tomasatlarge

So I ride the ladies' version of the Miyata Fifth Avenue commuter bike, with the stock saddle. I tried posting a picture but am not allowed yet. The first result on Google images for this bike is the bike and saddle I ride.

The saddle is just the perfect width, it's a sprung saddle, and it looks fantastic. HOWEVER, why does it cause me pain on my sit bones? I've tried other saddles and most are too wide, too hard, etc. Why exactly does this saddle not work for me? Is it just because it's old?

BFisher

Saddles are such a personal thing. It's impossible to say what the problem is over the web. Could be too flat for you. Could be too curved. Could be too soft, too hard, mounting angle, height, etc.

randyjawa 

Old is a possibility necessitating a re-braking in of the saddle . Not the right saddle for you, perhaps, no butts about it. Or, you need to get used to it. In my case, most suspended leather saddles take some time to break in to my body shape. Five hundred miles, or so, does the trick and I never try to accelerate the break in process with waxes or oils or the like.

However, one Brooks saddle, the Brooks B15 does not like my butt one bit. I gave it every chance and finally ended up apologizing to my back side. The B17 and Randy's butt are NOT compatible and it seemed to be a width issue...

TriBiker19 

I have been seeking a perfect saddle for a long time. I have at least six in my collection that are supposedly perfect for my sit bones, but none of them are "perfect". I've found that sometimes small tweaks make a difference. You could try adjusting the angle or the height or how far back it is.

That being said--how much do you ride? I found I was having sit bone pain when I first started riding longer distances and eventually it went away, even though it wasn't the best saddle for me. Now I can ride the same saddle I started with (and had pain after 8 miles) for 20+ miles without pain later.

ryansu

Saddles are a real Goldilocks dilemma you have to experiment -some are too hard, some are too soft and then you find the one that is just right. What works great for one person might be a a$$ hatchet to someone else.

Germany_chris

I agree with everything above and once you find your saddle it’ll be on every bike you own 😎

jyl

Impossible to talk specifically about one saddle/person combination.

Generally
- the saddle should apply pressure on the protruding parts of your pelvic bones. If it applies pressure on your soft tissue, that will get uncomfortable after a while, even if it feels fine at first
- since saddles are narrower in the front and wider in the rear, where you sit is important. On upright bikes, you might have to tilt the saddle nose-up just a bit, to position yourself at the right spot
- old saddles might be saggy or lumpy, concentrating pressure when it shouldn't be
- if you don't ride much, any saddle can be uncomfortable when you do take longer rides

It is not worth puzzling over it. Try adjusting saddle tilt, ride more, and if that doesn't work try a new saddle.

Chr0m0ly 

Is this the bike and saddle?

tomasatlarge

That is the bike! But the saddle is a sprung Miyata saddle ... I really wish I could link a picture. It's got rivets on the sides, dual springs on the back, and a Miyata badge on the back too. It's a type of saddle that I've seen on other bikes too. Similar to an "E&E classic bike" saddle on Amazon.

[QUOTE=Chr0m0ly;21233331]Is this the bike and saddle?

tomasatlarge

I would like to say that I ride enough to where I think I would've broken in any saddle by now, especially this one which I've had for at least 6 months. I ride about 10-30 miles a week.

canklecat

This may be the bike you're asking about, including the saddle.

That's pretty similar to how my early 1990s Univega is set up now, as a commuter, casual riding and errand bike with albatross swept bars in place of the usual flat or riser bars.

When I switched handlebars and switched to a lower, longer stem, I had to swap saddles too. I switched from the original wide, heavily padded saddle to an old Selle San Marco road bike saddle. Because I was no longer sitting quite as upright, I needed a narrower, firmer saddle to better support my sit bones without excess padding.

But in many cases you can simply adjust the handlebar/stem height a bit, or the saddle angle, to get a more comfortable position. Try those before spending money on another saddle. A slight change in body angle can sometimes help our sit bones mesh with the best supporting position of the saddle.

tomasatlarge

Yup, that's the one! I guess I'll play around some more with the positioning of the saddle and the handlebars. I like the Dutch-style approach of having the handlebars way up high so I've gone ahead and installed a much taller touring stem, which leads me to sit much more upright than how the bike was before. I know this usually calls for a big fat cruiser saddle, but those are usually way too wide for me to be comfortable; I figured this sprung saddle would be able to take the nearly bolt-upright position I'm now in.

Thank you all so much for the input.

canklecat

A couple of possibilities...

If you like the original look of the bike and would prefer to keep the saddle, try some lightly padded shorts or underwear. That's helped me transition to a new-to-me saddle until the saddle broke in or I got used to it. Aero Tech Pro shorts with their distinctive black and tan faux-chamois is great. They have other inexpensive shorts with thin pads, including tri shorts. If I'm riding my hybrid more than 10 miles I'll wear 'em under my jeans or baggy shorts.

There are also snug fitting boxers with thin pads. Check out Andiamo padded skins boxer/briefs.

Otherwise, some of the most comfortable saddles I've found for upright bikes use Lycra fabric over progressive density foam. Mine are older Bell and Terry saddles, but Serfas Tailbones saddles offer the same type of construction. The Lycra and foam saddle basically does the same thing as padded bike shorts, and are very comfortable wearing regular clothing.

tomasatlarge

Thanks for taking the time to send all these links and explanation! I'll check out those saddles.

tomasatlarge

Just wanted to provide an update... After much testing and analysis, I have determined that I am sitting too far forward in the saddle because sliding backwards into the right position reveals that the saddle is indeed too wide for my thighs/sit bones. Will look for a narrower saddle. Thank you all for your help!