Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - extra large saddle- more uncomfortable than skinny one?

hello,
i have bought a new extra lare "fat arse" saddle and to be honest it is more painful than a skinny one that came with the bike!..i feel as if my legs are going numb cos i am sat on my thighs ..anyone else suffered this....should i get a brookes
cheers
Mark
uk

My LBS lets me try saddles a day or so befor I buy one ! I ended up with a XL fat arse one and loved it !! But am switching to smaller on my new bike for spring I have smaller on a Jamis I have and it feels fine . All saddles are just diffrent . Everyones sit bones are diffrent you just have to find what works for you AND BE SURE YOU WHOLE BIKE IS PROPERLYY SET AND FIT TO YOU . I even got a Brooks but don't care for it much .

I use a wide saddle because that's what came on my bike, and it works fine for me. But I know I've seen other people heartily recommend against them, so I assume there's a lot of people for whom it doesn't work.

I had one skinny saddle that was uncomfortable, and assumed it was because it was skinny. Turned out, no, it was because it was cheap and poorly made, etc.

I really prefer the thin.. the fat ones are really uncomfortable IMO

I have a thin hard saddle as well, it does flex though.

I rode a Selle San Marco Aspide Saddle ($90)for a while and didn't like it. I went back to my cheapo E3 Form Gel $30 and I'm much more comfortable.

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=25279&subcategory_ID=5210
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=20854&subcategory_ID=5210

Unfortunately, if you ride much, the cushy padding will cut off circulation in your pubic bone area as you squish down into it, and the wide platform will end up chafing the skin on the inside of your thighs. If you don't ride much, no problem.

It's usually much better to let your pubic bone area get used to a harder saddle, in the long run. If you're a big guy, I wouldn't recommend the narrowest, lightest racing saddles, but something in between. The hardness and just the right width is why a Brooks B17 works well for so many people. You need hardness on a platform that gives a little overall (which the suspended leather does).

On a Crank Forward (Rans) the seats are large size. Tilting the front of the seat down some may relieve pressure on the thighs. Try a couple of adjustments before you give up.

Not an expert but my observation - if you sit upright on your bike and pedal slowly (a cadence less than 50), a wide saddle will work. If and when you feel more comfortable to ride lending over, in the drops and your peddle stroke increases, that wide saddle will tear you up. Just imagine constantly rubbing the inside of your legs against the saddle... that said, there are comfortable skinny saddles and ones that are like razors. Alot of skinny saddles come with cut outs which helps eliminate sitz bone pain etc. As big as I am I like a skinny saddle, just alot less to chaff between my legs.

thanks for all the great advice
mark

Wow that's wide!:D.....Gina used a saddle made by Velo for years. One of the wider lycra covered types. Would never take my advice to try a roadie saddle, if even a cofort roadie saddle. She finally did and amzed at the difference. From 40 semi painful rides to 80 mile cofy rides. Big difference.

She rode her roadie with the lycra seat last weekend as we had a threat fo rain. After a 40 and 25 mile weekend rides, she complained. Then on Saturday we did a 51 miler. Near the end of the ride she said," I'm amazed at the difference in saddles". He had aboslutely no discomfort after the 51 but remembers the painful shorter rides the weekend before.:thumb:

I use the Terry Fly (mens). I did a century on the first ride right out of the box with no discomfort.

strangely I also use the Terry fly... the women's version. It's a good saddle.

hello,
i have bought a new extra lare "fat arse" saddle and to be honest it is more painful than a skinny one that came with the bike!..i feel as if my legs are going numb cos i am sat on my thighs ..anyone else suffered this....should i get a brookes
cheers
Mark
uk

A lot of people measure their hips and think they need a wide as can be saddle, and such saddles can be good if your rides are fairly short, and you ride an upright bicycle like an old English 3 speed. However as you get into a more aggressive bicycle and ride longer distances, then you need a narrower saddle. My wife keeps asking for a saddle like the one in your photo, I keep telling her, that if she would ride more then 2km twice a year, then she would get used to the saddle on her bike and she wouldn't need the extra wide saddle. I may get her one anyway, the bike needs a new seat post, the one on there has a bolt that is used to adjust the angle, and I have put all my weight behind tightening that sucker and it still flops around on short order. I know that Thompson seat posts are the best, but I am not spending more on a seat post then we spent on the bicycle!

I need to measure the diameter , then take that with me to [URL="http://www.bicycleshowtoronto.com/html_pages/springshow.html"]The Toronto Spring Bike Show/URL] in March and see if I can get a reasonable post for a reasonable price, the old one is one of the chromed structural steel ones, but that bolt is driving me nuts..... I need to get a couple of chains and a couple of tires, so I will try to pick that stuff up at the show, maybe an 8 speed cassette for mine, but that needs special tools so I need to wait until I can ride down to the bicycle rental shop place in the spring to install the chain on mine..... I may need to drag my wife to the show to help carry stuff on the bus home :D

Wide saddles can be uncomfortable but soft ones are the worst. When I returned to cycling it was on a fairly firm 6 1/2" wide saddle with center cutout on an old MTB. Never gave me any issues as I went from 5 miles rides to 25 mile rides and logged over 1,000 miles on it. Switched to road bikes with racing saddles and knew they would not be comfortable. Surprise! I love my E3 Form Ti and my Selle San Marco. Got back on the MTB after riding the road saddles for a couple thousand miles and that 6 1/2" wide saddle felt like I was sitting in a recliner.

As for seat posts, Niagara Cycle Works sells Pro Max alloy posts with micro-adjust clamps in a lot of sizes in black or silver for a little over $10. They are decent posts and the clamp works fine. Not sure about shipping costs to Canada but it might be worth a look.

IMHO..Yes.
Unless you ride upright (english roadster style) the main part you need support under are your sit bones.
Positioning the saddle makes all the difference (to me anyway).
I have the nose on the road bikes tilted slightly downward.

516 miles last week on this one.
3056 miles ytd

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=&sku=21969&storetype=estore&estoreid=1530&pagename=Estore%3A%20Save%20at%20Least%2072%25%20for%2072%20Hours%20on%2072%20Items

strangely I also use the Terry fly... the women's version. It's a good saddle.

Butterfly!:D.......I saw a pink one at Sport Chalet about a month ago for $25!:eek:. I think they were trying to get rid of everything. Usually the pink on is over $100. If I were a gal, I would have bought it!:D

See I think most gals wouldn't buy a pink saddle - there is a reason it's on sale...

Anyone think a wider saddle might be contributing to hip pain also? I also use a wider saddle on my Hybrid, but have slowly been progressing in my endurance, cadence, and speed. And, of course, weightloss. The pain isn't very bad, just noticeable at this point. Anyone think it could be the saddle, or is it just a fitting, or body alignment/fitting issue? (I'm starting to slowly ride in more of a crouch also. Most of the time I do it unconsciously).

Just thinking out loud since you didn't describe the hip pain. I think a wider saddle could cause hip pain because if the width is causing your legs to be wider then what would be normal I think it could cause hip pain. Think of straddling a barrel and then reaching in with your feet to peddle, the seat could be a pivot point.

I like my saddles like I like my arse narrower/slimmer rather then wider.:p

I put one of those fat, cushy saddles on my bike when I bought it last year. Caused more numbness and pain than I would have ever thought.

A wider saddle definitely could be a contributor to hip pain. A bike has to be pedaled. If you have to do it over a wide saddle, it affects seat height, and it makes you waddle from side to side as you're doing it. Fine for cruising the local neighbourhood, but for any real riding, you need a saddle you can straddle, not one you sit on.

For me I think I can tentatively say that wider saddles (even 155) tend to give me very crampy hamstrings. The wide saddle is also pretty soft, so the cramps could also be due to the softness factor. Terry Fly Gel is my favorite saddle so far, though I find it a bit firm. My search for saddle perfection continues: a B-17 is on order though I do worry about its width. Time will tell...

Please, please lose the wedge saddle before you do yourself a permanent injury or give up cycling because of it.

Good summary thread - http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?p=6477761

Saddles are like shoes - always try before you buy and reject any that cause numbness/discomfort/pain at any stage in the ride.


Any Specialized dealer should have the Body Geometry Fit System that actually measures your personal sit-bones width:
http://www.specialized.com/OA_MEDIA/specs/saddlefitgauge.jpg
. . . and they have varying widths of BG saddles to accomodate you and your riding style:
http://www.specialized.com/OA_MEDIA/specs/saddlewidths.gif
http://www.specialized.com/OA_MEDIA/specs/BGsaddlewidthchart.gif

That's the only quantifiable means I know to get close - - the rest is (literally) seat-of-the-pants evaluations. But maybe it will help. Personally I can't stand the Body Jihad line; but that is just me; YMMV.