Fifty Plus (50+) - New to cycling, almost 49, and I have a Toupe saddle on my Tarmac, sooooo

for those that have been in a similar situation, how long did it take you to become accustomed to a seat like this one?

I haven't done too many miles on it yet, and so far it's not to bad, but I can imagine it will be hard on my 'assets' as I work my way up to doing more miles.

for those that have been in a similar situation, how long did it take you to become accustomed to a seat like this one?



;););)
Can't really comment on this as I don't think any one on this forum has problems with saddles. This will be confirmed by others that reply but Those thin Toupe saddles and a well padded butt are ideally suited to each other.

Could be that the butt is not well enough padded of course so plenty of pie and learn to ride out of the saddle a bit(Or a lot) more.


Give it at least a month- before reposting this "Old" Chestnut. New riders- new butts and a Stock saddle take some getting aclimatised to each other.

I took about 10 years off from riding and when I started back in the same saddle that I thought was just dandy before hurt my butt big-time. It took about 2-3 months of riding 2-3 times a week before I wasn't saddle sore on Sunday nights.

Get a recumbent. ;)

Get a recumbent. ;)

Naaa, cool bikes but just not me.... :D

Your butt will "harden" in time with consistent riding. We all keep in mind that not all saddles, no matter how well thought of by others, are good for each and every butt. After a few months, if you're still squirming around, might be time to try something else. Many of us have a box of old saddles in the garage that we've worked through till we found what works for us.

I tried the Toupe and just couldn't get comfy. Also Brooks leather (there, I've said the Word) and no good. And a few others. Ended up back on old Regals and my fave Max Flite. If you don't yet ride in an aggressive, down position, a broader saddle may well suit than a narrower one. Generally, less than 150mm wide across the rear is narrower, more than 150 is getting wider.

Saddles are intimately personal...you'll find a meaningful relationship perhaps with the Toupe-- or eventually something else. But, give her a chance...rocky honeymoons can still lead to long-wedded bliss.
Sometimes. ;)

Your butt will "harden" in time with consistent riding. We all keep in mind that not all saddles, no matter how well thought of by others, are good for each and every butt. After a few months, if you're still squirming around, might be time to try something else. Many of us have a box of old saddles in the garage that we've worked through till we found what works for us.

I tried the Toupe and just couldn't get comfy. Also Brooks leather (there, I've said the Word) and no good. And a few others. Ended up back on old Regals and my fave Max Flite. If you don't yet ride in an aggressive, down position, a broader saddle may well suit than a narrower one. Generally, less than 150mm wide across the rear is narrower, more than 150 is getting wider.

Saddles are intimately personal...you'll find a meaningful relationship perhaps with the Toupe-- or eventually something else. But, give her a chance...rocky honeymoons can still lead to long-wedded bliss.
Sometimes. ;)

CrossChain, this is great post and is very helpful. I've copied it to my list of cycling things to remember so that I can glance at it again when I'm sore and haven't yet given the saddle, or my back-side, enough time to form a meaningful relationship. :)

I ride an S-Works Roubaix with a Toupe on it. It's a great saddle for me. It is very likely that you'll have to spend some time on any saddle until you build a bit more "cycling muscle" on the backside. However, no saddle will sit well if the adjustment is not right. You want any pressure on the sit bones, not other bits and parts. Because the Toupe flexes, it is much more comfortable than most people think when just looking at it. If it were me, I'd give it a bit more time, miles, and make sure the adjustment is correct.

Toupe not a good saddle for me. Anything over 40 mi. & my sit bones cry "foul"!!! Now, I don't have a lot of padding on my bum, but liked the Toupe for the cutout that kept the "junk" from getting numb & that is a GOOD thing. On my "distance" bike I'm riding a Selle An-Atomica & it's been VERY comfortable for rides in excess of 100mi+, but it's a brick and add a fair bit of weight to the bike. On my climbing bike, trying to find the weight/comfort compromise, have got a Terry Fly carbon seat I bought on E-bay on the way to try. Meanwhile the Toupe will be on the chopping block...

I ride an S-Works Roubaix with a Toupe on it. It's a great saddle for me. It is very likely that you'll have to spend some time on any saddle until you build a bit more "cycling muscle" on the backside. However, no saddle will sit well if the adjustment is not right. You want any pressure on the sit bones, not other bits and parts. Because the Toupe flexes, it is much more comfortable than most people think when just looking at it. If it were me, I'd give it a bit more time, miles, and make sure the adjustment is correct.

BSLeVan, I think you left out a few words; were you saying not to have any pressure on the sit bones, or put all the pressure on the sit bones and none anywhere else?

I got fitted yesterday and the guy moved the seat forward a bit; I'm guessing he did that for the reason you’re suggesting, but I don't know if I had too much pressure or not enough pressure on those key areas.

Thanks for the advice.

On my climbing bike, trying to find the weight/comfort compromise, have got a Terry Fly carbon seat I bought on E-bay on the way to try. Meanwhile the Toupe will be on the chopping block...

PAlt, will you please post your findings after you've had time to check out the new Terry Fly saddle.

BSLeVan, I think you left out a few words; were you saying not to have any pressure on the sit bones, or put all the pressure on the sit bones and none anywhere else?

I got fitted yesterday and the guy moved the seat forward a bit; I'm guessing he did that for the reason you’re suggesting, but I don't know if I had too much pressure or not enough pressure on those key areas.

Thanks for the advice.

No I meant pressure, not weight. By pressure, I mean enough that you feel discomfort or even pain. You've got just three contact points with the bike: hands, feet and backside. You'll have varying amounts of weight distributed across all three of these with the most being on your backside. However, pressure is not good on the hands as it can cause all kinds of problems. Pressure on the feet can cause hot spots. Pressure on the sit bones generally doesn't do anything but be a pain in the but.

very few bike shop pros can completely fit you for your saddle. At best, it's a matter of getting you close to what will work best. What I find useful is to put my bike in a trainer and make adjustments this way. Because you're not dealing with the need to pay attention to the road, cars, hills, etc. you can fully attend to your actual comfort. I usually need about 10 to 15 minutes of riding with the saddle in one postion to actually settle in enough to know if it's a good setup. Once, I've got it nailed, I can ride all day. BTW, I have two used Terry Flys that I thought would be my ideal seat. They were good for about 1 to 1.5 hour rides. However, because they are so soft, anything over 1.5 hours got to be very uncomfortable. Your backside sinks down into the padding and eventually the circulation is slowed or perhaps even cut off. I think for longer rides you really do want to be up on top of the seat, not down in it....IMHO.

re: "Get a recumbent ;)"

Naaa, cool bikes but just not me.... :D

Me either. I was joking. Someone always suggests that at the first sign of someone experiencing any level of discomfort. I don't have one. I just wanted to beat them to the punch. :rolleyes:

The other thing someone always says is "get a Brooks". Actually, that has been a good solution for me, but like any other solution, it is not for everyone. As others have said, make adjustments and give your butt time to get used to being on any saddle before trying other saddles, let alone other types of bike.

I would give it a few hundred miles before I made a decision. What others think of saddles is meaningless, everyone is different and one persons comfy cushion is another person a** hatchet. The thing you should know is that after you have a bit of accumulated time/miles the saddle should not be uncomfortable, so if it is try something different until you find one that works for you.

Your backside sinks down into the padding and eventually the circulation is slowed or perhaps even cut off. I think for longer rides you really do want to be up on top of the seat, not down in it....IMHO.

BSLeVan, I wouldn't have thought about it this way but this makes so much sense.

I've only been on the seat for three days and it's really not that bad; either that or my mind is only focusing on the burning in my thighs. :o Boy, cycling sure uses a different set of leg muscles then inline skating.

for those that have been in a similar situation, how long did it take you to become accustomed to a seat like this one?

I haven't done too many miles on it yet, and so far it's not to bad, but I can imagine it will be hard on my 'assets' as I work my way up to doing more miles.

After getting some miles on your current saddle (which means your butt is getting more accustomed to sitting on a skinny seat for hours), consider a Brooks if you are still uncomfortable. I got one at the beginning of this year, and it's very comfortable now. It took over 1000 miles to break it in though, so make sure you're committed to it first.