Retro Grouch 

So if you paid to go to some university to gain that same education would that have been a waste?

JanMM

I used to have pretty good luck with WTB Rocket V Race saddles on two bikes.
Since switching to the recumbent side of life, it's a non-issue.

Retro Grouch 

I was a Brooks guy before switching to the enlightened side but nobody liked hearing that suggestion either.

cyclezen

gathering from your initial post, new 2017 bike, that maybe you haven't ridden this type of bike/saddle in a while...
then
there is a break-in period for your ass, and it varies usually from 3 to 6 wks - if you ride at least 3 - 4x a wk. take time off for more than a day or 2 and it's Groundhog all over again (yogi-ism ? almost).
worst period is usually the 3rd ride thru the 10th, then it slowly starts geting better as your sitzbones toughen up.
if after that period you're still feeling your bum is busted, then doing the search for the holy grail will prolly ensue... (break out the coconuts...)

David713

Thanks for the advice. Your response seems to be the sound. I am on day 5 on the saddle and there seems to be less pain. Again thanks
David

redbagsrambler

Can't promise it would work for you, but the day I switched from my Specialized saddles to the Brooks leather saddle was the day my saddle pain and sores disappeared and haven't been seen since. I mean right out of the box. Didn't have any of the break-in period that many with Brooks saddles speak of.

bobwysiwyg

Interesting. I too rode the better part of a year with the original Specialized saddle. Read some threads about firm vs softer saddles. At first thought yeah, right. Makes no sense. Finally tried a Brooks, very happy now.

sharpywarpy

This makes a lot of sense to me for the OP and myself - I've been having the same trouble and I've noticed if I raise my but off the saddle for a couple seconds the pain goes away for awhile. Thank you.

Carbonfiberboy 

On long rides, I make a point of getting out of the saddle for about 45 seconds every 10 minutes. I stay up until my butt feels the blood flow.

fietsbob

Another saddle thread,,

You got a carbon Hybrid https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bi...rbon-x1/106975

Yea the Above get off the saddle.. More often

try more saddles . Berthoud or Brooks Leather will conform to your bone structure you sit on

Fizik and Ergon are premium synthetic (and there are a thousand others)

Maybe one called "Mountain" rather than road? Got the bars from that style


(I still have a Brooks I use , bought in the 70's, they last for generations, if well cared for)




./.

boozergut

I have three of these. I will never use anything else. https://www.specialized.com/us/en/co...FYpkhgodxQMPmQ

sommehill

I get this when Im just sat on the computer too long

philbob57

I recommend reading 'Four and a half rules of road saddle', especially if you think a softer one will help.

Also, if you roll your pelvis forward (which is better for your back) instead of bending your back to reach the bars, you're probably riding on pubic rami, not the ischial tuberosities, and sitbone width measured in shops is a secondary consideration, if a consideration at all.

Jean3n16

not the same thing

reconnaissance

In the old days I thought Brooks saddles were outdated, what with steel rails and big copper rivets and all. Avocet touring saddle seemed to fit the bill for my mountain biking. Then one day I decided to build a road-bike. Along with vintage Campy running gear resurrected from the shop junk pile, I found a narrow brooks and decided to put it on a crashed Trek 420(??) that had a kinked downtube. Sleeved and brazed the frame back together and voila! A decent road bike for the south Spokane hills.

That Brooks saddle was the most comfortable I've ever ridden on. Now looking for another one broken in. And an early 80's Trek 850. My Cannondale just has no soul.

dcmac

Here: https://www.cervelo.com/en/engineerin...-saddles-.html

LouB 

If you are considering a new saddle as a remedy, make one of these before you head out to buy one. Get a cleam piece of cardboard. Set it on a stair. Sit on it straight for a few minutes. Take a crayon or piece of chalk and usining the side, rub it across the cardboard. Measure from the center of each depression in cm's. This maps where your sitz bones (ischial tuberosities) are and get a saddle that supports them. I did and it really helped.

Wildcat445

Just to add some perspective, my first Specialized seat was (literally) a pain. I don't really buy fully into the "your butt has to get used to it" idea--yes, you do need to get used to any saddle, but forcing yourself to use an improperly fit, uncomfortable saddle is not how things should be "toughened up." The LBS I bought the bike at even told me I needed to get "toughened up" on that first saddle; my discomfort proved otherwise. I went through two other Specialized saddles that hurt differently; the last one I returned to the store after less than a week, calling it a "torture device." Sad thing is, the second Specialized saddle I had (the Milano) was still painful and I kept it long after I could have returned it. Any other Specialized saddle at the LBS were variations on the torture devices I had already tried.

I then purchased another saddle--a Selle SMP TRK, and I can feel a huge difference. In the three Specialized seats, the pain was (to put it simply) in specific "points" on my posterior. With this current seat, I now feel that my weight is being equally supported front to back--it is shaped to fit the "sit bones" in the pelvis. Once I got used to that saddle, I found I could ride with minimal discomfort, and instead I would just get an overall soreness from fatigue (and only after what I considered a *lot* of miles), not specific spots that were too tender to sit on after five or ten miles. I only got the less expensive model. Would I do better with another size or shape from the same company? I'm sure I could.

My take on it? It's a matter of finding a seat that is comfortable and fits well and then getting used to it. This particular brand and model works for me. The others (despite what anyone else said) were failures for me. And forcing myself to ride and get used to them only caused growing pain with each passing ride.

osco53

OP,,
My 'Sit Bones' are 138 mm apart.
I ride different saddles,
One Is the ISM Peak Adamo, only made In ONE width,,fits me perfectly due to design..

On my new Cross bike, the Factory Paradigm, the lowest end of that line fits me perfectly due to design, It just happened to be the exact width to support my 'Sit Bones' correctly.

Neither one of these saddles is what you'd call soft,,Soft Is not always wise. Firm Is needed especially for us old farts..

Get your sit bone separation distance measured and get the right width. I can comfortably use all three saddle positions due to a proper fit. ISM does a try before you buy thing btw.

A good well stocked Local bike shop should have several you can try.

I choose not to ride In pain, You should also but remember,, 'Velominati The Keepers Of the Cog' Rule #5
https://www.velominati.com/the-rules/

etw

As some have mentioned- try adjusting angle an fore/aft by really small increments. It can help. I am not sure that it can be night and day, but it is worth a shot.

Someone mentioned the SMP line of saddles. I know a few riders wha have them are rave about them. For those Brooks fans- on a road bike are you using the standard B17 or one of the racier narrower models?

Don Buska

Agreed. Have five road riders and use Selle Anatomica X series on them all. I'm 58 and ride on average 100 miles per week. No butt issues!

johnu

Spam: I have a new Selle SMP Martin Gel in the for sale section.

downtube42

Lots of stuff to play with before switching saddles:

Saddle fore-aft (mostly magic getting this right, unless you subscribe to the plumb-bob method)
Saddle tilt (if constantly sliding forward, tilt up; if experiencing numbness, tilt back)
Saddle height (rocking hips may be good on the dance floor, but are bad for your bum on the bike)
Stem length (affects both weight distribution and sitting angle)
Handlebar height (ditto)
Cadence (both too low and too high can cause issues)
Pedaling technique (smooth is good. Are you bouncing?)
Foot retention (stable footing is good)

That's eight variables;have fun with that experiment

Also I'm assuming you're not doing anything silly like riding with an extra 2 pounds on your butt i.e. a hydration pack with a liter of water.

GeneO 

62 and have the same saddle, no problems. Just rode 50 mi today on it and average over 100 mi/week. Either toughen it up, or get another saddle. I think this saddle is already pretty soft - I would not go softer if you want to ride any distance.

.

osco53

Something to consider David,,

The top part, that was me until I got a modern saddle designed to eliminate this pain and possible permanent damage.

In My case, the second part, the pain never went away..

Until I got a modern saddle, My Mountain bike has the ISM peak Adamo. My Cross bike will soon get the ISM PL 1.1

Read the science here:
ISM

They have a try BEFORE you buy program !
Pay attention to the set up video's as this seat mounts very different from a traditional nosed pain giver

My cross bike's stock seat was great until I rode farther than 20 miles and the winds picked up making me need to ride In the drops for more than a mile. Once In the drops the pain and numbness returned.
I moved my mountain bike's Adamo to the Cross bike, tucked down In the drops,, mile after mile, no pain, nothing, zip, nada.

You don't ride these saddles like the nosed saddles, the width of the front is not an Issue, explained In the video's on the site.