Recreational & Family - Let's talk saddles

In my previous post, "You're longest ride on a comfort bike", late said...


Oh yeah, your butt is gonna hurt. Even the pros have to toughen up their butts in the Spring. But the thing with comfort saddles is that for a lot of people they become torture devices on long rides.

Give it a few weeks, see how it goes. If it is really bugging you; we can talk saddles.


OK, I'm ready to talk saddles. I don't have much flexibility in the type of bike I can ride, given my wrist problems. I did not choose a cruiser because I wanted gears and the ability to go further when I want to.

After riding around the neighborhood for just 20 minutes, I believe I need either (1) a new saddle, or (1) another stem to raise the bars higher. Maybe I am not sitting back far enough on the saddle. I don't feel like I'm resting on my sit bones, and that may be the problem. Perhaps I just need to work on my riding position. (I don't remember riding being this complicated when I was a kid.... we just got on our bikes, and rode!)

I know the choice of saddle is unique for everyone, but is there a certain type I should be looking for, for this type of bike?

Jen

OK, I'm ready to talk saddles. Brooks. :D Well, that's the only thing a lot of people would say when you start talking saddles.


After riding around the neighborhood for just 20 minutes, I believe I need either (1) a new saddle, or (1) another stem to raise the bars higher. Do you feel that you're leaning too far forward? Do your arms get tired supporting your weight? Is your saddle level or is it tilted forward (or backward, for that matter)?


Maybe I am not sitting back far enough on the saddle. I don't feel like I'm resting on my sit bones, and that may be the problem. Is that because you're leaning too far forward or because the saddle is too narrow for you? If you sit more upright on that saddle, are your sit bones resting on?


I know the choice of saddle is unique for everyone, but is there a certain type I should be looking for, for this type of bike? It's not so much about the type of bike, really. More about the rider. Anyway, on thing you can experiement with is moving the seat forward and backward, to see if you can find a better position. And make sure it's level, so you're not sliding off it and it's not putting undue pressure on your tender bits. You could also try raising the stem, if it's not already at the top (a lot of bikes are sold, I believe, with the stem in the highest possible position, but I may be wrong about this).

Guess I have to ask these q's:
Are you feeling pain?...if so then is it almost immediate (within an hour) or after a longer period of time? Does the seat "chafe"/rub your thighs? The seat seem too narrow? The cushions in the seat seem to be in the wrong place? The nose of the seat too hard? Do you feel while riding, you are not positioned in the seat, but are sitting more forward on the seat than you would like?

Remember...when you/we were kids, most bikes came with (what today is now known as) cruiser seats with springs. The old school seat/saddle was wider, the nose shorter, and had minimal, if any padding. If a kid wanted more comfort, esp if they rode longer distances, they switched over to a banana seat with a sissy bar...nothing available back then came close, plus you could fit 2 on the bike or slide back for a different riding position. Modern day cruiser seats tend to be even wider and more cushy and many that want that old time seat size and fit buy women's specific seats despite their gender. Nobody can really visibly tell the difference (between a men or women's saddle) unless they actually measure the seat/saddle. The main idea was to get an acceptable comfort level and a better fitting seat/saddle for their body. I've seen some people buy bent (aka "forward" and "fast forward") seat posts so they can position the seat to a better body position when the seat rail adjustment isn't enough...their body are one of those "inbetween" the typical available frame sizes and geometry and need the adjustment/flexibility.

Ive been using a hobson seat for going on two years now, and just love it, it is steping out of the box a ways, but that's me,i;ll try new things,this one works for me..(http://www.hobsonseats.com/)