Question about Saddles ??

[RoaringMad Mac]

When I purchased, my MTB I rode the first couple of days and of course my arse hurt pretty bad.

Well, I ordered a gel saddle that night and now since I have been back on my bike for the last couple of days the pain is going away. I should be recieving the saddle in the mail today. My question is would it be better to just keep my old saddle since it really is not bothering me anymore since my butt has gotten used to it again or should I change the seat out and try it to see if it is just as or more comfortable than the original saddle.

[Little Darwin]

Saddle pain comes from a few different elements.

One of them is width. If the saddle you have fits well now that you have adjusted to it, the new saddle may actually be less comfortable if it is a different width.

However, there is no way to tell which you would prefer until you try. Soft/gel isn't necessarily more comfortable.

[RoaringMad Mac]

Thanks little darwin.

I made a donation to your live strong campaign.

We have a similar thing going on our site for the American Cancer society. One of our members is doing a Relay for life challenge.

[CACycling]

Soft/gel isn't necessarily more comfortable.

+ 1
When we got my teenaged son a bigger MTB last fall, it had a very cushy and fairly wide saddle. It took him one ride to decide it was very uncomfortable. Ended up putting a firm BMX saddle on it and he's very comfortable even after 20 + miles in the saddle.

Also, positioning makes a huge difference. A very minor change in height, angle and/or fore/aft positioning can really change things. And body position ON the saddle is important as well. Too far forward or backward and the sit bones won't be properly supported regardless of the saddle width.

Experimenting is good just don't make too many changes at once or you won't know what made it better and what made it worse.

[Little Darwin]

Thanks little darwin.

I made a donation to your live strong campaign.

We have a similar thing going on our site for the American Cancer society. One of our members is doing a Relay for life challenge.

Thanks for the donation!!!

[ludeboy_77]

Time out of the saddle means the captains quarter will need to get used to and tempered to a bike saddle. I would give your saddle atleast a week of good riding before you decide to change it. I was off my road bike for over 10 years when I decided to get back on it, and the saddle felt like a torture device so I decided I needed a new one (with Gel of course). Well it turns out that my butt was now a wimp and the old saddle was infact as comfortable as it has always been. More padding and softer materials does not necessarily make a better bike seat, sometimes a firm skinny seat is the most comfortable ride.

[Cosmoline]

Once I went with Brooks, there was no going back. Gel, springy posts and all that other nonsense is pointless if you start with a QUALITY LEATHER SADDLE to begin with!