Road Cycling - advice for new saddle

I'm still very new to riding and have only been riding since last fall. My problem has been with the saddle. The one it came with was a "specialized" piece of junk. It did nothing for me after a half an hour of riding. I decided after much research to purchase a selle italia flite (original kevlar.) Unfortunately this saddle is punishing me on my trainer. After 20 minutes I start to get a significant pain on my sit bones.

My question is about body types and saddles that are geared to meet those bodies needs. I have a fairly large but and hips in relation to my body. Is it possible that these saddles I'm using are designed for a narrower build? What about serfas or MTB. Do they support wider backsides? I know serfas is mainly a womens saddle (which makes me think they offer a wider comfort zone.) Perhaps I'm all wrong. Please share with me some insight. Thanks, James

James,
2 words, Brooks B17.
Its a fairly wide saddle, very supportive takes a bit
of patience getting it set up right. Then takes a while
getting it fully broken in.
Wallingford Bikes has a 6 month no questions asked
full refund if you don't like it warranty. find them at
http://www.wallbike.com/index.php
The pain after 20 minutes is probably due to your
being new to riding, takes time to adjust/build callous (just kidding) give it a while. The Flite is a narrow saddle,
if your wide you may be sitting on soft tissue not sit bones.
Marty

I don't know squat about saddles but I have an OCR and a SLK that are both fine on the road but a little rough on the trainer.

Paul

Selle Italia "Flite"

Koobi AU Enduro. Never thought again about discomfort after getting this saddle. 3 Hour rides feel just the same as 15 minute rides...

saddles are a tough thing. and a personal, individual thing. if i didn't have a friend who gave me his old selle italia flite and i rode it for a couple of seasons then bought a new one last season and love it.

but i probably would have thought that it looked overrated and not forked over the money had i needed to make a decision blindly.

I know you'r gonna hear the Brooks blablabla, but I now have a team pro Brooks and am sooo happy! :D

Yes, if you have wide sit bones, some of the racier types of sadles will KILL you! If your pelvis is a little wide for a man, like me, you will be much more comfortable on a wider, firmer saddle.

hahahaha (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3656754351&category=22693)

wouldn't sit on it with mine...

fssb
sparky

I actually like the body geometry saddles... I bought one aftermarket...

How many miles have you put on your bike recently? You might not have built up your butt muscles enough to be comfortable on the bike.

Fizik Arione...longest saddle made and is the saddle most of the Saeco guys ride (like Simoni and Astraloa when he was a Saeco guy)..it's on my R3000 and man is it nice.

I actually like the body geometry saddles... I bought one aftermarket...

.I'll second that. I have BG saddles on both my bikes.

I have a new Fizik Arione and have put 300 miles on it - some 2 hours plus (really like it so far). The extra length does allow for different seating positions. Had a Terry Fly Gel and found it got uncomfortable after a couple of hours. Gel and my bum don't get along so well after hours in the saddle.

Don't be too concerned about saddle soreness. Once you build your butt muscles this should go away. Give it some time.

Be concerned about numbness in your privates. Every saddle I owned did this. I researched and saw no one with a Brooks saddle reported numbness. I bought one and can say that I have had no numbness even after a 100 mile ride. I have a Brooks B17 narrow and my next saddle (many, many years from now) will be a Brooks saddle too.

Scott

I had an ancient leather saddle on my road bike that my butt had known for twenty years. They were very happy together and it was used on three different bikes. and then some dickhead stole it.

A friend gave me two low end Selle Italias (his garage has more stuff then most LBSs). Put one on road bike, never felt right. Bought a Brooks. No better but damnit it was not cheap so I rode the sucker. Trashed nameless saddle on MTB so thought what the hell and put a Selle on it. Felt good. Hmmm. Tried the other Selle again on roadie again. Not good. Hmmm. Matched the tilt, height, fore-aft on MTB as best I could. Rode 10. Felt pretty good. Tweaked it 2 mils fwd. Feels even better. 2hrs is pleasant now. No numbness. I'll probably buy another seatpost, match the Selle position exactly and give the Brooks another whirl, just becasue I'm stubborn.

Moral. Take a lot of short rides to toughen your tail and try tiny saddle tweaks before you give up on one.

I have a new Fizik Arione and have put 300 miles on it - some 2 hours plus (really like it so far). The extra length does allow for different seating positions. Had a Terry Fly Gel and found it got uncomfortable after a couple of hours. Gel and my bum don't get along so well after hours in the saddle.

You rode 300 miles in two hours? :eek:

You da man!! :beer:

That's almost as fast as "Indy Speed"!!

:D

Thanks for all the replies. Sounds like Brooks is a crowd pleaser. As for the amount of miles I've put on so far, I'd say around 250miles. I am glad to hear that a trainer can be more uncomfortable than a real ride. I should have mentioned that while on the trainer I do work onsitting up straight, something I would not be doing while on the road. Thanks again!

Roadwarrior, not only that but I did it backwards and upside down!!

For Roadwarrior; how did you know I was at Indy? You must have good eyes as I shoud have been a blurr among those Indy cars. I lied in my previous post - it was Little Al and Michael that were backward and upside down. Had them, on my Lemond chasis, into the final laps when my motor gave out (it's a 1938 model - very old and tired)!

After 25 some odd years last year (2002) I finally switched back to leather Brooks Swift with TI rails and once again I'm happy after misery on at least a dozen saddles. Remember saddles are like shoes, leather shoes break in to your feet, while you would not want to try to break in plastic or carbon fiber shoes! Saddles made of plastic or CF are asking that your butt breaks into them-and that can be painful.

There is one new saddle that everyone that I ever heard that tried it liked called the Flow but I have not tried that one.

I agree on the Brooks swift with TI rails, bought one from http://www.permaco.com Best price with good service too.

I have a brooks finese with ti rails. I had to get a differant seatpost for more tilt and setback. I have the nose tilted up, of all things, and it's comfortable, still a little hard but I had one before and I know it's just going to get better. The finese is the womens model and seems a little short. I don't know why the make womens models short, it seems like guys are the ones with the extra baggage! I still like it though

The mens saddle needs to be longer to support the
extra baggage. 1 or 2 degree's of tilt (up at the nose)
is the way to go with these.

Marty