emmenickel

I just received https://www.diamondback.com/womens-se...casual-comfort as a birthday gift. I'm 29 and looking for a fun way to get outside & get some exercise. I'm not looking to enter any races or bike for terribly long distances. I enjoy biking around town & paths for about 2 hours at a time.

I'm playing with the angle of the saddle & the height of it, but the more I ride the more my tailbone feels like it's being crushed into sand. It's definitely my tail bone so I wonder if there's a saddle I can buy that encourages the right pelvic tilt/posture and avoids putting pressure on the coccyx. Everything else feels fine, no pain at ischial tuberosities or anything else. No low back pain, and no wrist pain. Suggestions?? I haven't ridden in 4 days and the weather is so nice I'm dying to get back out there!

Yo Spiff

Saddles are a very personal choice. One person's easy chair is the next person's ass-hatchet.

The stock saddle on that bike looks like a heavily padded and fairly wide affair. As you are finding, padding is not what makes a saddle comfortable. It is how well it fits your tush. I prefer to ride on a leather Brooks myself, but there are many good artificial saddles. I put one of these Serfas RX saddles
on my wife's new bike and I haven't heard any complaints after a couple of rides. If there were comfort problems, she would certainly be saying something. I have a Brooks B67 on the tandem as well, but those are relatively pricey. One thing she has found after trying a few different models is that the women's designs with a short nose seem to suit her better.

SLazz

Go to a bike shop and get fitted by an expert. They can steer you in the right direction. Good luck.

JanisXenith

Human's haven't really been wagging their tails for a million years now.
Unless you are feeling really attached to it you might consider moving up the evolutionary ladder and becoming the most advanced human specimen on your block:
https://www.tailbonedoctor.com/faqs/tail*****emovalsurgery.html

emmenickel

LOL no. I will not be removing my tailbone. But thanks for the link.

emmenickel

Thanks for the info, I figured most would say "go get custom fitted at a bike shop" and while it's still good advice I didn't want to walk in without any information at all and wind up buying something too expensive or something that sounded great that I would replace in a month anyway. I don't feel like I need a ton of padding, but something that breaks apart or dips down at the back of the seat would seem ideal.

GaryPitts

Leather! I'm still relatively new at all this, but I don't see how one rides long distances without a leather saddle. I have both Brooks and Selle Anatomica and like them both.

Wanderer

I'm a Brooks person myself, and love the B-17. Available at many large internet sellers like Nashbar, etc. There are also sprung models of the same saddle. Specialized Body Geometry saddles, at any Specialized Dealer, are also quite comfortable.

Start with your saddle completely level, and adjust from there for comfort. Also, start with your heel on the pedal spindle, leg straight. Adjust saddle height from there. Your leg should be slightly bent, with the ball of your foot on the pedal. No rocking allowed, would be too high.

DorkDisk

hi, im assuming youre a woman.

i would suggest you take a look at georgina terry's line of saddles. shes been making women specific cycling products for many years now. most hardcore women cyclists i know love her stuff

ideally you want the width to match your sit bone width, and no more. also less padding is more comfortable than a squishy gel saddle

good luck!

JPMacG

A pair of good bikr shorts sometimes help a lot. Personally, I am not a big fan of Brooks. I have a B17. It is OK, but not the butt nirvanna that some make it out to be. There are many other saddles that are equally good for much less money. Asking for advice from a good bike shop may be your best option. Some shops can measure your sit bones and recommend a saddle that fits you.

lilpoindexter

I have been riding for about a year now. I started with the factory seat on a hybrid, and then I put a big padded Sunlite Cloud 9 seat on my bike. It was comfortable for the first 10 minutes, but then the squishy seat (I realized) was a great way to waste a lot of peddling energy. I eventually broke down and got a new bike with a hard seat, and dedicated biker shorts. I don't even think about my butt now...the biker shorts and hard seat are the way to go. I didn't want to look like a wanna be hard core cyclist wearing bicycling shorts, but I honestly wouldn't even think of getting on a bike without them today.

fuji8

Just bought a used brooks b17 to replace my narrow stock fuji seat. And its its the best $80 Ive spent so far!!
i must of gotten lucky that the brooks b17 was a perfect match for me.

icul8rg8r

Overall, how do you like the bike? I saw this (or one similar) on special at REI Outlet (only $318) - wanted to take it for a test-ride but they don't carry it in-stock (and our LBS that carries Diamondback didn't either). Great specs ... just wondering if it lives up to the specs!

GeorgePaul

How about a Selle San Marco Mantra? This one dips down in the back and the sides are flexible. I have one on my mountain/hybrid bike and I find it very comfortable.

fietsbob

Shop here is good about letting you ride a saddle a couple days or a week or so
and if the backside doesnt like it swap and try something else.

other owned by me.. Fizik Vitesse , their F or M saddle they have been OK


I had a friend, said it was a tailbone/coccyx issue .. she was into Anorexia ,
so there was that food control obsession issue too , & no butt..

bbeasley

Many bike shops have a loaner program. Mine did and I didn't need an expensive saddle like the Brooks. One of their $50 loaner models did the trick.

Out of curiosity, after ~6,000 miles and 50 lbs of weight loss I put the stock one back on and it wasn't so bad this time. But I still prefer the other.

europa

As stated, saddles are really personal. Ladies have wider pelvises than men ... on average, just as some blokes have wider pelvises than some women. The ideal saddle for you will be just wide enough to support your pelvic bones with enough give in the right places NOT to squish the bits that don't want to be. Sorry, it comes down to trial and discomfort. Your body, your riding position and your bike will all conspire to make one saddle/clothing setup comfortable. I've happily spent six hours on a Brooks B17 with normal undies, but that's me, you may require a different saddle and maybe padded pants as well. Sorry, it's try and cry when it comes to saddles though I do believe that leather saddles, such as Brooks, are less likely to require specialized clothing ... but maybe that's not an issue.

NOS88

Part of good saddle fit has to do with your typical riding position. The more upright your torso is the more weight your "tailbone" must bear. As your torso leans forward it tilts your pelvis moving some of the weight off the tailbone. Looking at the link you provided it appears there's no easy way to move your handlebars forward. Is there any room to slide you seat back? If so, I might try doing that to see if it makes a difference.

goldfinch

It is hard to justify experimenting with $100 plus seats on a three hundred dollar bike. I started with a bike much like yours. What I ended up doing was borrowing some seats from other people to find one that was more comfortable. Do you know anyone else that bikes where you could give their seat a try? Trying some different shapes and padding levels would be good.

In our garage we have at least six rejected bike saddles that were stock on bikes. If there is a bike co-op near you they may have some used saddles you can try. Or, even a regular bike shop may have a collection of rejected seats. Good luck!

Also, you might mess with moving the saddle back and front and with tilt to see if the position makes a difference.

briankari

Your local bike shop may have a SwitchIt. It's a nifty device that let's you try multiple saddles very quickly. If they don't have it, tell 'em to get one...

sreten

Hi,

Whatever, I'm no expert on saddles but know a bit. Male.

Male saddles can be flat, female saddles should be curved.
The unisex saddle I bought for my folder is more curved
than the seat shown for the bike but otherwise quite similar.

My flat road bike saddle I can move around on, but the folder
not so much. I understand a good womens saddle is not only
wider but much more curved than a mens saddle, with only
one comfortable seating position you can rotate around.

If it feels like your sat on a hill, the seat is too flat.
As well as width look for a decent curve front to back.

rgds, sreten.

Generally male sit bones are flat compared to female sit bones.
Generally males can use a flat saddle and its all wrong for females.
Generally female saddles should have a pronounced front to back curve.

DX-MAN

My daughter (15, and a beastie on the bike!) LOVES this one:

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/M...?ModelID=23429

I originally bought it for my sister, but she almost never rides anymore, so my daughter inherited it.

gregjones

If you haven't done it yet, put a carpenter's level on your saddle, front to back. With your bike on level ground, adjust your saddle so it is level.

You might very well find that level is best. If not, you're most comfortable setting probably isn't far from level.

goldfinch

May I suggest reading this article? Four and a Half Rules of Road Saddles: https://www.cervelo.com/en/engineerin...-saddles-.html

Rules in a nutshell:

1. Wide enough
2. Flat enough
3. Firm enough
4. Maybe a cutout
4.5 T or pear shaped

goldfinch

I really don't know what you mean by flat or curved. For example, I am a woman and can ride a Brooks B17 comfortably. I suppose it is a men's saddle or a unisex saddle. I can also ride a B17s which Brooks advertises as for shorter riders and some people call it the women's version. It is a hair wider in the rear and the nose is shorter. But, the basic shape of the saddles are the same.

The main difference between men and women is that on the average women's sit bones are further apart. Individual differences among men and among women differ significantly so plenty of women fit fine on narrow saddles and plenty of men on wider saddles.