mogulman

Me. 54 year old, 230lb. 5'8“. Yeah. I know I'm overweight. I've had fusion in my lower back and metal Rods. I have nerve damage in the inside of my left leg. I can feel my nerves in my left leg when I sit on my bike.

I have a road bike and a MTB. A couple of years ago, I measured my sit bones using whatever method I could find online. I think it was 143-145. I ordered a bunch of seats online Brooks, seller royal, ergon, WTB. All of them in the wider width. I rode each of them for around 10-15 miles. The WTB rocket wide chromoly felt the best 150. I've been using it for the last year on both bikes.

I usually ride for 1.5-2 hours. Last weekend I tried riding for 4 hours. My butt was really sore. 4 days later. Still kind of sore. I rode for 1.5 today.

I noticed that when I sit farther back on my seat, my but hurts more. I also know that if the nose of my seat is too wide it also hurts. Really, it is most comfortable when I feel like I'm sitting more on the nose of my seat than sitting back. Or sitting with my right side more on the seat and my left hanging off a little.

So the question, is... Is there any type of seat that could help me? Maybe a narrow seat would be better for me in my situation. Or is there some kind of seat for weirdos that might work?

I know losing weight will help.

Kars 

Don't give up on the brooks too quickly. It takes time for the leather to break in and conform to your shape. I also like the Specialized power comp saddle but what works for one person may not work for you.

mogulman

I don't have the brooks anymore. I believe when I had it, it was a c17.(not leather) It was very painful for me. I tried it 3-4 times and no luck.

My newer bike that I got about a month ago came with a Specialized Bridge Sport 155. It seemed even worse for me than the WTB. I switched it to the WTB after the first ride, as it was more comfortable for shorter 30 mile or less rides.

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Bogey Speedwell

Have a Selle SMP Trk I freaking love it so much on my hybrid, I ordered one for my Topstone today. My wife also uses one we do not have the Gel version but there is a little padding, running 2-4 hours hasn’t been an issue for either one of us,

not saying this is the saddle for you, but I really didn’t look for other options when I bought the 3rd.

cyclezen

I really don;t wanna say it; but, you know - lose the weight... it's aggravating everything which bothers you... it does not get easier as we age...
also
The more 'upright' you ride, the further you roll your weight onto the adjoining muscle - hence the wide, sprung saddles on upright cruiser type position bikes.
The more you angle forward, more of your weight is carried by the sitzbones... and with some lower of overall force thru the spine, and more engagement of core muscle.
There's really not a large force transfer until the bars become really loaded... But engaging the core muscles transfers a lot of load thru the muscle to where they anchor - the lower lumbar spine and the pelvis...
if you're riding 155 width, that won;t cause more issues, but, again torso tilt - sit on a firm chair, upgright - note how your weight is distributed thru your butt and surrounding soft tissue to the chair
now lean forward... - less force going the 'meat' of the butt, more focused on the size bones...
... if the sitzbones are sore - and you're only riding every so often... the sitzbones and general butt needs to 'adapt' to the force of your weight (true for any of us)
that 'adaptation' happens over a period of 10-12 days of frequent riding... the 3rd thru 6th day of 'adaptation can be really painful...
all extra weight exaggerates that.
... we have no idea how you have your saddle set up, on your bike and relative to 'you'...
... many saddle variations are designed to address genitalia/perineum issues, which is not noted by you...
personally, at times, I have found myself eating for a 200 lb person... once I started eating for a 160 lb person, and kept active/riding/somethinig, I again became a 160 lb person.
Ride ON
Yuri

mogulman

Totally agree about losing the weight. Riding helps me with that. If I can get more comfortable with my nerve/leg/back issues, that will help me ride more. So it's a chicken and egg thing. More comfortable seat so I can ride more and lose weight. Lose weight and my seat will be more comfortable. Trying!

I have been riding at least 3 days/week. Usually 2-3 shorter 1.5-2 hour rides and then 1 longer ride, since beginning of June.

ThermionicScott 

If the measurement told you to get a narrow saddle, why did you buy a bunch of wide ones?

Sounds normal. Your butt has to get used to the time/distance no matter what saddle you use.

Bingo. You want it to be just wide enough to support your sit bones, but not so wide it cuts off circulation to your legs. It never hurts to do a few pedal strokes standing now and then, to get more circulation below the belt.

mogulman

I guess I wanted to be sure it was big enough. Now I'm second guessing it. Thansk for the confirmation. I guess I should try something in the 145 range. It feels to me like that might work better.

ThermionicScott 

I think it's common for people to think that the saddle width should match their butt size to some degree, but it's all about the sit bones. That the WTB Rocket ride felt best at 150mm was a strong clue for me.

One thing about Brooks and similar saddles is that the cantle plate design makes it harder to compare widths with modern saddles. A Brooks in the 150-160mm width range will fit like a modern saddle in the 140s.

mschwett 

echoing some of what's said above:

try the narrower saddle, per the sit bone measurement. no matter how much weight you gain or lose i don't believe your sit bones move, and they're the part of your butt designed to support the load. soreness after a long ride as you get "used to it" is totally normal. i get it while riding, especially when doing long seated climbs, but it does pass and lessens and you get used to it. try and keep as much weight over your legs as possible. i have a tendency when i get tired to sit back more, and get more upright, but that just makes it worse - more weight on your butt, less on the pedals through your legs. have you had the overall fit of your bike checked? things like bar height, reach, etc all make a huge difference.

the best combo i've personally found (i was around 205lb when i started doing a lot of miles, 185 now) is a properly padded set of bike shorts and the specialized romin evo with mirror saddle. there are similar types out there but the beauty of it is that the resistance or density of the padding varies over the entire saddle. rather than varying thickness the cellular structure varies, and it really works for me. keeps pressure away from where it shouldn't be. but worth noting that i tried three (the "mirror" version which is a different shape) and two widths before settling on the 143mm romin. the wider ones were not good, even with the fancy cover.

cyclezen

as others have noted, try a 143 width, and also as noted, getting a wider saddle doesn't necessarily mean it will properly support more.
there may be LBS near you that have loaner saddles... what do you have to lose?

Carbonfiberboy 

I can't ride a Brooks either. Same problems and I weigh 148. The reason that Performance Bike has a good 100 different saddle models is that everyone's butt is different. You have experiment. A big bike shop is a good place to start. Things that make or break:
How wide?
Slot or no slot?
If slot how wide?
Shape, "T" or "pear"?
And where in between those limits?
Padding, how much?
There aren't any right answers.

koala logs

That's NORMAL.

Us much lighter riders can avoid such problem lifting our butts off the saddle frequently.

You definitely need wider saddle but don't go too wide. A too wide saddle will impose on your thighs/hamstrings and that is even worse.

A super wide saddle like an office chair is only comfortable to sit on all day because you're not pedaling on it. Pedaling requires a seat that will also clear the hamstrings so the right width for the individual has to be found.

Jeff Neese

Have you tried a Selle Anatomica? You would need the H series, for heavier riders. Most people love them.

KFC

You really should try a genuine LEATHER Brooks (Like the B17). The synthetic variety (C17) has IMO disappointed more than its fair share of cyclists. If you can't deal with the break-in period, usually about 400 miles, you can 'cook it' to expedite the process - basically, by repetitively soaking it in very warm water and going for a short ride. There are testimonials with instruction available on the web. My guess is that you will find the Brooks B17 more comfortable right out of the box, and it will only improve over time.