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What should I expect from a saddle?

Old 10-29-20, 10:06 PM
  #1  
wilson_smyth
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What should I expect from a saddle?

I have what's described as a "fitness bike" (cube sl road race). Fitness bike, flat bar gravel bike, hybrid, take your pick of caregory it can fall into.

It's super nippy and maneuverable around traffic when computing and also very comfortable on longer 2-3 hour 40-50km runs.

At about 40km however I start to feel the saddle a little, right under my ass bones.
Note I don't wear padded shorts/liners etc.
Its not super painful, no broken skin but I expect pushing up to 50 or 60km could be a lot more uncomfortable.

I was wondering:
  • Will a different saddle might fit better and give extra time in the saddle without any soreness, or am I expecting too much?
  • Is a bit of chafing or discomfort expected after 2-3 hours if no padding is used?
  • With enough searching and maybe a bike fit session, is it possible to find the magic saddle that is completely comfortable for 4+ hours?
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Old 10-29-20, 10:20 PM
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10 Wheels
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Get bike shorts with thin or medium padding.

Use this when needed or before.
https://www.dollartree.com/dermasil-...z-tubes/241520

Stand and pedal to give your butt a rest as much as you want.

NY to LA
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Old 10-30-20, 01:11 AM
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I’ve only had unexpected chafing issues at two occasions. Once a pair of briefs that were OK to run in but turned out horrible to ride in. The other time, still a mystery. A pair of cycling tights that had worked OK the previous summer suddenly became anatomically incompatible.
I’ve had a few expected chafing issues. Longish rides on Townies/Cruisers. Riding in Jeans.
So, IMO, chafing is generally an avoidable issue. You need to figure out the reason. Seams in clothing, too wide saddle, chunky thighs. Inadvisably placed seams on the saddle. Saddle height, fore-aft position.
Pressure, that’s tricky. It’s a four-way balance between saddle shape, length of ride, fitness/effort and acclimatization.
I need a fair amount of saddle hours even to make my favourite saddle work for longer rides. The fitter I am/the more effort I put out, the less weight is carried through the saddle.
And comfort, I don’t know about that. IMO, bike saddles are only comfortable compared to other saddles. I’ve seen guys sticking a car seat in front of the tv, but I’ve never seen anyone use a bike to relax on. My favourite saddle has the amazing characteristic of being equally uncomfortable after one hour as after 10 hours.
To me, it’s a highly functional choice to ride on, but it’d take a lot for me to sit on it for any other reason.
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Old 10-30-20, 01:18 AM
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All day comfort. I can ride my favorite saddle for 20 hours.
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Old 10-30-20, 02:11 AM
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Some are nice and some are a pain in the arse.
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Old 10-30-20, 03:31 AM
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thanks all.

I know some will be nicer than others, but never having done more than 3-4 hours in the saddle i really need a frame of reference.
is some discomfort inevitable, in which case my current saddle is actually quite a good fit, or should i hunt for all day comfort?
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Old 10-30-20, 04:33 AM
  #7  
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If you are new to longer rides, there may be a period of just getting used to it. Try padded shorts first. Then try tiling your saddle a few degrees each direction and see if that makes a difference. As long as you are just dealing with soreness, you are normal. If numbness occurs, throw the saddle away immediately and try to find one that fits you better. Long distance riders are known to find a saddle that fits and use it on every bike. I like the Brooks B17, but you may be different, and it is still difficult to find specific stuff right now at shops.
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Old 10-30-20, 04:35 AM
  #8  
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The first time you ride 4 hours in a saddle, I'm sure you will have discomfort - but, without changing your saddle, by the 3rd or 4th time you ride that long, you very likely may not. If it doesn't improve, a different saddle may very well help. For me, a 4 hour ride does not cause rear end discomfort. A addle change wasn't really necessary but I have found a saddle "type" that seems to be best for me.

But, first try the things 10wheels recommended and I'd add one more: flat bar bikes give you limited hand positions so you tend to stay in one sitting position. I added inexpensive bar extenders (like these, but there are cheaper ones out there) to get another hand position and it was a big help on my old what was then called a hybrid bike.

Many bike shops will loan you seats to try - a seat change can really make a difference but it is hard to predict just by looking at the seats. Some bike shops have seat fitting doo-dads to size your sit bones, that is a good starting point. I tried a few out from my bike shop.

Finally, I am a big fan of a good bike fitting - I bought a new bike (for the first time in 20 years) in 2017 and it came with a discounted fitting that including both seat fitting and cleat positioning on my shoes. Relatively small adjustments to what I had thought I'd optimized over the years made a noticeable difference. But, not cheap and not many bike shops have skilled bike fitters - this shop had a sports physiologist who moonlighted doing evening fittings at the shop, I was very impressed.
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Old 10-30-20, 06:28 AM
  #9  
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Sounds like you are experiencing a normal level of tenderness. It gets better the more you ride.

I don't ride padded shorts. Tried them once and simply didn't like them. Used to think I was the odd duck until I got on here, a good percentage of riders don't wear padding.

The comments above about seams in clothing and saddles are spot on. I experimented for awhile with different brands of underwear. Ended up with a Costco brand because they had no seams in the sit bone areas.

To me it is the shape of the saddle that makes all the difference. I had a Sella saddle on my first Bianchi. It made me never think about saddles, exactly what a saddle should do. When it came time to replace I got a seat fit from a bike shop. They recommended something way too wide. But they let customers exchange saddles until you found one that was right.

The saddles I ended up with were ones shaped exactly like my old Sella Italia saddle. The fabric scoop saddles are excellent, super light and relatively inexpensive. Velo Orange makes a touring saddle that is the same shape as a Brooks leather saddle. Another excellent choice.
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Old 10-30-20, 06:44 AM
  #10  
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The pain in your sit bones will go away as you ride more. I don't understand why this is, but if I'm off the bike for a few weeks I'll experience it again during the first ride back. Chafing is another issue and something will have to change to resolve it. Avoid seams and stuff that moves around as you pedal. Proper bike shorts/bibs are optimal as they are designed for the purpose. Probably not needed for the distances you are contemplating but don't rule out trying them if your issues continue.

Last edited by shelbyfv; 10-30-20 at 11:10 AM. Reason: sp
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Old 10-30-20, 06:55 AM
  #11  
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I find there are some saddle shapes I just cannot get used to. I've tried the Nashbar FR2 saddles, and I've rode long rides on them. But as i get older, I had to change them out. I don't have a ton of money to spend on expensive higher end saddles, but I found a shape that seems to work good for me. One is the Charge Spoon leather saddle from Amazon. But this requires me to have this nearly flat on my seat post. No tilt forward or backwards.

I've also noticed other saddles from fellow randonnuers. They all seem to have their saddles mounted with no tilt forward or back. perfectly horizontal. That might be your key to better comfort.
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Old 10-30-20, 10:57 AM
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I've found that you can expect it may take a while to get a saddle "dialed in". The saddle currently on my road bike, and which I had ridden comfortably for over a year, just didn't seem all that comfortable at the beginning of season 2020. A very small adjustment (tilted nose down a very small amount) made all the difference--felt completely different and is once again comfortable. Don't be wary of trying diff adjustments-they can always be reversed.
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Old 10-30-20, 02:01 PM
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Originally Posted by jpescatore
The first time you ride 4 hours in a saddle, I'm sure you will have discomfort - but, without changing your saddle, by the 3rd or 4th time you ride that long, you very likely may not. If it doesn't improve, a different saddle may very well help. For me, a 4 hour ride does not cause rear end discomfort. A addle change wasn't really necessary but I have found a saddle "type" that seems to be best for me.

But, first try the things 10wheels recommended and I'd add one more: flat bar bikes give you limited hand positions so you tend to stay in one sitting position. I added inexpensive bar extenders (like these, but there are cheaper ones out there) to get another hand position and it was a big help on my old what was then called a hybrid bike.

Many bike shops will loan you seats to try - a seat change can really make a difference but it is hard to predict just by looking at the seats. Some bike shops have seat fitting doo-dads to size your sit bones, that is a good starting point. I tried a few out from my bike shop.

Finally, I am a big fan of a good bike fitting - I bought a new bike (for the first time in 20 years) in 2017 and it came with a discounted fitting that including both seat fitting and cleat positioning on my shoes. Relatively small adjustments to what I had thought I'd optimized over the years made a noticeable difference. But, not cheap and not many bike shops have skilled bike fitters - this shop had a sports physiologist who moonlighted doing evening fittings at the shop, I was very impressed.
Fit generally speaking is the cause of saddle pain, more than the saddle itself. That isn't to say there aren't saddle differences, but a good saddle with a bad fit, saddle too high, reach too great, will make that saddle very uncomfortable, and painful.
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Old 10-30-20, 02:25 PM
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Bike fit and get a pair of cycling shorts besides the padding their seams are sewn so that they do not rub your skin. They even make running underwear the same way. Use a balm on your rear end. I use Bag Balm for years. A little dab down there on rack side will stop the chaffing issue.
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Old 10-30-20, 02:35 PM
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What should you expect from a saddle------------------pain.
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Old 10-30-20, 02:55 PM
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Originally Posted by Drew Eckhardt
All day comfort. I can ride my favorite saddle for 20 hours.
you can ride 20 straight hours?
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Old 10-31-20, 01:02 AM
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Originally Posted by coffeesnob
you can ride 20 straight hours?
Apart from water bottle refills/restroom visits every four hours in temperate weather and stops for traffic.
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Old 10-31-20, 03:25 AM
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I expect a saddle to be invisible for 10 hours.
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Old 10-31-20, 11:54 AM
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In a perfect world, the saddle should disappear beneath you. You may not know what works, but your butt will. Go to a shop that lets you try many saddles. Your butt will show you the way. Even then, when you change saddles it will take several weeks for your body to adjust to it. Typically, I would advice against too much padding in a saddle, because the real padding should come from the shorts, but if you are doing without.... Finally, proper width is crucial and proper tilt is next crucial. If you really want to extend your comfort time, get a saddle that fits, get high quality bike shorts/bibs, and use chamois creme to reduce friction.
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Old 10-31-20, 12:40 PM
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Originally Posted by coffeesnob
you can ride 20 straight hours?
I have ridden 20 straight hours many times. It takes some work to get a saddle that is comfortable for that kind of time, but they are out there.

I used to think that any saddle will work up to 50 miles, but I have found some that are immediately painful. But usually if I can ride 200km without issue, a saddle will work pretty well for longer distances.
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