Originally Posted by
AngrySaki
I find bicycle saddles generally uncomfortable (I also ride a recumbent to give an idea of what i mean by comfortable
). They're not horrible or anything, once I get used to my seat after the winter it's not so bad unless I stop biking for a week or so.
On that note, a week or so ago, I didn't bike for about a week, and my butt got a bit sore earlier this week. I've been thinking about bicycle saddles & shorts for the past couple of days (and possibly changing my setup). What I can't really figure out is what the point of padded bicycle shorts are. If bicycle short padding is useful, why not just put that padding on the saddle and use simpler cycling shorts? Is it just the way the industry is or is there a real reason?
I could see it maybe being something to do with the way the cushioning wraps around your butt and the seat, or other complicated interactions between your butt, legs and seat, but I've never heard that as a reason.
The only other reasons I can think of are maybe moisture related, or maybe the cushioning used in shorts wouldn't last long as the top cushioning layer of the saddle.
Some of the more expensive shorts have better moisture wicking abilities. Also, the padding is better quality (at least this is true for some of the PI shorts).
It might take a number of experiments to find a saddle that really agrees with you. It isn't unusual for someone to go through a dozen trial saddles before finding one that really fits. I just spoke with a woman who went through this before ending up with a Fizik Arione saddle with 100+ dollar PI shorts, plus Chamois Butt'r She does a lot of touring, and really likes this setup; but she also said that everyone is different, and finding the right saddle usually requires searching and testing.
Some shops will let you try out a saddle for a while (a week or more), as long as you put electrical tape or something similar on the rails to protect them. These shops will let you try out various saddles until you find one you like. It might be worth finding a shop like this.
I've cycled quite a bit in nylon running shorts. They have two layers of thin nylon between the skin and the saddle. They breathe much better than any bike shorts I have yet tried.
I've tried out a number of saddles (I've lost track, but it's probably in the neighborhood of twenty or so). Most of them are ok for short rides, not so great for longer rides, and somewhere between miserable and impossible for multiple long days of riding in succession.
One of the best setups I have tried is an unconventional one. It is a split saddle -- two separate parts, one for each cheek or sit bone. It took some adjustment time to get used to this arrangement. The absence of a nose makes for a counterintuitive feel at first. After a while, I actually preferred it.
Then the company recommended the (real) sheepskin covers: two small, showercaplike sheepskins -- one for each side.
The sheepskin material works great. It breathes and cushions at the same time. And it also seems to 'lubricate' in a way -- there is no chafing.
If I still had the name of the company, I would give it here. It was a very small company, their products were somewhat experimental, and it was a few years ago that I dealt with them; so they may or may not still be making these saddles.
There might be something similar that is available today, though; and there might be used ones that could be found online.
The absence of a nose also makes for zero pressure, and much better ventilation.
The one thing that has bothered me a bit is that the saddle can attract a lot of attention. People in cars notice it as they pass from behind; and some of them, along with other people, tend to ask various questions about it. However, there are ways to camouflage it to reduce the attention, if it is an issue.
That saddle plus the running shorts are one of my favorite warm-weather solutions.
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Part of the solution to this whole issue may involve realizing that there are multiple solutions. A variety of different approaches can be tweaked enough to be made to work and work well.