loni0908

This spring will start my second year as a cyclist (for fun) and as much as I love cycling, I find myself in some pretty serious pain because of the seat, I bought the assisi cream to try, and plan on having my seat looked at to make sure it's properly adjusted, but are there any secrets out there, or do I just have to get use to it?? I want to do my first century this year sometime, but after 25 miles I am really hurting. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks!

snowy

I have been biking for 10 years now, all of which is mountain biking. I will start road cycling this year. For me I just have padded shorts and I know some riders are really against this, but I have a gel seat. With both combined I really don't have problems. I guess it all boils down to where your hurting. Also it wouldn't hurt to talk to someone at your local bike store. They can throw out a few suggestions as well.

townandcountry

Definitely talk to the LBS. Also more time in the saddle. Yes, it hurts at first but you do get used to. But first make sure the fit is right. Happy trails.

tulip

I have so been there!

Check out the Women's Cycling forum. They have lots of good seat-of-the-pants advice on saddles for women.

It comes down to the way you (your pelvis, specifically) is put together. While I generally get along fine on regular most (not all) saddles, you might like a women's specific saddle better. Big gel saddles may not be the answer (they almost certainly will not be during a century). There is also the question of adjustment up, down, forward and back, plus getting the proper fit on the rest of your bike (frame, stem, seatpost, even crank length). Look up the women's forum and go to your LBS.

Good luck.

Pedal Wench

I'm in the midst of a saddle search myself. My bike came with a Fizik Vitesse, which I thought I loved - I put in about 1500 miles on it in just a few months, so that should have been more than enough time to break it (or me) in. My daily mileage has increased, so now I'm riding about 54 miles on Saturday and again on Sundays. About halfway through Sunday's ride, I would have to stand up at least once a mile to ease the pain. I finally figured out that my sitbones weren't even close to hitting the seat, so all my weight was on the stuff between the sitbones... I'm now trying women's specific saddles with a wider platform, but I'm still having problems. I prefer a much narrower nose, and it's hard to find one designed like that. When I find one that I'm happy with, I'll share my results!

2manybikes

Sorry ladies for jumping in, but.... My LBS sells a seat called the "Easy Seat" all the ladies who have seat problems like them. A friend of mine has them on three of her bikes. She rides a century every year. It's worth a look or a Google.

sm266

It's a matter of seat preference. I can safely tell you that if you plan any serious mileage or long rides, then you'll want a harder saddle. When you get a soft or "squishy" saddle then the gel or padding will eventually compress on a long ride, and that material will have to go somewhere, which usually causes great pains in the cyclists butt. Of course, there will be someone who has ridden a double century on a gel or super padded saddle and enjoyed it.

I like the Fizik Aliante, but other women consider it a torture device. It's a personal thing, and don't be afraid to experiment. Sometimes it's a matter of conditioning the butt to sitting for periods of time, but if serious pain is the issue, then just try different saddles.