Originally Posted by
borzoid
Another newbie question.
I’ve purchased a second hand Mountain Bike. I haven’t ridden for at least 10 years. I’m overweight, but not hugely so. But for some reason my bike seat HURTS!
I’m not talking after 5km of riding. Literally as soon as I sit down on the chair I feel like it’s rearranging my bones. I haven’t been able to ride for more than 5 minutes at a time because it’s SO uncomfortable.
The seat is your pretty average leather seat (sorry, not very technical!), not very narrow, not very wide. We tried adjusting it up and down but nothing makes it feel better.
My question is - is this a fitness thing? Do I need to swallow a spoonful of concrete and hope it alleviates after a week? Or should I be shopping for seats/seat covers?
Its been such a long time I don’t know how to judge what’s normal and what isn’t. I should mention I’m a women if it could be an anatomy thing.
Thank you!!
Borzoi, the short answer is that it should not hurt, it should disappear. You only have four posts and cannot show pics. Build up your numbr of posts to 10 and then show some pictures of your saddle - side view, top view, rear view. It might be that your old leather saddle is just plain collapsed, due to age, water exposure, stretching, and perhaps just abuse. For a lot of us leather saddles are the gold standard, and for others not. It sounds like you are sort of settling INTO the saddle, and you should be perched on top of the saddle.
I don't think it's a female anatomy thing - the bones that should be supporting your weight are in the same places as mine are. My wife, Mrs. Road Fan rides a leather saddle that is the same model and size as some of the ones I use. It's not that you're a girl in a man's world, at least that is not your biggest problem now.
Your sit bones should contact the seat on nice leather platforms at the widest part of the saddle. You should not be sitting on the front of the saddle where it is narrow. The saddle should be level or near level, usually tilted up maybe 1 degree, to help stop the contour of teh saddle from making you slide forward off of the little platforms.
The side skirts of the saddle should not be collapsed or curled up - they are in tension when you sit, to help the top of the saddle to support your weight.
The nose of the saddle takes all the pull of the leather skin. We're not intended to sit on it, in 99% of riding.
There is a tightening screw under the nose of the saddle. I would resist the temptation to play with the screw.
If you chatter back at us about everything that's been written, you'll have 10 posts in just a few days, and then be able to post pictures so we can see the condition of the saddle.