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Mountain Bike Saddle HELP!!

Normark

Normark

Joined
Nov 7, 1999
Messages
6,651
Hey Guys..

Have a couple of questions....

The first is a saddle question....

What to do about a sore A$$ ??

I need a good comfortable saddle, but don't want a big fat gel seat.. I'd like to keep the saddle as small as possible but still comfortable..My first ride of the year was last night and after 15K,,my a$$ was killing me..


Secondly, are there and mountain bike or cycling forums out there ??

Thanks for the help..

ttyle

Eric....
 
Seats with titanium rails help, as titanium seems to absorb some of the shock. You can also get a shock-absorbing seatpost, which also helps a little. Also, a good set of spandex biking shorts with pads help as well (or other padded shorts).

I have a Titec Beserrker which is a pretty comfortable saddle, but not hugely wide.

One or two more rides and your butt will be in shape though :)
 
Riding more will help the pain. You have to get used to riding again.

As far as seats go, the only one I've like is the WTB saddles that were a bit wide in the back, had a small dip in the middle and kevlar bumpers on the back corners. Dunno if they're still being made, but those were the best I have used.

Chris
 
the ones with the small dip in the centre help to alleviate the pressure on the more sensitive parts of the male anatomy *cough*
but i find the best thing for the soreness is riding more
your body will adjust to it
ride on :)
 
Originally posted by DEA
the ones with the small dip in the centre help to alleviate the pressure on the more sensitive parts of the male anatomy *cough*
but i find the best thing for the soreness is riding more
your body will adjust to it
ride on :)
Click to expand...

Some don't have a "dip" on the surface, but they have a cutout in the saddle shell that you can see on the underside, and those are good, too.

The truth is there is no best saddle, as everyone's ass is shaped differently. You want one that your "sit bones" rest on comfortably, and you want one that does not press on the perinial (sp?) area or you are going to have numbness/pain issues that could be serious.

See if you can adjust your present saddle so that those two requirements are covered. If not, ditch it, as no amount of riding will change its shape and it's just not the right one for you.

As to cushyness, you dont want a gel-topped saddle if you're going to ride more than 10-15 minutes at a time. Saddles with some (not huge coil springs) built in suspension to ease the sting of small, sharp bumps are nice to have.

If the pain you feel is just where your sit bones are touching the saddle, that pain goes away with riding time as your body adapts to it. This is different from the pain of an ill-fitting saddle.

Also, you dont want all your weight on the saddle, alone. You should work on distributing your weight to the pedals and the handlebars as well as the saddle. Don't sit through large bumps just because you have a suspension saddle, suspension seatpost or FS frame.
 
My wife and I both ride mountain bikes. Her main ride is a Trek Y-22 bike, with a carbon fibre frame and double suspension. Because of the goofy frame, she cannot secure it to a traditional car carrier. So, we built her a more traditional bike out of a Trek 4500.

It has front suspension, we just added a gel seat and a spring loaded seat post. While a mountain bike, it sure is a lot more comfortable than those skinny road bikes with no suspension. I just buy 'thorn resistant' tubes and pump them a bit over the line. The ride is not effected and the rolling resistance is better.

My bike is a Hoo Koo E. Koo Gary Fisher Grateful Dead Bike. All of the pieces that wear (the seat, the mottled flesh colored tires and the pedals) have been removed to keep the collector value up. It wears the same type of tires, but with Rolf wheels. I also use a gel seat. Since I can never scratch up the frame, I'm selling the bike to the first collector I can find' they only made the bike in 1995.

After the Kooey is sold, I intend to build a bike similar to my wife's 4500 out of a 4100. I don't need the glitz, I just want to ride. (Re-think the gel seat idea; we can ride for hours.)
 
I've tried several saddles over the years.
Fads, cutouts, gel, split sides whatever.
What does work is a saddle that's properly shaped for your anatomy.
For me, it's the Selle Itala Flite.
Besides being a perfect fit for my butt, it's one of the lightest saddles you can buy.
If you really want all out customized comfort at a price (both cost and weight), look into the all leather Brooks Saddles .
For years the standard saddle for long distance riders.
They start very stiff when new and gradually conform to your butt.
Recently, they've introduced pre-broken in saddles. But I don't know too much about that.
Unfortunately, the whole thing about finding a comfy saddle for you is a trial and error process. Just because the Flite is good for me, doesn't mean you'll find it comfy also.
 
Originally posted by Lenny
I've tried several saddles over the years.
Fads, cutouts, gel, split sides whatever.
What does work is a saddle that's properly shaped for your anatomy.
For me, it's the Selle Itala Flite.
Besides being a perfect fit for my butt, it's one of the lightest saddles you can buy.
If you really want all out customized comfort at a price (both cost and weight), look into the all leather Brooks Saddles .
For years the standard saddle for long distance riders.
They start very stiff when new and gradually conform to your butt.
Recently, they've introduced pre-broken in saddles. But I don't know too much about that.
Unfortunately, the whole thing about finding a comfy saddle for you is a trial and error process. Just because the Flite is good for me, doesn't mean you'll find it comfy also.
Click to expand...
Amen.
 
Originally posted by Ichabod Poser
My bike is a Hoo Koo E. Koo Gary Fisher Grateful Dead Bike. All of the pieces that wear (the seat, the mottled flesh colored tires and the pedals) have been removed to keep the collector value up. It wears the same type of tires, but with Rolf wheels. I also use a gel seat. Since I can never scratch up the frame, I'm selling the bike to the first collector I can find' they only made the bike in 1995.

After the Kooey is sold, I intend to build a bike similar to my wife's 4500 out of a 4100. I don't need the glitz, I just want to ride. (Re-think the gel seat idea; we can ride for hours.)
Click to expand...

How many hours? And on what surface? And in what sort of climate? From your description of the bikes' setup, it sounds like you are using MTBs for casual road use/cruising. Not the same thing as 3-6 hours off-road in hills (which makes you change your position on the saddle) or a road century.

Oh, dont get your hopes up on the resale value of that Fisher, but if it helps, you could buy these and it might increase the overall value of your eventual sale:
http://marketplace.consumerreview.c...sults_format=long&db_id=46147&query=retrieval
 
Donutsrule,

Right you are; my wife and I are using MTB's as comfort bikes on mostly paved areas. However, where we live has many lousy roads, a lot of broken concrete and subdivisions in various states of completion. Not all roads go all of the way through to other arteries.

We will go to the gym on Sunday morning, stop at home for a bagel and a quick look at the newspaper, and then ride most of Sunday afternoon. Sure, we chase and race each other a bit, but mostly we ride for pleasure. My wife, she's the one with the bravery and massive thighs who goes from point A to point B over any surface.

Your research may be right, but whatever the Kooey is worth, it will drop in value if it's dinged. I want to enjoy my toys.
 
Normark -- what kind of pants are you wearing?
Good padded bike shorts can make as big a difference as the saddle, if not bigger.
Zoic makes some really nice ones that look more like normal shorts (you don't have your "sausage" sticking out everywhere). They have pockets too.
Wear them without underwear so you don't have damn cotton rubbing against your butt & other sensitive skin.
 
The best bike forum I know of is

www.mtbr.com

They'll have detailed reviews of both saddles and shorts.

It looks like Zoic has changed their lineup slightly, but these look like the ones that I had.
 
People say I have a big butt but I reckon they are just jealous because everyone knows it takes a big hammer to drive a big nail:p

I've got a Bontrager MTB saddle. It is one of the few things in this world that has a good relationship with my butt. I like the bontragers because thay seem a touch wider and longer to cope with the variable sitting positions needed off road.

I'd check if your butt was still sore after a week or two of riding before deciding on a new saddle. Also check that your seat isn't too high or too far back.
 
Eric,
Since this is your first ride of the season,this is very normal.
In fact,I`ll bet it hurt`s even more if you get right back on and ride a little bit?!..Maybe two little pressure point`s?.

I`ve allways referred to this as "monkey butt" (or,"mankey butt,if you prefer).

As an avid cyclist who live`s in a location with somewhat of an off bike season,I can assure,if you were comfortable with your saddle before,your ass will soon become used too it.

I measure and mark all of my bike`s saddle positions that are optimal for me (hight,horizontal,tilt)with a tape measure,level and somtimes just masking tape..that way I know the postion after storage or travel.

Final word`s,..even after a full season of race`s,epic ride`s and winter trainer workouts my ass is still sore after the first spring ride`s..It just take`s time.Keep riding and see what happens.

From my experiance,Sella Italia,Bontrager & WTB produce the best saddle`s.

Bill
 
Yes, often times it is a matter of trial and error in order to finally settle on the "right" saddle. I would recommend one that at least has a leather covering finsh. As this natural material will conform a bit to ones body.

I' m surprised that many here did not mention lubrication. That' s right, it is possible to mistake soreness due to pressure as opposed to friction. I have logged in nearly 10,000 miles a year on the road for a long time now. And have discovered that some lube right on the skin helps to minimze friction. Any of the popular diaper rash ointments will do. This leaves a waterproof barrier and helps to promote healing between rides. In excessive hot temperatures, NOXEMA works wonders! But watch you don' t apply to far forward of the saddle area! :eek: :eek:

Nakano
 
Working in a bike shop I get a lot of info from customers on how different saddles work out for people. Some of the most popular saddles seem to be the Terry Fly, Koobi Xenon, and Specialized Body Geometry. I would suggest one of those. I'm currently running a cheap, soft Trek saddle on my Lemond road bike but plan on getting either the Terry or the Koobi this summer.
 
get a couple of pair of good padded bike short's.Don't wear the same one every day,wash one wear the other.Make sure the seat and handle bar are adjusted correctly .Good advice Nakano,just go easy on the lubrication ,you don't want to slide out of your short's :eek: here's a good link guy's: http://www.bikelane.com
 
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