Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - saddle ramblings with a poll

Longest ride was a metric century last year and I will do at least one century this year. I didn't train for my metric century and most parts of my body were hurting toward the end. I was also disappointed with how many times I stopped to stretch things out. A tech at work used to ride a lot and just got back into it. He highly recommends an "ergo" saddle because of numbness issues in his older age. These come in a variety of styles but are typically missing the long horn. My current saddle is a Fizik Rondine which is basically a piece of plastic that flexes on the wings. Its not bad for short rides so far. My 1st ride this year was Sunday and only 22mi and my sit bones still need some work.

So the poll is about saddle usage - what saddle and clothing combinations are typically used for centuries or touring? Don't think I'll be doing any brevets or racing so maybe indicate which you do if that is the reason for your combo. I have included 4 categories: comfort saddles, road saddles, ergo saddles, and Brooks saddles. I have already read numerous threads on love/hate for Brooks so no need to beat that dead horse. I am also curious as to why saddle horns are so long since it would seem to be an obvious conflict with the male anatomy. My other confusion is understanding why people need a hard saddle (typical road) that needs padded clothing to be bearable. Why not just get a comfortable saddle that doesn't require extra gear to use.

My other confusion is understanding why people need a hard saddle (typical road) that needs padded clothing to be bearable. Why not just get a comfortable saddle that doesn't require extra gear to use.

Like a Brooks? The thing I really like about my Brooks is that it conforms to my shape (mine is completely customized to me), it gives when I ride on rough roads, and I don't need to wear padded shorts or anything like that when I ride. :)


As for your other issues, are you sure your bicycle is set up properly for you?

1. A "comfort" saddle isn't. All the saddles I've seen advertised as such, had mushy soft padding that pushes up into your soft areas and causes problems. A saddle needs *firm* padding so it supports your weight on the sit bones.

2. The nose of the saddle is just there to keep the frame laterally positioned between your legs. If it is interfering with your male anatomy, then you have it tilted nose up too far.

get fit.

get a brooks if you think it might work.
break it in.

you don't need special shorts, but sometimes they make sense.
if you do need special shorts for short rides, you probably have some fit issues.

saddle 'horns'? (wtf is that?) saddles are long(er) to allow you to use your weight and legs to balance the bike. you couldn't ride a horse by sitting on a bench... and most people would have a hard time riding a bike sitting on a bench. body english comes into play even on the road (descending no handed, eating, taking off a jacket).

ride your bike
ride your bike
ride your bike

the gear will only get you so far, your body will have to do the rest - this means flexibility, cardio, bike specific muscle use group strengthening and stretching... etc. etc.

the fact that you 'didn't train' is a testament to both the pain you suffered, and the potential you have. you don't have to 'train' to ride a century - you just have to ride lots and be sure you eat and are comfortable. you'll have to train if you want to ride fast...

I selected Brooks and ergo - since I believe both apply to the Imperial. It is, by far the most comfortable saddle I've ever ridden on longer (2 hour +) rides.

I checked off padded shorts, but I prefer minimal padding. My favorite long-distance shorts have about 1mm padding and that's it. No fancy high-tech patterns or anything. Just minimal padding that (hopefully) wicks away the sweat.

Like a Brooks? The thing I really like about my Brooks is that it conforms to my shape (mine is completely customized to me), it gives when I ride on rough roads, and I don't need to wear padded shorts or anything like that when I ride. :)

As for your other issues, are you sure your bicycle is set up properly for you?
The shops nearby seem to be limited to the stand over fitting method along with stem adjustment and a "how does it feel?" Maybe if I showed up in kit it might be different. My last bike was ordered online strictly based on features so I experiment with fit instead of the shop.


<snip>
2. The nose of the saddle is just there to keep the frame laterally positioned between your legs. If it is interfering with your male anatomy, then you have it tilted nose up too far.
Fortunately my problem seems to be sit time, tipped the nose more down last winter when the riding was a little crazy.


get fit.
get a brooks if you think it might work.
break it in.

you don't need special shorts, but sometimes they make sense.
if you do need special shorts for short rides, you probably have some fit issues.

saddle 'horns'? (wtf is that?) saddles are long(er) to allow you to use your weight and legs to balance the bike. you couldn't ride a horse by sitting on a bench... and most people would have a hard time riding a bike sitting on a bench. body english comes into play even on the road (descending no handed, eating, taking off a jacket).

ride your bike
ride your bike
ride your bike

the gear will only get you so far, your body will have to do the rest - this means flexibility, cardio, bike specific muscle use group strengthening and stretching... etc. etc.

the fact that you 'didn't train' is a testament to both the pain you suffered, and the potential you have. you don't have to 'train' to ride a century - you just have to ride lots and be sure you eat and are comfortable. you'll have to train if you want to ride fast...
horns=nose, will remember. Short rides in regular clothing not a problem. Haven't tried a long ride without padded shorts. Really do need to start some sort of regimen, most of my rides are spur of the moment. The body english thing makes sense I guess. Maybe the tech will let me borrow his so I can feel the difference. The Brooks is priced midway between the ergos and hi tech road saddles so I will give that a try.

The shops nearby seem to be limited to the stand over fitting method along with stem adjustment and a "how does it feel?" Maybe if I showed up in kit it might be different. My last bike was ordered online strictly based on features so I experiment with fit instead of the shop.


OK, so you've never had the bicycle fit to you. The first step to bicycle comfort is to make sure the bicycle fits. Make sure the saddle height is right. Make sure the saddle fore/aft is correct. Make sure the handlebar height is right for you. Etc.

This is a page of a collection of articles which might be useful to you. Others may be able to provide some additional information.
http://www.cyclemetrics.com/Pages/FitLinks/bike_fit_links.htm

The "padding" in bike shorts really isn't padding. It is there mostly to absorb sweat and to provide a contoured, smooth interface between your butt and the saddle.

Consider also the Selle An-Atomica Titanico.

The "padding" in bike shorts really isn't padding. It is there mostly to absorb sweat and to provide a contoured, smooth interface between your butt and the saddle.

Consider also the Selle An-Atomica Titanico.

i agree there is some nuance around "padding" - i have some Performance shorts that have a thin (1-2mm?) layer of chamois fabric, and a pair of Ibex wool knickers that have the modern 3-4mm(?) of padding with different layers of foam-type-substance, that does provide a little padding (as well as dealing with sweat).

i don't consider my Performance shorts to have "padding," but they aren't exactly jean shorts either.

when i first rode on a brooks (b17 & swift) with the padded shorts it felt strange and made me rock back and forth. but you can get used to it.

that said, now that it's warmer i can't wait to get back into those Performance shorts.

btw anyone know of companies that make shorts w/ the "classic" chamois & no real "padding"?

btw anyone know of companies that make shorts w/ the "classic" chamois & no real "padding"?

I just saw this recently:

http://www.kucharikclothing.com/

When you order, there is a pull-down tab to select synthetic or real chamois.
They also have real wool items.

e) none of the above. Recumbent with highly reclined fiberglass hardshell seat, minimal padding. Wear cycling clothing, but the pad in the shorts is superfluous (sp?).

SP
Bend, OR
RUSA #3481

Brooks with padded shorts for most of my riding.

I've got 2 bikes with B-17 saddles and one with a B-17 Imperial (with the cutout center). I can comfortably do 30 - 40 miles on any of them without padded clothes, and quite often ride my crusier with just a plain old pair of cotton shorts.
When I'm riding 100k or more I like stereotypical "cycling clothes"; padded lycra bib shorts, etc. The padding in the shorts is minimal, and placed where it is effective and comfortable. This is in sharp contrast to the padding in a "comfort" saddle, which is typically over-stuffed and too large, which puts pressure on all the surrounding soft tissue.

So far the results are Brooks vs Road 5:2 while padded vs no pad has Brooks at 7:3 and Road at 11:1.
That says a lot for versatility.
Starting to shop for a B17. Think I'm going through a phase of preferring natural materials to synthetics (plastic) anyway.

I checked the "comfort" saddle, which is actually just the cruiser saddle that came on my Worksman cruiser. It's not one of of those Jello-filled things.

The cheap mountain bike I bought a couple of years ago had a narrow uncomfortable saddle. I assumed it was uncomfortable because it was narrow. Turns out, it was uncomfortable because it was a cheap crummy saddles- I've tried other saddles almost the same size that were way better.

Everyone's got their own idea of what makes a good saddle, and a poll doesn't help, really. You need one that's comfortable for you, not the average forumer. You might be the only one in the forums using the saddle that works best for you.

You don't really need the nose. I have a buddy who rides a noseless saddle and does 1200s very nicely. He says it's not an issue. That said, I still prefer a nose. I like to rest it against my leg or clamp it between when standing on rough descents.

I just got a new Specialized Avatar, so far the only nosed saddle that doesn't make me numb, no matter how long I'm on it. I thought about the paddingless Toupe but looking online, the comfort limit seemed to be only 3 hours for most folks.

I like padded shorts. I think they give with your body a bit to insulate you from the saddle. I particularly like those with no or little padding in the center (numbness, again) and the new stretchy pads that are bonded rather than sewn to the shorts, so the pad moves with your body.

I didn't read the thread, but I think the original post is pretty goofy. Trying to simplify why a saddle or shorts work or fail is little more complex than the OP wants to acknowledge.

Vasoline petroleum jelly will mitigate most situations.

100% of my long rides have been with a Selle Italia Flite saddle -- I have the same exact saddle on 4 bikes. :D

I ride with different kinds of shorts (mostly made by Pearl and Canari) that have a decent chamois in them. What's worked for me is to mix up the shorts regularly. They each have a different feel and the seams are in different places -- moves the wear and tear on your butt around. I'm also vigilent about keeping things clean: one ride of any length and the shorts get washed (I wouldn't think I'd have to say this, but you'd be surprised by what goes on out there...). On any ride longer than 400K, I put fresh shorts on during the ride.

I stay away from butt creams.

While riding, I move around in the saddle a lot. On the flats, I'll stand every few miles for 10 or 20 revolutions. On most hills, I'll climb out of the saddle for a bit. I move around on my bars a lot, too -- tops, drops, hoods, and tri-bars (both in the bars and with hands on the pads). Moving the angle of your upper body around will put pressure on different parts of your butt. Don't be a zombie just sitting in one position on the seat all the time.

Never been sore. Never had any kind of skin breakdown.

Of course, like Machka said, everything begins with a properly fitting bike.

Trying to simplify why a saddle or shorts work or fail is little more complex than the OP wants to acknowledge.



I agree with this, but I also like to read a sequence of opinions.