Archerobx

UPDATE:
well the good news is not numbness with the Brooks saddle. But man it feels like it is pocking me between the legs. I went to bike shop and they didn't know how to use assmeter. I told the guy the measurements I got and they didn't have anything in my size. Plus they had these fat padded gel seats that I think they wanted me to buy. Im off to another store

noglider 

Soreness after using a hard saddle is normal. It goes away after a few rides.

I've been riding a C17 for a couple of months now, after a lifetime of loving the B17. I love my new C17.

pass the peas

Maybe something like a Brooks Swallow would work, 153 mm width, but cutaway on the sides. $$, though.

linberl

I always thought bike saddles had to be uncomfortable....until I found one that wasn't (for me). DO NOT settle for something that is uncomfortable! Everyone raves about Brooks but after a year of trying, I was just marginally okay on one. I tried a number of other saddles and they weren't great. Hit the saddle jackpot with a Fizik saddle. It supports my butt bones perfectly (not too wide, not to narrow) and has the perfect cutout for me (mine is a ladies model, being a female). My point is you gotta kiss a lot of frogs, lol. Keep going until you find something that you can ride for hours without even thinking about your butt/parts. It IS possible! Don't give up. You will ride longer and more often if you're comfortable.

Hello07

I think it's a saddle issue. I faced the same problem in the past, changing the saddle worked for me.

Road Fan

A lot of saddles have an area at the back which is intended to support the sit bones and keep your weight supported at your bones rather than at your soft tissues. For me one of the challenges in self-fitting is to set the saddle for-aft so that in my natural position I'm sitting on the right part of teh saddle. When I get it wrong I slide forward frequently and get numbness. For Brooksies, people recommend to raise the nose. If your bones are on teh wide part, this tends to keep you on the bones by preventing gravity from making you slide forward and "down the slope." One sign of this problem is constantly using the handlebars to push your body backwards.

Having a cutout is related to all of this. I like the cutouts in Specialized and Selle Anatomica saddles but could not warm up to the Brooks Imperial series.

Some saddles come in different widths, measured at the widest part. Right now my best saddle is a 155 mm Specialized Toupe Expert Gel, and a close second is a relatively recent Selle AnAtomica Titanico X in black. My best saddle ever was another SA, but that one has been overpowered by my weight - stretched out after 11 years. It took a long time to dial it in, and this more recent one has also been a project. Problem with these projects is that failed adjustments result in pain.

Archerobx

I ended up buying an ISM saddle. I bought it 5 days before my ride which was dumb.
It was not the most comfortable but after ridding from Pittsburgh to DC I'm not sure any saddle would be.


Thank y'all for the advice and suggestions

phughes

My seat was comfortable on that ride, so it is possible. B-17

Archerobx

you were on the 335 for Vets ride?

phughes

By, "that ride," I meant Pittsburgh to DC. I did it alone, and my saddle was comfortable, even on the first day which was 70 miles. The saddle wasn;t broken in yet when I did the ride either.

I still say the majority of people I have seen with Brooks B17s, who have perineum pain, generally have the seat positioned poorly, usually slightly too high, but not always of course. The only times I have had issues with mine, is when I get the seat too high, it only takes a small drop to make it comfortable again, only about 3-5mm. If you get all the adjustments correct, front to back, and height, you don't to tilt the seat unnaturally. The nose of mine is basically level, making the rear look high. I don't slide forward, and the seat give zero pain.

Archerobx

I did notice the seat angle would drop during ride and thats when discomfort would start. I didn't realize it had dropped and got chaffed, thats what my pain was from.