nick779

I recently purchased a road bike and have been starting with small rides and working up to larger ones (being 10 miles, soon to be 15) and Ive just been sitting where my pelvis seems to settle and Im having quite a bit of discomfort after each ride. For instance I did 10 miles yesterday and while sitting in a chair im fine, but the second I sit on my bike im in pain.

I know that saddles are a very individual thing, but I guess im slightly confused where my sit bones are SUPPOSED to be.

This is on a 2015 Allez Sport - for now the stem is flipped on the factory spacing, with a 1cm shorter stem (110), Stock 143mm Toupe Sport Saddle

Im 6'2" 170lb, I dont own cycling shorts yet, I usually just wear compression shorts with gym shorts.

As it stands Im putting the most pressure, I believe to be in the red area, but wasnt sure if thats the proper spot. Thats just where I seem to settle the most



I guess it seems right according to the bontrager pressure map. I would think im position 2-3 riding a 'race' geometry bike



Perhaps the toupe just is the wrong shape for me and something more like the Romin Evo would work better?

philbob57

Here's some info: The Four and a Half Rules of Road Saddles - Cervélo.

The Toupe is loved by a lot of people, like many saddles. It just doesn't work for some of us; it's the worst I've tried,, by which I mean it was a lousy fit for me. The 2 best are an old Aliante and a new Brooks Imperial.

Just prepare to keep looking, and spending time and money, until you can find something tolerable....

nick779

Yeah thats what sucks, I dont have an endless supply of money to dump into saddles.

Im looking at the Romin Evo and the Fizik Versus Aliante currently. Hopefully one of those will work, but we will see.

AndyK 

I find if you always wind up in the red circle area, you probably have too much setback! I discovered this when I always wound up in the same spot - and moved my saddle forward a centimeter. Now I sit in the right spot and am more comfy!

jyl

Basically your sit bones should be where the saddle width matches the width between the bones. You could measure your own pelvis (have a close friend apply a ruler to your nether region, place something crushable on a saddle and sit on it then measure the crush points, etc). Or you could figure that as a tall man, your sit bones are probably further apart than the red circles on the saddle.

I'd try sitting further back. Normally the sit bones would be where the blue circles are or even further back.

Also, get some cycling shorts.

jyl

Also, it doesn't really matter if you have a racy bike, the more forward position requires you to actually ride it like a racer (use the term to include fast, fit, experienced riders who don't race). Racers have lots of saddle time, wear padded shorts, apply higher force on the pedals (which takes weight off their butt), get in and out of the saddle a lot (which relieves pressure, vs constant sitting), etc. Try putting your bike in a big gear and riding hard, you'll find that your butt is sort of floating on the saddle, very different from riding slowly or in a small gear, when your butt is constantly pressing hard on the saddle.

berner

I always assume the sit bones belong on the widest part of the saddle and for myself that is where they end up. If I'm having a very good day and really cranking, I seem to slide forward a bit. I've found, again for myself, that the best position for the saddle is a matter of very tiny adjustments. Others may not be so sensitive but I find a fraction of a degree of tilt of the saddle nose up or down makes a world of difference. It may take some time but keep adjusting the saddle. Have an allen wrench in your pocket and adjust while on the ride.

philbob57

Yeah, but if you ride bending forward at your pelvis, you ride on the pubic rames(sp?), not the sit bones. The rames start at the sit bones and and roll forward toward each other, so you might be on or close to the nose and still have the right bones perching on part of the saddle.

Also, IIRC, I've read that if you find yourself sliding forward on the saddle, maybe the bars are too close, or maybe the bars are too far away, or maybe the saddle is too far forward, or maybe the saddle is too far back, or maybe the saddle isn't a good fit. One question, 5 possible answers - what more could a person want?

WRT money and saddles, Specialized used to offer a 30-day money back guarantee on their saddles, probably still does. Wallingford in NOLA (wallbike.com | Wallingford Bike Parts) offers 6 months trial on Brooks saddles, Nashbar and Performance offer 12 month money back guarantees on a lot of what they sell, including saddles, so money shouldn't be the problem.

Time is the real limiting factor, I think. You need to put a lot of miles on a saddle to see if it fits, and most people are under a lot of time pressure....

nick779

I actually did this at the end of my last ride, I just wasnt sure if it was right because my body seemed to "settle" on the saddle further up on the narrower part of the saddle.. I may test it again today.

Just ordered a pair of PI Attack shorts to try!

I may give the Specialized 30 day trial a shot with the Romin and possibly the power saddle. Also, from what ive read youre supposed to roll your pelvis forward to get situated on the saddle/bars for the neutral hood riding position and then bend up or downward with your spine to tuck or go into the drops.

philbob57

When you roll your pelvis forward, I'm as sure as I can be as a non-specialist that your weight goes onto the pubic rami (corrected spelling).

For more on the pubic ramus in cycling: for example, https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com...ll-about-smps/. or DIFFERENCES IN THE SADDLE PRESSURE MAPPING PROFILE OF DIFFERENT SADDLES - A CASE STUDY DISCUSSION - - search on 'cycling pubic ramus' for more.

I've seen some recommendations to keep the pelvis 'upright' and bend the lower back to get into position for pedaling. I don't even want to imagine what that would do to my lower back, but it apparently works for some people. For myself, I'll continue to ride on my rami, and I believe that's how most people ride.

I've been fighting perineal numbness for a couple of years, so I keep looking at what the web offers in the way of info. I recently sprung for a Brooks Imperial, and it may be a winner for me, as it is for many others. Alas, mileage varies immensely with saddles....

ThermionicScott 

Is the nose tilted down? Saddle should be level or slightly nose-up, or else you'll keep sliding forward on it.

Carbonfiberboy 

The last serious saddle search I did was all through Performance Bike. I ordered 3 saddles at a time and noted what about the general type and shape of the saddles worked best for me. Then I ordered 3 more which seemed to conform to or circle about that type which had worked best. When I sent them back, I washed and dried them carefully and put them back in their original packaging complete with zip ties, plastic bags, etc. One could not tell they had ever been used. With some, I could tell immediately that they wouldn't work without ever putting them on a bike. Others I rode a century on, right out of the box. A few I wound up riding for a few weeks, and I kept those even though they eventually just didn't pan out. So I have a box of saddles, but so what? There's nothing more important than being able to sit on the bike comfortably, day after day. When I finally found the perfect saddle, I bought three because manufacturers change models frequently, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse.

That was maybe 12 years ago. My body has changed a little since then and I'm looking around again. What I have works but it could be better, so I'm in no hurry. I might revisit some of those saddles in the box . . .

nick779

Its level and even has a slight dip in it, I just naturally keep finding that I keep wanting to 'sit' on the narrow portion of the saddle on the closer together pelvic bones. I moved the saddle so that ill actually be on my legit sit bones, but I feel like its an imperfect solution because I feel like I can just slide around and theres nothing cradling me in there.

I had bad luck at performance with a bike, but I see that they carry a vast collection of Selle and a handful of Fiziks so I may use them to try those saddles out

jyl

You'd roll your pelvis forward to get a flat back aero position on a bike with an aggressive saddle to bar drop. When positioned like this, you will be riding hard. Big gear, pushing hard on the pedals. During such riding, saddle pressure isn't an issue, in my experience.

Carbonfiberboy 

Don't ignore the lesser brands - they have 11 brands of saddle, with several examples in each brand. I make it 76 different saddles. I just got back from a 30 mile trial of this saddle: WTB Rocket V Race Saddle - Closeout!
I could ride a century easily on that saddle, not bad for $30. I think one of the other WTBs might fit me even better.

I came back across some flats into a 20 mph headwind, flat back in the drops, pedaling hard at 90 for about 1/2 hour. I push back to lift my perineum off the saddle in those conditions, which makes it important for me to have a saddle that's rather narrow in the midsection. My thighs whump my ribs like that, but it's better than the alternative. I should probably have shorter cranks.

philbob57

That's true, but in my case, at least, I can't reach my handlebars (slightly above my saddle, very tall stem) sitting upright and just stretching my arms. I have to bend my back or roll forward onto my rami to reach even the tops of my handlebar, which isn't a very aggressive position at all. The bend/roll is slight, but doing at least one of them is necessary for me.

I suspect pretty much everyone has to bend their backs and/or roll their pelvises to reach dropped bars, but I could be wrong on that. Having had lower back problems, since I have a choice, I'll roll my back....

fietsbob

The pinching the "soft tissues" is too much pelvis rotation and not enough lower back flexing.

All those nose down saddles evidence that..

berner

Like Carbonfiberboy, I have the best and most comfortable fit on a saddle that is very narrow in the midsection. To get a saddle as narrow as I like at that location, I've carefully clamped my saddle to avoid creases and then played a heatgun over the plastic underside. When the saddle cools, the new shape will stay in. The Specialized saddle I use has a dip when viewed in profile so that as the pelvis rolls forward there is not so much pressure forward of the sitbones.