Road Cycling - I can't sit down!

I just went on my first ride of the season - 40 miles. It felt great, except for my new Prolink Gelflow saddle. It felt like sitting on a brick. My old (real old) Specialized Body Geometry saddle was pretty comfy, but it is also heavy and looks little dorky on my Bianchi. I'm hoping it's because I haven't sat on anything firmer than a couch cushion for the past 3 month, and not that my butt is too sensitive for a saddle that doesn't have 3 inches of padding on it. Please reassure me that this thing will get more comfortable!

YRMV, but I believe if you hang in there you'll find that it will get better -- much better. I switched from a Sella Italia Flite Genuine Gel to the Prolink TransAm on a new road tandem after 1/2 a season of riding, i.e., my butt was toughened-up and was initially dumbfounded by how strange it felt to ride on and then -- like you -- found I was really hurting afterwards.

What made this saddle hurt so much was how the raised rear saddle's contact patches force me to sit with my weight on my sit bones rather than on some of the soft tissue around the sit bones as most traditionally shaped saddels do.

After giving it a few more tries the soreness went away and it has become my favorite saddle, in spite of the weight penalty. Mind you, I don't have the Gel model -- just the TransAm (anotomic cut-out) -- and have fitted it to both our my road tandems. I may change out the Genuine Gel saddles on my two single bikes for the ProLinks in the future just because it feels so unusual going back to a saddle with a conventional shape.

FWIW: I previously rode Sella Italia's Flight saddles exclusively for as long as they've been available. However, about two years ago it just become uncomfortable. I went through a variety of different saddles trying to find a suitable substitute -- Flite TransAm, Flite TransAm Max, Flite Genuine Gel before sticking with the Genuine Gels on my singles and then discovering the ProLink TransAm for the tandems. The major difference between the singles and the tandems is that you tend to stand far more often on a single bike than a tandem. On a single it's something you do without thinking, on a tandem you have to do it as a team effort and if your stoker isn't as strong or comfortable riding out of the saddle you tend not to do it that often.

yeah.... just endure the pain alittle longer while you get used to riding on your sit bones.... you'll eventually build up the infamous "butt calluses".... the true mark of a seasoned rider ;)

Thanks. I definitely feel it in my sit bones. I hope it doesn't take too long to get used to - I feel I'm already playing catch-up because of my late start this year, and don't want this to interfere too much with my training.

yeah, in the long run it will be much more comfortable sitting on those two hard points than causing more generalized soreness/numbness to the whole area....

Doesn't a sore butt really make the day longer??? You will get used to the new saddle.

Well, you may or may not get used to the saddle. I had a Body Geometry that came on my road bike and I hated it. Even after a few hundred miles it was still messing me up. So I gave up on it and bought a Pave....Haven't had a single problem with the new saddle. Fit like a charm and felt even better from day one.

If the saddle still gives you problems after a couple hundred miles, I would start looking at a new seat.

Just buy a Brooks and stop complaining.

Well there's that.

Brooks, it's the only way to go.

Forget the seat. Get the right pair of shorts. I only wear Assos. Very pricey but worth every cent.

40 miles is quite a bit to take on for the first ride of the season, even for an experienced rider. No wonder your behind hurt! It always takes a few rides to toughen it up again after being off the bike. Heck, I find I experience a couple of days of discomfort anytime I try a new saddle.

Don't give up yet on your Prolink. I have tried several of the other highly touted saddles and it is the one I always come back to. I use on both my road and MTB and find nothing else works as well.

anyone have any opinions on the san marco aspide? I'm currently on a fizik pave and I like it alot. Would anyone say it might be fairly close in comfort.??

aspide!? that think looks like a torture device... the kind you would find in bike hell! LOL. I'm sure it's ultra-lightweight - but I higly doubt it's the most comfortable thing you can find. But as they say in the saddle searching world - to each his own!!

Thanks for the encouragement everyone (except D*Alex). I'm not giving up on the prolink yet. My butt feels ready to go, and I hope to ride tomorrow after work. You're right about the mileage, Rainman. It's more than I thought prudent after a long layoff, but I wanted to make up for lost time. Besides, I felt so good, I could have done another 10. That's what made the saddle pain so discouraging.

i agree that your butt has to get "trained"

i rode 10,000km last year and commuted through the winter, but on my first tour of the year my butt hurt like heck. on the 2nd it hurt a little and then after that all was fine.

break in your butt and then see if the saddle works - i.e. if it's still uncomfortable after the 5th 40miler in 2 months then think about changing the saddle.

P.S. Specializied also makes lighter weight versions of the Body Geometry. i have the regular one on my commuter and the "pro" on my MTB and they also make a Titanium rail extra light version that many roadies have.

You'll soon learn-none of the plastic saddles are worth a d@mn for long rides. You can blow through another 3 or 4 of those $60-$90 torture devices before you relaise it, or you can just go out and plop $79 down for a Brooks Team Pro and not worry anymore. Your choice....

The Aspide is surprisngly comfortable. There's 4 guys at our shop on one and no one has any complaints. I had experimented with a BG saddle and am now going back to the Aspide.