Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Saddle selection help

Im a decent sized guy- 5'10" and 240 Lbs or so.

I had a 17" Trek 7100 and the saddle was ok- bike to small.

Now I have a 2010 Giant Cypress. The saddle is to wide (I think) and it cuts into my legs and makes them sore and sometimes numb. For instance if I go out and do 12 miles tonight then tomorrow I will be sore and can maybe do 4 miles tops.

I need a new saddle but dont know where to start.

To be very blunt my hind end is that of a thin man. I have no butt- just bone and muscle...

There has to be an optimum solution out there. I dont want to go on a $50 a seat hunt though... I hope to just buy one and be done!

Check to see if your LBS has a Fizik demo saddle program. A little pricey....but I love my Arione. I would pay the money I did for mine again in a heartbeat.

I got lucky and after testing *only* the Arione, I found it was the saddle for me

Ryan

Given the style of bike you have, you might want to look at a Selle Royale
Premium Freccia + Light
http://www.selleroyal.com/Saddle_Detail.aspx?c=5107HRC
It is very reasonably priced, has a longer narrow nose and is slightly wider near the rear which is nice for a more upright riding position. IMO

I have one on a Hybrid / Urban style bike and it does not interfere in any way with my legs as the style of your bike seat tends to do.

Lots of Leather saddle shapes , just in the Brooks range.. B17 is popular ..

When I grow up I want a Brooks... but until then I've had good experience with both of these saddles:

http://www.terrybicycles.com/product/detail/2155200/-/liberator-y-saddle-1
http://www.serfas.com/product_details.asp?ID=5

I love my Selle Italia XO Trans AM. Cheap and comfy


http://www.wekeepyoucycling.com/en/p-316-selle-italia-xo-transam-saddle.aspx

Do you still have your Trek? If so, you could cannibalize the saddle from it before you sell it and replace it with your Giant's saddle.

Thanks for all of the replies!

The trek is long gone- so no stealing of the seat.

We only ride paved surfaces- mainly the bike trail. I am not a speed demon- we tend to cruise 12-15 mph area. Distances range from 4-12 mile common trips. Occasional 26 miles.

I was originally looking at a Planet Bike A.R.S. Mens Standard
http://ecom1.planetbike.com/5020.html

Some of the suggested saddles look good also. I will admit I dont think Ive heard of any of those brands though!?

Hard decision!

Get your sit bones measured, this will put you closer to the correct saddle size instead of just guessing.

Personally, my fanny doesn't really have a problem with any saddle, so far, it has been just a matter of the saddle tilt and position (vertically and horizontally). So try changing the tilt and position before spending money.

There are a lot of saddle choices. The ones most recommend that I see are Brooks, Terry, WTB, and Body Geometry. See if your LBS will let you try out saddles.

I looked at the PB ARS standard saddle. I really don't know how that gel over foam over an unknown base will work out. Unless you get the tilt right it looks like you would be sliding forward.

This brings me to another point. You have adjusted the saddle height, tilt, and fore/aft position on your current saddle and are still experiencing pain?

Good advice above - get your sit bones measured (I think Specialized dealers have a pad you sit on that leaves an impression - mine's 115 MM).

Check the Trek archives? Find out what seat was on your old bike?

Maybe a comfortable saddle is an impossible goal for some riders? I had tried 6 saddles. The best was a Specialized Avatar 123 (the correct size for my sit bone size, according to the fitter). I tried an Avatar 143 and it felt much, much better, so much so that after a 5-mile spin I paid the $90. After a while I find I am still uncomfortable frequently, I often need to re-position myself, and I often like to coast with my fanny elevated. So it's better, but I'm sure not satisfied yet. I always believed that I should just HTFU, but I've ridden 2,000 miles in the 13 weeks I've been riding. I sat on a demo bike with an Arione saddle (fantastic reviews) and thought it seemed dreadful. I hope someday I happen on a seat that works perfectly, but in the meantime I ride and "adjust."

Good luck.

I tried that Planet Bike A.R.S. one and I found *for me* it was too squishy. It kinda collapsed under my weight leading to soft tissue pain even though it was wide enough for my sit bones. I weigh 190-195 so if you weigh more it may be even worse for you. But you're a guy and anatomy's not the same... so you never know. Since it's a $20 saddle it's kinda no harm no foul if it doesn't work out.

Thanks for the tips people.

I found a specialized seat I like- but its not in stock. Im going to see if there is a dealer close enough and that measuring deal of the sit bones.

I also like the Terry Citye seat. Looks good.

I want to compare it to what I have- size wise. They dont have much dimensions available ;(

Im a decent sized guy- 5'10" and 240 Lbs or so.

I had a 17" Trek 7100 and the saddle was ok- bike to small.

Now I have a 2010 Giant Cypress. The saddle is to wide (I think) and it cuts into my legs and makes them sore and sometimes numb. For instance if I go out and do 12 miles tonight then tomorrow I will be sore and can maybe do 4 miles tops.

I need a new saddle but dont know where to start.

To be very blunt my hind end is that of a thin man. I have no butt- just bone and muscle...

There has to be an optimum solution out there. I dont want to go on a $50 a seat hunt though... I hope to just buy one and be done!

First you need to make sure that the existing saddle is in the right place, on a saddle the sit bones need to be just in front of the widest part of the saddle, if the saddle is too far forward then your sit bones are right at the back or off the back, the saddle will appear too wide. If the saddle is too far back, then you will be sitting on the nose, and that isn't good for the soft tissues between and in front of the sit bones.

Note all adjustments should be made in small amounts, up or down, forward or back should be 1cm ~1/4 inch at a time, no more, tilt should be no more then 2 degrees at a time.

First make sure that your saddle is dead level. You need to find a patch of ground that is dead level, using a level, then level the saddle. Next you need to get the height adjusted. Most new riders and returning riders have their saddle too low. Try raising the saddle, if you need to rock your hips to pedal, it's too high, you need it just below the point where your rocking. One thing to note, seat tubes are on an angle, as you raise the saddle the saddle moves backward as well, so you need to adjust the height first. Once the height is adjusted, the next setting is forward and backward.

Now if you still have leg pain after riding, it's probably too far forward, so move it back a bit, and try again, you keep doing this until you get pressure on the soft tissues in front, then shift it forward one setting. If you can't move the saddle back far enough, then the saddle is either too wide or the bicycle is too small. This is the point you need the sit bones measured and see if it's the saddle. If you can get the height and position correct for the saddle, then you can play with the tilt, try nose up slightly, if that does not help, then try nose down slightly and see if that is better, if it's better try a little more, if it seems too much, then backtrack a little. Nirvana is when the saddle disappears.

I read somewhere, maybe on this forum, that you can put a piece of aluminum foil on carpeted steps, sit on foil with legs out and get a pretty good indent of sit bones. I did so, with a towel since our stairs are wood. Measured three times, got the same measurement and then did it at LBS on pad. VERY SAME. IT WORKED. There is some great advice here, I have been dialing mine in for over a week and have it where it is really working well. Just takes patience and a good hex wrench!

Well after much debate I bought a seat tonight.

I went to the LBS and didnt get much help. They pointed to a seat on the wall as the answer- nothing much behind that... So I didnt buy it...

I ended up buying the Selle Royal Respiro Soft Moderate
http://www.selleroyal.com/Saddle_Detail.aspx?c=5131HET

They had a handy 3 step seat selection process to help me choose. I like the idea of funneling air to cool off my regions. Looks like a good seat.

Bought it used of flea bay for $28 shipped. At that price no harm no foul. The guy said he tried it for 10 miles and not the seat for him. maybe for me?

Seems like seats are a thing to play around with...