New Stationary Bike is SO uncomfortable! Help!

I am so excited to start riding my new Proform 505 SPX but oh my gosh I can barely sit on it. I managed .5 of a mile yesterday, and today 1.3 with a seat cushion. But ouch!! Am I sitting on this wrong? The new cushion barely helps.

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,879 Member
    I would recommend padded cycling shorts rather than the seat cushion. Beyond that, you have to find and use your "sit bones"...they should be in contact with the back (widest) part of the saddle. Part of it is just getting used to it though.
  • gearhead426hemi
    gearhead426hemi Posts: 919 Member
    As @cwolfman13 said get some padded riding shorts. I would suggest adjusting your seat as well. Here is a video for adjusting your bike seat but same concept. Hope it helps and keep on pedaling!!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VYhyppWTDc

  • NicbPNW
    NicbPNW Posts: 47 Member
    Once you figure out how to sit on it properly, that should help. And you sort of just get used to it lol.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    "Am I sitting on this wrong?"
    Hard to tell with no information but assume you are facing forwards? :smiley:

    More seriously it's very common for people not to set up their riding position properly - I see many horrendous riding positions in my gym. Even the most basic adjustment of seat height is frequently awful (too low most common).

    Don't pad the seat, get proper shorts.
    The seat could be poor - they often are as they are a compromise design for both sexes and all shapes & sizes (I take my own saddle to the gym).

    And don't ride everyday while your undercarriage is getting used to cycling. If you hurt yesterday you are bound to hurt today. Give yourself a day off.
    Where the "ouch" happens is significant - if you are feeling bruised over your sit bones it's very likely you will simply acclimatise, otherwise if elsewhere then fit and saddle shape become more probable issues.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,249 Member
    It sounds like a combination of things. Firstly you need to set up your bike to properly fit you, the video that gearhead posted should be a good starting point. The second thing is that many exercise bikes come with atrocious saddles (from the images I've seen of yours it doesn't look like the worst out there).

    If you look at the saddles that long distance cyclists use they tend to be narrow and have little or no padding. Ditch the seat pad and get some cycling shorts that have a built in chamois and then gradually build up your times / distances (after you've addressed any fit issues) You may even want to consider replacing the saddle. If you're luck your local bike shop may be able to help you pick the right saddle for you (it's a very individual thing)

    https://rei.com/learn/expert-advice/bike-saddles.html
  • tera43
    tera43 Posts: 6 Member
    Thank you all so much!! I will get some shorts asap and us that video to help adjust.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,971 Member
    You may still want to change your saddle to one more comfortable for you.

    I wear (or wore) padded chamois shorts when riding my spin bike but the narrow minimally padded seat that came w/it was still too uncomfortable for me. So, I bought a wider more padded seat and it made all of the difference.
  • carried84102
    carried84102 Posts: 1 Member
    So much great advice so far! In my experience it usually takes me about a week of riding to get through the discomfort. There will be a couple of days that I have to sit through the pain for about 5-10 mins and my bum becomes numb to it. I promise you will get there. I recommend opting for padded shorts over a seat pad. The pad can shift and cause skin/saddle irritation that can take time to heal. You will get there!
  • jbruced
    jbruced Posts: 210 Member
    tera43 wrote: »
    I am so excited to start riding my new Proform 505 SPX but oh my gosh I can barely sit on it. I managed .5 of a mile yesterday, and today 1.3 with a seat cushion. But ouch!! Am I sitting on this wrong? The new cushion barely helps.

    I agree with the recommendations to get the cycling shorts. They aren't inexpensive though. Next I would suggest wearing thoseshorts to a good bicycle shop and have them help you try several different saddles/seats. Finally sitting on a stationary trainer for prolonged periods of time is for most cyclists down right uncomfortable even with the shorts and a saddle they use with comfort when riding outside. It appears the reason for this is lack of movement of the riders body on the saddle. Placing some kind of foam or using a rocker board under the machine allows it to move similar to what happens to a bicycle when riding outdoors on the road.

    I found a foam cushion that I cut in to pieces that go under the points where my trainer contacts the floor. The little bit of movement helps. Your trainer appears to have 4 contact points so 4 pieces of a dense foam about 3"x3" should work. The foam should be about an inch thick. The better solution, most likely, is a rocker board.
  • jbruced
    jbruced Posts: 210 Member
    This video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LADUioIXKbU will help explain why stationary trainers are uncomfortable. He provides his explanantion closer to the end. Well worth watching.
  • HilTri
    HilTri Posts: 378 Member
    The pain will go away after a week or two. You just have to get used to the seat. I teach spin classes so I ride a lot. I don’t use a seat pad or padded shorts. The only time I experience pain is if I ride a different kind of bike that I am not used to. Keep riding!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    jbruced wrote: »
    tera43 wrote: »
    I am so excited to start riding my new Proform 505 SPX but oh my gosh I can barely sit on it. I managed .5 of a mile yesterday, and today 1.3 with a seat cushion. But ouch!! Am I sitting on this wrong? The new cushion barely helps.

    I agree with the recommendations to get the cycling shorts. They aren't inexpensive though. Next I would suggest wearing those shorts to a good bicycle shop and have them help you try several different saddles/seats. Finally sitting on a stationary trainer for prolonged periods of time is for most cyclists down right uncomfortable even with the shorts and a saddle they use with comfort when riding outside. It appears the reason for this is lack of movement of the riders body on the saddle. Placing some kind of foam or using a rocker board under the machine allows it to move similar to what happens to a bicycle when riding outdoors on the road.

    I found a foam cushion that I cut in to pieces that go under the points where my trainer contacts the floor. The little bit of movement helps. Your trainer appears to have 4 contact points so 4 pieces of a dense foam about 3"x3" should work. The foam should be about an inch thick. The better solution, most likely, is a rocker board.

    @jbruced

    That's very interesting, thanks for posting - I find indoor cycling uncomfortable far quicker than outdoor riding despite investing time in exactly replicating my road bike geometry (got some odd looks with my ruler and plumb line....) and even using the same saddle. I have to do intervals of standing cycling every 15 to 20 minutes for saddle relief indoors and 90mins really is pushing into the uncomfortable zone.
    Also strangely find a difference in which cycle shorts work indoors compared to outdoors, my best indoor shorts are probably my third best outdoor shorts.

    Rocker board wouldn't be practical in the gym but will experiment with foam under the legs. Will have to be pretty dense as the Wattbikes I use are solid bits of kit.