Durooo

Wife and I got our 13th anniversary gifts for each other. She picked an giant alight, and I got a giant roam 1. We are just starting out riding. We did half a dozen rides on our old bikes, and went 17 miles on our new ones. (longest we've done so far)

Anyways, she said she KNOWS she wants a new seat, lol, but I'm not sure about mine. I wanted to ask, when I was done, my butt was sore, but only right where my sit bones are. Everything else was good, and no rubbing or anything. Is the soreness more from just not being "seasoned" rider, and it will fade as I keep riding? We had HUGE gel seats on our old bikes, and they sucked! Sore, rubbing, etc...

mickw

I have the same seat , the Giant connect upright seat.
If everything else was fine about the ride , you're probably right about the seasoned butt.
I had pretty much the same thing on mine , it got better with time and miles.
The sit bones take a little bit of time to condition , and it's worth the effort too.
That seat is for some spirited riding from what I've noticed , I only have a problem when going slow or a really relaxed pace.
Give it a few miles , I feel it's a good match for demanding rides , maybe a bit thin for leisure stuff , but that's just my take on it so far.
Mick

Roamer2

X2

Same seat here...first few rides I was sore.

You might want to play around with the seat angle & setback (fore & aft placement). I dropped the nose of mine slightly & it made a big difference.

therealjoeblow

What are you wearing when riding?

I have a Roam 1 with the "Connect" upright seat, and what I find is that pretty much *all* of these "performance" type saddles that look like a sleek slab of plastic with minimal padding (whether it be Giant, Trek, Specialized or others) are not designed for riding in regular pants or shorts. They are designed for riding in padded cycling shorts or pants, the spandex type with a padded "chamois". If you get into wearing those, these "performance" saddles work well.

If you don't want to wear padded cycling shorts, then you need to dive down the rabbit hole of finding a comfortable more casual (larger w/more substantial padding) seat. That search can be endless and costly due to the plethora of choice and conflicting recommendations.

I ended up buying these particular Santic cycling shorts for about $20 from eBay, and can wholeheartedly recommend them, they are excellent name-brand quality and work extremely well for a very reasonable cost:

Men Bicycle Cycling Shorts 4D Coolmax Padded Bike Shorts 1 2 Pants s 3XL Black | eBay

Just be aware that if buying from asian eBay sellers, you need to follow their size guides because asian sizes are 1-2 sizes smaller than north american. IE, I normally wear either Large or Extra Large. I ordered 1 pair of 2XL and 1 pair of 3XL because according to their size chart I was borderline for those 2 sizes; the 2XL it perfectly and the 3XL fit ok too, they are just a tad looser where the pad is but still definitely usable and work fine; However, XL would have been too small.

Cheers
TRJB

Durooo

Thx everyone. My riding is casual, only about 10 mph, on tow path with my wife. I'll give it time and see how things go.

I was wearing regular shorts, cargo shorts actually, lol. They seem to do better than cotton shorts for me. But I do plan to get riding shorts in spring, so I'll definitely try those, before investing in a new seat.

blacknbluebikes 

IMO, it takes 10-15 hours to really adjust to a new saddle. After that, you may love or hate it, but don't be convinced until then.

Undoubtedly, some saddles are really not right for some people. Sit-bone width versus seat dims is the core factor, followed by "soft tissue friendly", rest is adjustable. Usually, if bike's not a beach-cruiser, less is more.

Imabmwnut

I have a giant roam3. My wife has a Rove3. We bought Nexride noseless bike saddles. Nothing but the sitbones rest on the saddle. I took them to a car upholstery shop and had Naugahyde put on them for 10$ each. They come with Lycra covering. Lots of people make fun of these seats. I can be on my bike all day and get off and walk. Check em out.

Craptacular8

Everyone is different, though the addition of a chamois to my shorts did not improve a "bad" saddle. I have an inexpensive Bontrager Race Lite Lux saddle on my hybrid commuter that I ride in street/office clothes for short 6 mile commutes, and it is perfectly fine in that application. I've had the same saddle on another bike I rode for up to 40 miles with no padding....but it's not my first choice. I've put brooks b17's on the other 4 bikes. They seem to work the best for our bike remuda, though if more give is desired, the brooks b67 with springs is also a tad bit wider if both/either of your bikes are setup a little more upright riding (velo orange has their version of the b67 on sale for $50).

mrodgers

Hated my stock seat on the Giant Escape (same seat I think.) I went with a WTB Pure V. It has a lot more padding but it's a pretty stiff padding. I ride 20-30 miles in cargo shorts and more than that I regularly ride 65ish with a pair of Aerotech cycling shorts under either cargo shorts or athletic shorts.

king_boru

Had the same seat. Could never fix numb manly parts or comfort. Was fitted numerous times to no avail. Fizik Aliante saddle with the their Bull concept has solved the problem.

coominya

Nice one. I bought a couple of the men's baggy padded ones, more my style.