore, it's built with an elastomer suspension system to absorb road shock. In addition, it's one of Selle Italia's widest saddles at 144mm wide, with a length of 277mm."

I think that for me the biggest difference between this saddle and the SLR Gel Flow is that the Prolink is wider (130mm vs. 144mm). Too bad the Selle Italia models don't come in widths like the Specialized saddles do (e.g., Toupe).

[SoCalSteve]

Steve, what is the full name of your perfect saddle that you have pictured?

Selle Italia Prolink Light Gel Flow

This saddle works for me, it may not for you.

Good luck!

Steve

[SoCalSteve]

Until the manufacturer discontinues the only model that works for you. :crap: :crap: :crap:
(Happened to me when Selle Italia stopped making the ProLink design I used.)

If you think the saddle will have a long shelf-life I suggest stocking up. Or, keep track of what is still being made. The minute you realize that they no longer make "your" saddle buy as many as you can get your hands on. That will then give you some time to experiment on a bike you don't ride often.

I'm already stocking up (and I believe its only their 2nd year of manufacture on the saddle).

Thanks!

Steve

[tab123]

Steve, great list.

I will add one more suggestion for women: try a saddle even if it is marketed for men.

I neglected this rule for a long time. When I followed it, I found my saddle. I think I will start stocking up.

[nahtnoj]

Custom designed saddles, or custom molded or atleast a system that can take into account rider characteristics and preferences and then generate a list of suggested saddles.

What are you doing this weekend? Oh, I'm going to have my ass measured so that I can have a custom saddle that is precisely designed for my butt.




My girlfriend would be first in line for one. She has me thinking about how to do it . Wanna start a business? Making ass molds could be quite a thrill depending on the client.

[bigbill]

As for being too cheap, buy used and sell if you are not happy with your choice. You will lose very little money.

Good luck!

Steve

I have one of Steve's cast offs and I still haven't made up my mind whether I like it or not. My commuter has a Regal and it sees most of the miles. I plan on building up a race bike since I don't want to race the BLE. Steve's Selle Italia will probably go on the race bike and Emma will have Regal again.

[gemship]

The flat vs rounded (laterally) thing is important. But as Scrooge mentioned, so is the flat vs dipped (fore and aft) thing. I thought the aliante was the most comfortable saddle ever and did lots of very long rides on it but I gradually got to where I was riding it with a pretty extreme nose-up position. People looked at it and assumed I'd slide off the back, but the back part, where my sit bones perched, was flat. When I'd mash my belly into the nose when I was in the drops, I knew something was wrong because I didn't have that much of a gut. Finally started playing with flat, non-dipped, saddles and found bliss again. First on a Specialized Phenom and then even more bliss (Argentina soul-mate bliss) on a Koobi Xenon.

-Ray

I have the same saddle and I initially had a similar position with the nose up but I would find that after a extended period of sitting that I would get this discomforting feeling in my privates, I felt as if I had to pee. Tilting the nose down and that saddle became the best ever. Now I can sit all day long if I like but as Socalsteve noted in his tips it helps to stand frequently for a bunch of reasons.

[cadence90]

Steve,
Could you perhaps list the saddles you previously tried and briefly describe what you didn't (or did) like about each one?

That would help for people interested in comparing.

[Ray]

Steve,
Could you perhaps list the saddles you previously tried and briefly describe what you didn't (or did) like about each one?

That would help for people interested in comparing.
I don't think the servers the forum uses have that much capacity! :cool:

-Ray

[SoCalSteve]

Steve,
Could you perhaps list the saddles you previously tried and briefly describe what you didn't (or did) like about each one?

That would help for people interested in comparing.

I think it would take up much less room and be more helpful to list which saddles I havent tried.

Truth be told, I think I could have not gone through what I went through had I used more of the tips that I listed above. But, hindsight is 20-20, right?

Honestly, I think what would be more helpful is for me just to tell you to follow the list of tips and be methodical.

And honestly, your fitness level and the time you spend in the saddle is more important than any new "wunder-saddle" that just came on the market. I found that as I lost weight, got a better fitness level and just spent many, many miles riding, the saddle became more and more comfortable.

I truly hope this helps,

Steve

[Elefantino]

Saddles are, unfortunately, like other bike parts whose comfort depends on those bike parts with which they interact. Wheels/tires, for example. Or even shoes/socks/insoles.

But you knew that.

Bottom line: Steve's list is great, and comprehensive.

My list isn't, and isn't.

1. Ass hurts; saddle bad.
2. Ass doesn't; saddle good.

[SoCalSteve]

This thread is almost a year old (and I am much heavier now) and going through some of the same issues I had before I started writing this.

I am bringing this back up to the surface for 2 reasons.

1.) Its a good reminder of what can be achieved in saddle comfort.

2.) I NEED to lose the weight I put on working on "The Mentalist" last season. Its almost a new TV season and I am starting a new gig on "Law & Order: Los Angeles". Much more civilized hours and work schedule. I know this will help me achieve weight loss.

Hope some or all of these tips work for you as they have for me in the past.

Good luck and good tushy comfort!

Steve