Reposted from Saddles. Moderator, feel free to delete my post from Saddles.
I have hip arthritis in my right hip, with spurs. When biking, the pressure of the seat causes fairly severe hip pain. If I move forward onto the nose the pain goes away, indicating that the most likely pressure point is at the curve where the nose meets the rear of the seat.
I cut out a pad to fit the seat. I cut out an indentation on the right side of the pad to relieve that area. That actually did help my hip pain---but it took away the support I need across the back of the seat by narrowing the part of the seat that's in contact with my rear end. That means that a narrower seat might relieve my hip pain, but it wouldn't be wide enough for my rear end and my sit bones. I am carrying some extra weight. I don't need a cruiser seat, but I do need a wide seat.
One more thing: I have arthritis in my shoulders plus carpal tunnel syndrome. That means I have to take the pressure off my arms with a fairly upright position. I've taken care of that with a handlebar modification, but that has shifted my weight to the rear, necessitating a wide seat. My shoulders and wrists do feel good now.
I'm currently using a Selle Royale Ellipse Moderate.
http://www.nashbar.com/reviews/nashb...te-Saddle.html
It's 200 mm wide (about 7.75). The width feels right to me. Note that this seat is fairly flat across the top.
I've looked at dozens of seats on the internet but can't find the right shape. I'm guessing that the right shape would be fairly wide at the rear, with a significant curve in toward the body where the nose meets the rear. Does that make sense?
This problem has cut my yearly mileage in half. I'd like to ride about 1000 miles a year, with average rides about 20-30 miles. I'd like to be able to tour. At the moment that doesn't look likely. I depend on biking for my fitness, so this hip problem is a real drag.
Any ideas for either a seat that would work for me, or how I could modify my current seat?