Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Alternative bike seats?

A friend (no, really) is having a lot of trouble adapting to his traditional bike seat. Without going into excessive detail, he's complaining that the nose of the saddle "rocks" his world too much.

He's tried padded shorts and a gel saddle cover, but things are still unhappy.

Does anybody have any experience with alternative bike seats like the Derri-Air, Spiderflex, "The SEAT", et al.?

Wow I had a friend who was wondering this very thing. If this friends sits way forward then it seems better, but sitting normal starts crushing things as he pedals.

He might need to adjust the nose of the saddle down slightly. Too much and it puts a lot of weight on your hands. This is hard to do with a single bolt seatpost as the serations make it hard to get right so I always switch to a two bolt post to be able to make very minor adjustments.

The gel padding will just increase the bulk in that area and exacerbate the problem. Get rid of all the gel stuff and play with the seat positioning. If you are talking about butt pain (and not crushed items) then look into a new saddle.

I had the same trouble until I started reading about bike fitting. Check the seat height. Make sure the seat is level. Check the reach. If you have to reach too far forward to grab the bars you will tend to migrate forward on the seat. Make sure your friend feels his sit bones on the seat. If they tend to slide off, he's in the wrong place on the bike. Also check to see if the bars are high enough. If you are leaning too far down you can crush things.

If those things don't help then there are split seats that take the pressure off. I had the typical numbness problem and it only took about 20 minutes on the bike to do it...before I adjusted the seat. The stock seat on my bike was a gel seat. I tried several others including a rounded over rock that "they" seem to recommend. I still can't ride more than a few miles on it. The gel worked better. My new bike has a split seat and no problem.

John

the center of the seat should be about level with the road, or slightly tilted forward ... i keep mine, where the nose area is down, the middle is flat .. and the back is raised up ...

i also installed a seatpost with more offset to get the fit better ...

sounds like his seat is just tilted to far to the back ...

Is your friend tall? I'm tall--6'4"--and I've found that to get the sitting part of the seat comfortable I have to tilt the seat up, but then the front bit is a bit too friendly with my neitherbits. I'm picking up a layback seat post from my lbs today so that I can move the seat farther back which is what I suspect to be the real problem for me.

A friend (no, really) is having a lot of trouble adapting to his traditional bike seat. Without going into excessive detail, he's complaining that the nose of the saddle "rocks" his world too much.

He's tried padded shorts and a gel saddle cover, but things are still unhappy.

Does anybody have any experience with alternative bike seats like the Derri-Air, Spiderflex, "The SEAT", et al.?

I don't have experience, but from what I've read, the nose of the saddle adds to the stability of the rider on the bike. So noseless saddles seem to be already at a disadvantage.

What's a traditional bike seat? I have a straight flat seat on my roadie (Terry Fly with cutout). Very comfy IMO.

Then I have a moutain bike saddle on my other roadie. A WTB saddle which has a curved/swoosh type surface like most mtb saddles. I like the bend as it acts sort of like and ergo bend which feels molded to my tush.

Has he tried different style or the the stock saddle only? It takes trying more than just one style and /or brand. Several saddles look the same but don't feel the same. One area most new riders are not willing to deal or know how to deal with. Because one saddle doesn't work, they stereotype them all together.

Actually a pain in the butt as far as effort and time but well worth it when you find the right one.

Plus like the other posters mentioned, the nose is very helpful with stability AND balance! Heck, I can ride for miles with no hands. Big plus when it comes to on the bike stretching, relaxing or the need to shake a bee out of the helmet...or take pictures!:eek:

I have to recommend the BG Comfort Plus Saddle by specialized. I had a saddle that made me really sore. Since I have used this saddle, no problems. If this seat doesn't work for him, try making a deal with the local John Deer salesman for a tractor seat.

Perhaps I was too subtle in my description of the problem.

His complaint is that his penis and testicles move when he rides, shifting from one side to the other as he pedals.

in that case, he needs to learn how to tuck everything in a better place and some tighter shorts to hold the boys in place makes a difference as well.

Perhaps I was too subtle in my description of the problem.

His complaint is that his penis and testicles move when he rides, shifting from one side to the other as he pedals.


Hehehe, I think that happens to most riders. Wear tight shorts (reason for spandex). After you sit, I manually adjust myself. I have to pull the goods up to the top so that they sit up for a good view of the ride while avoiding getting crushed like a grape at a winery.:eek:... The tight fitting spandex hold them in place. If you wear oversized or baggy shorts, you're in for shifting problems, and not the derailleur kind! Though it can be a bit tough when I look down for the waterbottle only to get poked in the eye. OK, not really.

Some riders turn the nose of the seat a little to the right or the left allowing the junk to fall to one side. I did it before, seems to work well. Not sure why but lately I've seemed to have repositioned it straight ahead again.:thumb:

His seat is too high or his boys are hanging a little to loosely.

It must be the seat he has. I ride a mountain bike and I most wear mesh shorts and boxers when I ride. Just have to adjust the "junk" when you start riding to get it in the right spot.

i rode on a derri-air once and it was kinda nice, it was because i was borrowing a bike and could not change it thought. 75 miles made the bottom sore, but less than 20 was ok.

I think the one problem I have isn't the boys being in the wrong place, but the space between the butt and nut, getting a little too sore (go ahead, chuckle away). Anything I should look for? Maybe a hornless or a bench style seat like you guys were talking about?

I believe that the seat is too high and his hips must be rocking back and forth causing more friction for the boys. If the hips are stable the netherregions in between will not move back and forth.

http://www.derri-air.com/moon-seat.htm Designed to aide in the relief of the groin area. A little pricey, but if you want comfort, there ya go.

I think the one problem I have isn't the boys being in the wrong place, but the space between the butt and nut, getting a little too sore (go ahead, chuckle away). Anything I should look for? Maybe a hornless or a bench style seat like you guys were talking about?

If you're already wearing padded shorts I'd say give a specialized body geometry saddle a shot. When I went from climbing a lot to staying in the saddle on the flats I bought a Specialized Toupe and it solved the problem.

Hehehe, I think that happens to most riders. Wear tight shorts (reason for spandex). After you sit, I manually adjust myself. I have to pull the goods up to the top so that they sit up for a good view of the ride while avoiding getting crushed like a grape at a winery.:eek:... The tight fitting spandex hold them in place.:

:thumb:

I really like the look of the Specialized saddles, but I still don't think anything with a horn will help me in my needs. I still think that I should go with something that gives me support under the butt, and not in between. Something like the Derri-Air Moon Seat, or even the Easy Seat.

For the OP, I think the Derri-Air Horseshoe Seat would be best. http://www.derri-air.com/horseshoe-seat.htm

The friend in the OP ended up ordering a Spiderflex. http://www.spiderflex.com/

It'll be interesting to see how he likes it. I'll give a report after it comes in.

Perhaps I was too subtle in my description of the problem.

His complaint is that his penis and testicles move when he rides, shifting from one side to the other as he pedals.

Tape the boys up. Lower the seat.

Get some bike shorts. If things move too much, get a smaller size.

I think the one problem I have isn't the boys being in the wrong place, but the space between the butt and nut, getting a little too sore (go ahead, chuckle away). Anything I should look for? Maybe a hornless or a bench style seat like you guys were talking about?

I fully understand your situation. Let's see, I've tried a Cloud 9, a Serfas RX, a Schwinn noseless seat, a Specialized Expedition, and a few others. I've tried hard saddles and soft saddles. I found that the soft saddles (seats) made the problem worse rather than better. I recently bought a Specialized Milano (NOT the Milano Gel), and I really think that I have found the right saddle for me. It is a little wider (175 mm) to accomodate my wider sit-bones, and I finally feel like I'm being properly supported. The Serfas RX was close, but I could still tell that the seat was just a bit too narrow. Ok for short stuff, but not for longer rides.

And I agree with some of the other people who have posted on this topic. Lower the seat a bit, and stay away from the softer "comfort" saddles. If you're looking to ride for any distance other than just down the street, look for a saddle which will "support" you rather than one you sink in to. Makes a HUGE difference.

I'll look at the Milano. Thanks

The friend in the OP ended up ordering a Spiderflex. http://www.spiderflex.com/

It'll be interesting to see how he likes it. I'll give a report after it comes in.

He hated it - sent it right back. Said it was way too hard, and he kept slipping off. (Now maybe he'll try the padded shorts I lent him...)

I tried a SMP Selle Stryke, which has a nose that is tilted down. I found it to be very comfortable. On the bike, it felt the same, except the boys had much more room.

I tried a SMP Selle Stryke, which has a nose that is tilted down. I found it to be very comfortable. On the bike, it felt the same, except the boys had much more room.

I saw the Selle SMP Strike Martin Touring Saddle on cbike.com, and it is very intriguing. It has the deep groove that I liked on the Serfas saddle I had tried, and has the width I need. Might be worth a look.

An update on the Milano saddle. I'm returning it. Maybe I should have tried he gel version. While I like the width, it has proven to be a bit hard for my riding position (upright). The search goes on.

Brooks, B-17 or champion flyer, my backside has been happy every since I got mine. I found out an easy way to break them in. I put a lot of proofide on it. Then went for a 60 mile ride with some friends. It rained like crazy that morning and by the end of the day the seat was great. So, proofide it then put water on it and ride about 10 miles. Brooks seat need to be angled up more in the nose than the rest do but it puts your sit bones in the right location. The boys thanked me later for the switch to brooks.:thumb:

Man, I have two of these and I love them.. I used to have a problem with considerable numbness in the crotch area and this alleviated the problem completely. Very comfortable and takes some getting used to but I enjoy riding on them and can go forever on it. (If my legs don't wear out first).