Bike seat recommendations?

Trishkit

Hi guys! I have a question for all of the cyclists out there:

I have my bike set up inside on a bike trainer and have found that my rides are limited to about 30-45 minutes (60 minutes, if I really push myself through it), due to the discomfort I get from my saddle. Physically, I could ride much longer and harder, but my posterior just won't let me. I want to keep getting back on my bike so I can increase my strength and endurance (and a great cardio session), but I dread the pain and discomfort that comes with spending any length of time on that saddle.

I recently purchased a new saddle from a local bike store, which is meant to be a woman's saddle, but I don't notice any difference between the new one and my old one. I've been browsing Amazon to see other types of seats and saddles that are out there, and have come across several "ergonomic" and "no pressure" ones, and wanted to see if anyone on here had experience with any of these, and what you'd recommend.

Thanks!

KourtneyP83

I got one very similar to this:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Schwinn-No-Pressure-Bike-Seat/9207800

My butt was killing me when I started riding, after riding with the new bike seat - not a pain in the world. I would definitely recommend it!

Trishkit

I got one very similar to this:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Schwinn-No-Pressure-Bike-Seat/9207800

My butt was killing me when I started riding, after riding with the new bike seat - not a pain in the world. I would definitely recommend it!

That's one of the ones I've been considering. Thanks for your feedback!

chrisdavy239

Women tend to have more specific needs than men - although you might imagine it would be the other way around...(!) Also, your issues are likely to be very specific to you, so what works for someone else may not be appropriate for the discomfort you are having.

You might want to see if your local bike shop will size you up for an appropriate saddle and/or let you take home test saddles. My partner has tried a wide variety of saddles and settled on a Selle Italia version that is actually man specific but seems to suit the pressure issues she was having.

The other thing you might want to focus on is finding a saddle that allows you to put the emphasis on sitting on your sit bones rather than putting pressure between your legs where it's going to hurt.

Hope that helps :-)

joannezuk

No matter what, the first few times on your bike will result in soreness. But that makes sense, right? We typically jump on the bike and start with 30 minutes. If you haven't been running in a year, would you start by running for half an hour? No, probably not. But if you did, you can bet you'd be sore (obviously not in the same places though!). But the reality is, you're probably not going to start with 5 minutes of biking. In fact, you're already doing more than 30 minutes.

So how do you protect your parts? My understanding is that it isn't the bike seat that can make the biggest difference, but rather, your bike shorts. I have invested in a few pairs of REALLY good (ie. expensive) bike shorts that have women-specific padding. I'm not going to say that you won't get sore wearing them. I just started on my bike trainer 2 days ago and I'm sore. But I started with 30 minutes as well. What I find, however, is that if you keep it up, after a week or so, there's no soreness and it doesn't come back - unless you take an extended hiatus from biking.

That said, I really do encourage the bike shorts vs a new seat. Think about it this way: the soreness comes from impact. If you have a larger bike seat, that's just more impact in more places. Better to cushion yourself rather than cushioning your bike! Also, by cushioning yourself, you will prevent the numbness that can come with sustained biking in a racing position. The padding helps to create space, which allows for continued blood flow.

Trishkit

Women tend to have more specific needs than men - although you might imagine it would be the other way around...(!) Also, your issues are likely to be very specific to you, so what works for someone else may not be appropriate for the discomfort you are having.

You might want to see if your local bike shop will size you up for an appropriate saddle and/or let you take home test saddles. My partner has tried a wide variety of saddles and settled on a Selle Italia version that is actually man specific but seems to suit the pressure issues she was having.

The other thing you might want to focus on is finding a saddle that allows you to put the emphasis on sitting on your sit bones rather than putting pressure between your legs where it's going to hurt.

Hope that helps :-)

Thanks for your input! The shop I went to said I would be able to return the saddle if it didn't work out (with a reasonably small amount of use, since it's a fairly personal item). They weren't super helpful -- basically said, "Well, here's what we have, and this one is specifically a seat for women, so you might try that." There was one other seat there that I might try, otherwise I might give one of the actual seats a go.

My main issue is that riding on a trainer is different than out on the road. When you're riding on the road, you can move around more and shift your balance around, peddle standing up for a while, etc. On the trainer, standing up doesn't work very well (at least for me) and I feel like I'm stuck in one position.

Some of the reviews, like for the Schwinn no-pressure seat, talk about how you lose some of your balance control since you don't have the horn, but while I'm riding inside, I'm obviously not concerned about that, due to the bike's fixed upright position. I can always switch back to my old seat, which doesn't seem to bother me as much when riding outside.

Trishkit

No matter what, the first few times on your bike will result in soreness. But that makes sense, right? We typically jump on the bike and start with 30 minutes. If you haven't been running in a year, would you start by running for half an hour? No, probably not. But if you did, you can bet you'd be sore (obviously not in the same places though!). But the reality is, you're probably not going to start with 5 minutes of biking. In fact, you're already doing more than 30 minutes.

So how do you protect your parts? My understanding is that it isn't the bike seat that can make the biggest difference, but rather, your bike shorts. I have invested in a few pairs of REALLY good (ie. expensive) bike shorts that have women-specific padding. I'm not going to say that you won't get sore wearing them. I just started on my bike trainer 2 days ago and I'm sore. But I started with 30 minutes as well. What I find, however, is that if you keep it up, after a week or so, there's no soreness and it doesn't come back - unless you take an extended hiatus from biking.

That said, I really do encourage the bike shorts vs a new seat. Think about it this way: the soreness comes from impact. If you have a larger bike seat, that's just more impact in more places. Better to cushion yourself rather than cushioning your bike! Also, by cushioning yourself, you will prevent the numbness that can come with sustained biking in a racing position. The padding helps to create space, which allows for continued blood flow.

Thanks for your input on bike shorts. Could you give a recommendation for the ones you like the best? I might invest in a pair and see how they work for me.

Regarding jumping back on the bike, I have been away for a few months and am trying to get back into it. When I start up after some time away, 30 minutes seems to be my ideal time. Last summer, I did the Tour de France Challenge on MFP and was averaging 45-60 minutes, riding every day with the exception of two rest days. I found the soreness to be the worst at the beginning (obviously), and while it tapered off a bit, it still was an issue for me -- even after a month.

The soreness issue is definitely more pronounced when using the trainer vs riding on the road. Maybe if I start mixing things up a bit, it will help improve that issue.

wellbert

Big cushy saddles ****ing suck. Look at what the big time riders are on - narrow saddles designed to meet your sit bones - paired with cycling chamois.

Nashbar has cheap bicycle shorts. I think they are not terrific, but slightly beat nothing. I like Specialized, but they are spendy.

At the very least: find a specialized dealer and get fitted to a seat.
On my extra bike, I don't ride with bicycle shorts - just a seat I had fitted for me and chosen based on my riding angle and such. It's good for about an hour before I feel a little sore.

Seat angle, height, and distance is just as important.

Marmitegeoff

I find that a smear of Sudocream works for me, but I always ride outside and for 10 to 12 hours at a time doing 200km rides. The shorts issue is a no brainer get the best padded shorts you can afford. Mine last for 5 to 7 years, price is irrelevant.

Geoff

scorpio516

Saddles are VERY, VERY person specific. The best place to look are LBS's with demo programs. There is a shop by me that'll let you demo a saddle for a week, all they want is a copy of your license.

joannezuk

The shorts issue is a no brainer get the best padded shorts you can afford. Mine last for 5 to 7 years, price is irrelevant.

I agree with Geoff. Buy the best you can afford. They will pay for themselves. I have a couple of pairs of Sugoi and one Louis Garneau. All of mine were $70+ but ABSOLUTELY worth the money. The cheap ones have a lesser quality of chamois which tends to break down much more quickly. Also, it's best if you ride sans-underwear. The chamois is designed to sit against your skin. An extra layer would afford less breathability and would surely cause some chaffing.