seandidk

I posted on here almost 3 years ago starting with what kind of bike should I get and looking to lose some weight. Instead of buying a bike, I got my diet back together and started working out regularly. I lost around 95lbs so far from 400 and instead of doing cardio indoors, and since spring is rolling around quickly, at least here in texas I wanted to buy a bike for cardio, and mainly just getting back out doors. I bought a Giant Seek 3 2015 and absolutely love riding it. Very smooth gear shifts, easy going up and down hills, and is the perfect size for me. But there is only one problem that I have encountered, its the stock saddle that comes on this bike. After around 10-20 minutes the my sit bones start hurting from the saddle. I do not know if its because I need to break in riding again or if its just the saddle. I have it for 3 weeks and road for couple of miles each day. What do y'all think? Thanks!

basqueonacaad

Kudos on your progress! Keep it up for sure. You will likely get a myriad of opinions about saddles (which may or may not be helpful for you). In my opinion, we are pretty adaptive as human beings and our asses can adapt to pretty much any saddle with the appropriate amount of riding. Just like anything else, your sit bones will require time to become adapted to your saddle. If you continue to ride, you will adapt. Don't fall into the trap of looking / buying endless saddles in the pursuit of the perfect saddle because there aint one.

That being said, there are good saddles and not-so-good saddles. Good saddles tend to be more rigid and often consist of dense foam which cannot be fully compressed even under heavy load. Non cyclists or newbies often wince when they see supportive, quality saddles as they appear harsh and uncomfortable. A good test is to dig your finger into the saddle's supportive material. If your finger bottoms out on the saddle, its not very supportive and will lead to unnecessary pain.

Finally, I'm not a cyclist on the "go get a bike fit" bandwagon. However, I think that it can be valuable for some, maybe even you---just not me.

MRT2

Maybe time to look for a new saddle. Everyone's posterior is a little different. I am partial to the Brooks B17, but they require at least a couple of months of break in because they are leather. Beyond that, I prefer a saddle that is wide and flat near the back, to support the sit bones, but narrow towards the front so the thighs don't chafe while pedaling.

TrojanHorse

Your actual sit bones start to hurt?

Well, saddles are one of those highly personal things but if you just bought the bike from a shop, I'd go to the shop and ask them if they can let you try some alternate saddles. Personally, I can ride just about anything for an hour and I get fussy at the 2+ hour mark but there are a few saddles out there that I tried that lasted about 5 minutes before I wanted to swap them back out, so that may very well be you and your saddle.

You do need to condition your butt to riding too though, so that's the other factor.

A decent pair of bike shorts might also help (you can get the baggier mountain bike style shorts if the thought of lycra isn't your thing)

Judi

I tried to get used to a firmer saddle, but I ended up with bruises and they just kept coming back, so I finally got a squishy saddle with springs. I can go about 20 miles before I start getting the urge to shift from cheek to cheek, which is good enough for me.

Shepp30 

I also have the Brooks B17. Mine was the most comfortable saddle I have ever ridden, right out of the box.

EvilWeasel

Welcome to the never-ending search for a better seat club. Hope you find one quickly and hope it's cheap.

Experiment with height and angle before writing a seat off. Most folks seats are actually too low. You shouldn't be able to touch the ground while on the seat.

seandidk

Thanks everyone for the posts. I think I definitely have the height right as the bike shop set the height a couple of times before I took it home, and I cannot put both feet on the ground at all, its either one or the other and I am on my tippy toes for that. I am going to try adjusting the tilt on the seat and see how it goes and ride for another two weeks and see how it goes.

TerraCottaGamer

There is no easy solution. But a couple of suggestions from my experience.

First, it is not a bad idea to get yourself measured at the LBS. That could give you a starting point of where to begin looking.

Second, the LBS should have some sort of loaner program for testing so ask about that.

Third, my absolute best advice about saddles......find one that you can ride without using bike shorts/chamois and still be comfy for at least an hours ride. This is because shorts should be bonus material and extra comfort - not the solution.

Finally, I would suggest sell smk series - while all people are different, clydes usually tend to do better with the wider back end. But you never know - that is just my personal favorite.

Also, rule #5 - period. There is no substitute for toughening up.

nfmisso

At a fraction under 350 now (was 390 at New Years), I like this saddle:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C1C88ZY/...JSCHOEF3&psc=1

I hate this one:

Amazon.com : Retrospec Bicycles Saddle Fixed Gear Single Speed Fixie Urban Road Bike (Black, One Size) : Bike Saddles And Seats : Sports & Outdoors

It is too wide in the middle and at the back for me.