General Cycling Discussion - Why do seats have to be so freakin hard? Sheesh..

I think by 2008 the hard plastic seat will be phased out for bricks stolen from construction sites with seatposts attached. Have none of these companies heard of padding?? Instead they try to sell you the padding in the gay lycra shorts. Maybe I don't wanna wear gay lycra shorts? I like to wear my camo pants, but can hardly ride two days in a row because my gooch hurts so bad.

What gives?

Are you:

1. A troll
2. Uninformed and asking in all honesty, tho in an ignorant way.
3. An attention *****
4. A giant taco that poops ice cream

?

You gotta learn how to toughen up your gooch. And get a seat pad too.

Well, you knew it was coming...

The Real MAN Saddle (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/real-man.html)
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/images/stonesaddle.jpeg

http://www.duke.edu/~jhe3/images/Rock%20Hard%20Cover.jpg

Well, you knew it was coming...

The Real MAN Saddle (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/real-man.html)
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/images/stonesaddle.jpeg

Is that the 2006 or 2007 prototype?

Well, you knew it was coming...

The Real MAN Saddle (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/real-man.html)
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/images/stonesaddle.jpeg

I wonder if a company has ever designed a real saddle designed to LOOK like that - but not actually be granite? Seems some people would buy them just for the look and attention it would draw.

Bob

you can wear your gay lycra under your gay camo... i wear my lycra under my basketball shorts

Seriously, saddles have been problematic since the dawn of cycling. And nothing is new, either. All of these modern "anatomic" saddles with the slots down the middle? I have illustrations of saddles from the late 1800s that look exactly like this.
If you can think of any bizzare arrangement for a saddle, don't worry...It's been tried. We have had "hammock" saddles that suspend on springs between two points, saddles with seperate halves that pivot independently, saddles that look like a crossbar, hehe, truly amazing.

If you go to the average bike shop, they'll have a barrell full of saddles with a sign that says "your choice-5 bucks" or somesuch. These are all the original-equipment items that were taken off customer's bikes when they bought something better.

For our department, we are are having pretty good luck with the Serfas models like this one:

http://www.serfas.com/rx_saddles/MH-RX.html

Both male and female officers seem to like em'.

First thing to adress is to make sure you have your saddle adjusted properly. Proper seat hight, proper fore-and-aft adjustment, and proper angle. Most guys like the nose of the saddle to be a little below the horizontal. (I do...)
Make sure your "sit bones" are on the most-padded part of the saddle when you ride.

Softer is generally not better. Thick, soft gel saddles or pads will start to bunch up and irritate. better to get a good-quality item and take the time to let your butt get "used" to it.

I think by 2008 the hard plastic seat will be phased out for bricks stolen from construction sites with seatposts attached. Have none of these companies heard of padding?? Instead they try to sell you the padding in the gay lycra shorts. Maybe I don't wanna wear gay lycra shorts? I like to wear my camo pants, but can hardly ride two days in a row because my gooch hurts so bad.

What gives?You don't have to wear the gay lycra. My LBS sells the straight lycra also. For a few pennies more I can sleep at night knowing that my homophobic fears have been dealt with in a civilized fashion.

You don't have to wear the gay lycra. My LBS sells the straight lycra also. For a few pennies more I can sleep at night knowing that my homophobic fears have been dealt with in a civilized fashion.

lol damn why didnt i think of that good one...

Well, you knew it was coming...

The Real MAN Saddle (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/real-man.html)
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/images/stonesaddle.jpeg

Theres also a carbon version of this available.

what makes it straight lycra? Do they beer-treat the spandex? Is there some magical emu that poops on it?

Oh, and I love my hard saddle...I'm thiking of puting it back on my bike. In wet weather it is 100x more comfy than my leather saddle...and my leather saddle is only a bit more comfy than the hard saddle....so with the weather I see out here, moving to that leather saddle was not all that good a choice. But I like how it looks :(

If you go to the average bike shop, they'll have a barrell full of saddles with a sign that says "your choice-5 bucks" or somesuch. These are all the original-equipment items that were taken off customer's bikes when they bought something better.


- not the cheap bastard over on 4th St.... i did indeed find a 'returned saddle' cache in the store... but he wants near retail! not a great scratch-n-sniff deal...

:-(

i wear my lycra under my basketball shorts
I wear my lycra under the blazing sun.


Hard saddles are good. A saddle that is too soft will be VERY uncomfortable after a few miles.

Sofas should be soft. Bike seats should be hard. It is usually the people that spend the most time on the sofa that find bike seats hard.

If you have trouble with saddle pain, read this article:

http://sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html

In short, fit has more to do with it than the actual saddle. If you are riding in a way that puts too much weight on your tush, then no saddle will be comfortable. Once you dial the fit in, then you can try a few models and see what works best for you.

Trust me, the solution is out there, and the solution isn't 'more gel'.

peace,
sam

Saddles with padded covers look redicilious to me..They cause more friction than riding on the photographed rock above...Friction hurts...
As to gay lycra...go on a co-ed bike tour...Lycra is the biggest incentive of hetrosexual interaction since the invention of bikinis and speedos at the beach.

I think by 2008 the hard plastic seat will be phased out for bricks stolen from construction sites with seatposts attached. Have none of these companies heard of padding?? Instead they try to sell you the padding in the gay lycra shorts. Maybe I don't wanna wear gay lycra shorts? I like to wear my camo pants, but can hardly ride two days in a row because my gooch hurts so bad.

What gives?

Bricks are too soft and will give you saddle sores. Stick with a good firm Brooks.

I wear my lycra under the blazing sun.


Hard saddles are good. A saddle that is too soft will be VERY uncomfortable after a few miles.

Hrmm i weight 290 i spare everyone and throw some bbal shorts over em... ya never know when i get down to liek 220 thow :) witch should be Jan, Feb, March

Instead they try to sell you the padding in the gay lycra shorts. Maybe I don't wanna wear gay lycra shorts?
Oh god. Don't even get me started, you homophobic ****tard. ****, if you wanna know what I'm capable of when it comes to anti-homophobia, just send a PM to Sincitycycler and mention "El Twe," "Gay Lycra," or "Key West Cycling club president." You'll be in for a treat...

The word "gay" has become overloaded. The meaning keeps changing and people throw it around willy-nilly for no apparent reason. At least three meanings with variations have krept up over time and I suspect that many people say "gay" today when they want to say "absurd" or "stupid looking". But then again there are plenty of idiots who really do think lycra shorts has some kind of bearing on someone's sexual orientation. In either case, such statements do nothing but signal to the rest of the world a lack of intelligence.

strange, women don't seem to find guys in lycra shorts gay...

Have you ever riden behind some hot chick w/ a nice as$ in lycra????----plenty of motivation to keep going. Any wtf do you care how you look. IMHO riding isnt a fashion contest---


However, i do tend to agree about the hardness of saddles--i test rode a few road bikes the other day and could barely stand to go around the block the saddles were so hard---felt like I was riding on a hatchet.

The gell feels fine in the store--but try going on any ride more than 15 min and your weight squishes the gell to the sides and you are riding on as$ hard plastic my friend.

Springs help but they make you bounce when you pedal fast.

IMHO--you're screwed anyway you go--- i found saddle adjustment helped with pain the in nether regions but not with the pain in the actual posterior.


I havn't tried a brooks yet--although i am tempted to.

if you want to waste your money try these:


www.comfortsaddle.com

This saddle looks comfortable...

http://www.bikecult.com/works/saddles/oppenheim.jpg

wtf is that---leaves? chain mail?-- i cant tell

wtf is that---leaves? chain mail?-- i cant tell

A swarm of bees.

It looks like a swarm of bees, like the guys who wear beards of bees to impress women.

peace,
sam

EDIT: I'm not an idiot, I just posted at the same time as khuon. ;)

he might be on to something---if you get stung enough your rump will go numb and you wont be able to feel anything anyways

edit: i am an idiot--and a blind one at that

he might be on to something---if you get stung enough your rump will go numb and you wont be able to feel anything anyways

You certainly have something there. Actually that is not unlike how your butt normally reacts to saddles. The reason we are eventually able to ride longer distances is that we numb out the nerve endings.

if you want to waste your money try these:


www.comfortsaddle.com

From the website:


The Comfort Saddle is best suited for cyclists who prefer to sit upright.
Racing cyclists and riders who prefer to lean forward as they cycle are only supported by the horn on a conventional saddle bearing directly on their groin. The Comfort Saddle has no horn and does not favour this damaging style of cycling

Translation: The saddle is best for grandma.

Though I take issue with the comment that you are only supported by the horn when cycling with a forward position.. I value my groin higher than any other part of my body, and I wouldn't allow it to be mashed in a bad way, and I don't find the horn on my saddles doing anything bad to me.

Oh well. yet another 'reinvention' of the saddle that will eventually go the way of the dinosaur..

peace,
sam

Yet another dodge is to "get bent". Recumbents have marvelously comfy seating; no pressure on hands or wrists, no neck pain, etc.

Even my home-built is vastly more comfortable than my 1500.00 Trek roadster.

You don't have to wear the gay lycra. My LBS sells the straight lycra also. For a few pennies more I can sleep at night knowing that my homophobic fears have been dealt with in a civilized fashion.

Dang, and I didn't know lycra had sexual preferences. Is there boy lycra, girl lycra and lesbian lycra too>

Dang, and I didn't know lycra had sexual preferences. Is there boy lycra, girl lycra and lesbian lycra too>Have you ever heard of satire?! I suppose not.

No soup for you! Come back 1 year.