Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Chubby Butt = Sore Butt....Help

Ok, I admit it, I have a plump butt. Obviously, the more I ride, the smaller it gets...but I have a problem. I am sitting on my saddle properly, but being that I have so much tissue between my sit bones and the saddle, I get really sore. It is just the tissue between the bones and the saddle, so I really dont know what to do to remedy this. The saddle I have is pretty cheap looking. Doesnt have a brand or model number on it. Looks like some sort of a plastic leather imitation material. Padding is not super great. I imagine I need a new saddle to really fix the issue. Has anyone had a similar problem and found a saddle that works well?

Saddles are an extremely subjective thing in my opinion. You've just got to try a few until you find one that works. The more narrow and uncomfortable it looks, the more comfortable it is, in my experience.

1. Make sure your bicycle fits you.

2. Get a good saddle. I'd recommend a Brooks (mine is a Brooks B17), but there are other possibilities out there as well. Just don't go for a gel saddle, and do make sure that it is wide enough for your sitbones without being too wide.

3. You may wanted padded shorts, but make sure they aren't too padded.

4. When you sit, make sure you "perch" on your sitbones on the saddle. Suck in your abs, tuck your pelvis under a bit, and don't put your full weight on the saddle, put some weight on your feet too.

I have the same padding problem, and my Brooks saddle seems to work best so far for me.
There have also been a few interesting solutions from time to time. In an old book I found at the
library, someone fashioned a sling seat out of a drop bar and some canvas. He claimed to have ridden
quite a few miles on it comfortably.
I don't think I'll try it anytime soon, but it might be worth a shot if there's a real problem that would
otherwise keep you off the bike.

Yet another vote for Brooks. Keep in mind that for most people, it takes quite a few miles (50-100) to break in a leather saddle. More importantly, when it comes to saddles in general, what works for one person may not work for another.

So if a Brooks doesn't interest you or work out, you have two options:
1) Experiment with different saddles.
2) Add suspension to your bike (or use cushier tires).

Keep in mind that gel saddles may seem cushy and comfortable, but in the long run they put pressure on the perineum, which cuts off circulation and that will also cause discomfort and numbness.

How do you "try out" a new saddle? Do you just go out and buy it, ride it for 100 miles and see if it works, then get another one if it doesnt? That seems like an expensive endeavor to me. How can you go out and drop $125 on a saddle that you dont know if it will work.
I think I am gonna go with the Brooks b17. Also, might try lowering my bars a little bit.

use chamois cream, like assos or something

problem will be gone. done. nuff said.

How do you "try out" a new saddle? Do you just go out and buy it, ride it for 100 miles and see if it works, then get another one if it doesnt? That seems like an expensive endeavor to me. How can you go out and drop $125 on a saddle that you dont know if it will work.
I think I am gonna go with the Brooks b17. Also, might try lowering my bars a little bit.
I borrow friends' bikes for a mile or so to try out different saddles. :D

The shop at which I work has a 7 day saddle return policy. As long as the saddle hasn't been crashed or otherwise seen undue wear n' tear, we allow customers to exchange for a different saddle if they bring it back in a week. I think Wallbike has a pretty stellar return policy on Brooks stuff, too. Otherwise, kylejack's method seems like it'd work, assuming your friends aren't too much taller/shorter than you.

How do you "try out" a new saddle? Do you just go out and buy it, ride it for 100 miles and see if it works, then get another one if it doesnt? That seems like an expensive endeavor to me. How can you go out and drop $125 on a saddle that you dont know if it will work.
I think I am gonna go with the Brooks b17. Also, might try lowering my bars a little bit.

Wallingford Bicycles has a 6 month guarantee on their Brooks saddles ... if you don't like the saddle after 6 months, you can return it. I went with Wallingford Bicycles for my first Brooks.

use chamois cream, like assos or something

problem will be gone. done. nuff said.

That stuff only helps protect the skin from sweat or rain ... it does nothing to help with the comfort of a bicycle or a saddle.

Okay, Let's assume you have more padding than you want, that is not the real cause of your problem.

As stated you "may" need a good saddle, you may already own one.
Your saddle may be too Soft and you are sinking into it?
Are you wearing a "good" pair of bike shorts with a decent padding?
How many miles are you riding or put on that saddle? There is a break in period for every
butt that has not been conditioned to road saddles.

Finally, I switched to BODY GLIDE versus the usual chamois creame like Assos or Butt'r. Works almost all day, Hot or cold for upto 100 miles or more. Most creames breakdown do to sweat and moisture. The Body Glide works fine when wet and is actually used by Triathaletes for ease of getting into their wetsuits.

We are lacking some details to really help, but most suggestions are valid ones.

Rob

A Happy Butt is a Happy Cyclist

Saddles are an extremely subjective thing in my opinion. You've just got to try a few until you find one that works. The more narrow and uncomfortable it looks, the more comfortable it is, in my experience.

+1 to both ideas expressed here. Saddle selection is one of those subjects that can polarize a group as fast as asking "steel or titanium?" The right saddle is based on a rider's individual measurements, posture on the bike, and general ride characteristics. The same rider may have different saddles on different bikes with different setups.

I've got a friend who's bigger than me by nearly 70 pounds, and he rides this tiny little crack-hatchet Bontrager Race saddle. He tried a B-17 and ended up causing himself a lot of problems by trying to "break it in" and "ride through the pain". He swapped back to that little Bontrager and things are OK again.

Some people are saying stay away from gel. I'm not sure you can make such a blanket statement. For example, Stelle Italia has "gel flow" saddles that are very different than the standard gel saddles.

The solution to the problem is very simple. More and more frequent saddle time. The problem is that the tissues which you are compacting lose blood flow during said compaction. The lowered blood flow causes the pain. That's normal and not worrisome as long as it's just the tissues over your sit bones. In time, those tissues will respond to your abuse by becoming tolerant of decreased blood flow. You can speed up the process by riding some every day, if only for 30 minutes. More frequent riding helps more than longer rides. Increase the length of your long rides as your tissues become more tolerant. A different saddle may help or it may not.

What Machka says.

Also, yes, saddles that riders end up with are a result of some trial and error. I have a box full of errors under my workbench. Some of them have been lent out to others who are on the same Holy Quest. Eventually, they have been returned, with the Enlightened Rider now perched upon a Brooks.

As long as your basic setup and fit is good, a Brooks will eventually form to fit, like a baseball glove or a pair of boots. I've never had to use any kind of cream, salve, unguent or butt butter, no matter how long, hot or miserable the ride. And I sweat alot. A decent pair of riding shorts does the job. Even cheap ones work with a Brooks. Just make sure they are riding designed and not some form of messenger-boy corduroy jean type thing. Some people ride in street pants, but rarely, if ever, on a very long ride day after day.

You may want to try one of the sprung saddles made by Brooks but the B-17 is pretty nice the way it is.

http://www.wallbike.com/jpgs/b17standhoneyside.jpg

http://www.wallbike.com/jpgs/chflyhoneyside.jpg

The Flyer will be my next Brooks saddle. It'll go on my most recent MTB Commuter/Tourer conversion.