Originally Posted by
Latitude65
A relative newbie is me. My butt hurt and I was so numb I had trouble doing things. So, I read and read and read everything I could find. I asked others what to do.
Some recommended a softer saddle, some recommended a firmer saddle, some recommended this and some that. Some even said pain is part of the game and just shut up and ride. Several said until you get over a 1000 miles in a summer(April-September) you just have't trained your butt yet.
Well, I'm well over 1000 miles since April when the snow left. In fact I'm knocking on 1500 since then. I've changed saddles twice. No more numbness but at about 30 miles my sit bones get Very Uncomfortable. On my two 60+ mile rides I spent as much time standing as sitting for the last 20 miles. In fact now my speed and distance are limited not by strength or endurance, but by sit bone soreness.
I move around, I stand for a minute of so every few mnutes. I've changed saddles to a harder one and then to a wider, flatter one. No difference. My sit bones hurt.
I don't think I should have to spend the next year sampling saddles until I find one that works, should I? Plus, with winter coming on there is a logistical problem of testing.
What to do?
Maybe I just need to accept that my rides will be 30 miles or shorter? Maybe despite my enjoying cycling this just isn't my sport?
I went through a period of this type of problem. I did not wait for the sit bones to start hurting, at the start of my ride i started doing stretches and unloading them every few minutes. At first i did these stretches only after the pain started but it did not relieve all the pain. When i did them at the start in increased the distance i can go without it becoming a problem. I went 67 miles last Tuesday and 57 on Thursday, did 48 miles without stopping and no sit bone problem. It took me about a month of doing the stretches to find relief. I don't stop or get off the bike to stretch. I unclip one foot and point my whole leg straight back and rotate my foot, then bend at the knee and raise my calf and foot up while gliding with all my weight on the other foot. I then switch sides and repeat. I usually am going about 20mph and slow to about 14 then speed up to 20 and switch. After about a month i was doing less and less until now i don't need to do this at all. You have to lean forward to get your leg to go straight back. I have done this at higher speeds as well. It takes a little time to find the right pressure to steer straight, so start at a slow speed. Hope this helps. If not then good luck on the saddle hunt.