Saddle good, cover bad
02-21-21, 02:31 AM
#1
Full Member
Thread Starter
Saddle good, cover bad
I used to cover my saddle with a bike gel seat cover. With the idea of sitting more comfortably while cycling; it would help absorb the shocks. Not always a good idea ...
I experienced saddle pain and tried to address it in different ways.
But I did not occur to me that it could have something to do with the cover on the saddle. Apparently my bones benefit more from a hard seat.
I experienced saddle pain and tried to address it in different ways.
But I did not occur to me that it could have something to do with the cover on the saddle. Apparently my bones benefit more from a hard seat.
02-21-21, 09:23 AM
#2
Senior Member
I never liked those gel covers. They always manage to squish their way to parts of your legs and butt that wouldn't normally have pressure on them during a ride on a hard saddle.
Likes For Papa Tom:
02-22-21, 09:03 AM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 5,767
Bikes: 2015 Charge Plug, 2007 Dahon Boardwalk, 1997 Nishiki Blazer, 1984 Nishiki International, 2006 Felt F65
Mentioned: 53 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1306 Post(s)
Liked 1,453 Times
in
723 Posts
Most people who ride often seem to do better with hard seats, but I am not one of them. I used to do okay, but in my mid 40s I found I needed a little padding, just as I began needing some padding on the handle bars.
The big issue with padding seems to be chafing, but that has not been an issue for me.
With a gel cover I am good for about 5 hours of saddle time at which point my sit bones start to ache.
The big issue with padding seems to be chafing, but that has not been an issue for me.
With a gel cover I am good for about 5 hours of saddle time at which point my sit bones start to ache.
02-22-21, 09:16 AM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: NJ, USA
Posts: 1,064
Bikes: two blacks, a blue and a white.
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 369 Post(s)
Liked 614 Times
in
299 Posts
You walk into a good bike store and there are like 20 saddles on the wall. 19 of them look like what we're used to, one is wider with a soft cover. This, again, is natural selection showing its effects. All these other seats look alike for a reason.
02-23-21, 10:28 AM
#5
Full Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 212
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 19 Post(s)
Liked 33 Times
in
20 Posts
I had to go to some sort of padded seat years ago. I never liked the slip covers as they never stayed in place no matter what I tried and went through several brands and styles of padded seat before I found one I liked. I do still have a racing style seat on my mountain bike, but I don't spend much time on the saddle for it to make a difference. FYI, Cloud9 makes some very good padded seats with a variety of shapes and a few with spring suspension.
02-27-21, 08:46 PM
#6
aka Tom Reingold
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, NY, USA
Posts: 40,234
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
Mentioned: 498 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7046 Post(s)
Liked 1,880 Times
in
1,137 Posts
Yup, in general, the more you ride, the more you'll want a harder saddle. I went to the doctor complaining of achy balls. He suggested a saddle with a cutout, but I decided to try a different saddle. I had been using a saddle with too much padding. I went back to a hard saddle. Problem solved. The weird thing is that I didn't associate the pain with the soft saddle, because the pain came a day later.
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
03-01-21, 07:49 AM
#7
Zip tie Karen
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Fair Oaks Ranch, TX
Posts: 7,005
Bikes: '13 Motobecane Fantom29 HT, '16 Motobecane Turino Pro Disc, '16 Motobecane Gran Premio Elite, '18 Velobuild VB-R-022, '21 Tsunami SNM-100
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1464 Post(s)
Liked 1,537 Times
in
804 Posts
Flat, firm, narrow - those qualities describe the right saddle for me. Whether it's slung leather, or of modern design, it must be flat (in the sit area), firm (so, even if lightly padded), and narrow to suit my build.
In my experience with family and friends, those gel pad covers never work out for long.
In my experience with family and friends, those gel pad covers never work out for long.
03-06-21, 10:14 PM
#8
Clark W. Griswold
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: ,location, location
Posts: 11,465
Bikes: Foundry Chilkoot Ti W/Ultegra Di2, Salsa Timberjack Ti, Cinelli Mash Work RandoCross Fun Time Machine, 1x9 XT Parts Hybrid, Co-Motion Cascadia, Specialized Langster, Phil Wood Apple VeloXS Frame (w/DA 7400), R+M Supercharger2 Rohloff, Habanero Ti 26
Mentioned: 48 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3555 Post(s)
Liked 2,883 Times
in
1,929 Posts
The great Sheldon Brown (RIP) likened the padded saddles to sitting on a coffee table with a pillow betwixt your cheeks, the padding will create pressure points and those pressure points create pain. My cheeks happen to really love the Brooks Cambium C17 Carved. It is hammock-ish for comfort but without being so soft it doesn't support. It is nice as there is no padding so no extra pressure points and the newer versions are all weather. I have tried a multitude of other saddles and this one seems to be just right though a touch heavier than some might want the comfort is more than worth it.
For more info:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html
For more info:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html
