shona

I always forget. If I'm having too much pressure in the soft tissue is my saddle angled up or down too much in the front? I just put a new saddle on (which I love) but am feeling the pressure in the soft tissue area. Something tells me I need to move the nose up a tad. Please advise

Homebrew01

Bring a wrench with you on your ride and play around until comfortable.

gsa103

Probably angled up too much, it may also be too far back. Bring a wrench, adjust every 20 minutes until you get it right.

Slackerprince

Don't forget the forward to backward adjustment.
Could also be a cutout issue.
What is the saddle model?
Pics?

S

Looigi

Horizontal works best for me. Angle up puts pressure where I don't want it and angled down causes me to tend to ride toward the front of the saddle which does the same thing.

rpenmanparker 

Some people like a departure from horizontal, but for most dead level is the best bet. Could it be a bit too high or the bars too low?

TromboneAl

At least with my Specialized Alias 143, nose down decreases soft tissue pressure.

I've got the nose way down right now:



This will hold me until my Adamo Prologue arrives.

This actually works pretty well; I can feel almost all my weight on my sit bones. If I go into the drops, I feel more pressure.

With the saddle level it is more comfortable, but I can definitely feel pressure on the perineum.

Campag4life

OP...most saddles in profile as shaped like a laid over S. Most riding is done on the back of the saddle, you want the 'back' of the saddle level which generally results in the tip of the saddle pointing up by a couple of degrees. It is the downward slope of the S of the saddle that promotes clearance to your soft tissue. If you look at pro's bikes...there are exceptions...most are positioned that way. This also neutralizes your weight. Biggest mistake I see is tilting the saddle down. Btw, placing a level on the saddle is no good. This will result in the rear of the saddle where your sit bones rest to be slanting forward. If you still have perineal pressure with the rear of the saddle level...either get a saddle with a cutout for more perineal clearance or experiment with less saddle setback which will open your hip angle....or both.

10 Wheels

I try for Level to begin with. Make adjustments from there.

I use a level as it gives me a reference point as to how much adjustment I make.

cerealkilla

level the saddle from the seat/sit-bone area to the front tip. Works from me. I use a level app on my android phone

ericm979

If it doesn't work right when level or close, then either your position is wrong or the saddle is wrong for you.

shona

I think I got it everyone. Thanks.

Cyclelogikal

I assume everyone is anatomically different so to say one way is the only way would be wrong. But I position my saddle parallel to the ground. Works and never had a issue.

DaveSSS 

If a saddle is curved from front to back, the nose area can be level, but placing a level from nose to tail would register a downward tilt. The idea of a saddle being level only applies to those that are relatively flat from front to back.

I always set my Fizik Gobi (the original, not the current model) by holding a level in a truly level position, when resting on the tail, then setting the nose about 1cm lower. That creates a relatively level area in the middle.

kingsqueak

If level doesn't get it, it looks like you have an offset post with the seat all the way forward. Maybe try a zero offset post and play with height and the fore/aft too.

Fiery

OP, you've gotten a lot of good advice regarding the positioning of the saddle, but I'd like to give some direct answers to your original question that I feel have been skipped.

First, it seems obvious that nose up will increase soft tissue pressure and nose down will decrease it, but the shortest true answer is "it depends". It depends on the shape of the saddle, the way you sit on it and the way it's set up on the bicycle. I've had saddles which would start causing pressure if the nose was not high enough - even perfectly flat they'd cause some pressure after a while, and going nose down would just increase it. But I roll my pelvis forward on the saddle, and someone who sits further back on their sit bones could experience the opposite on the very same saddle. Regarding the way the saddle is set on the bike, having it too high will typically cause more pressure, and having it too far back can cause the same. Even having the saddle perfectly positioned relative to the bottom bracket, but having the handlebars too far away could cause you to keep pulling yourself forward on the saddle and thus have more pressure - this would be solved by using a shorter stem without even touching the saddle.

Bottom line, there's quite a few things to try in order to decrease the pressure "up front", but keep in mind that if you find you need a drastic or very unusual setup (like the one TromboneAl posted above), it's most likely you simply need a different saddle.