Sit Bone Pain
 

Hi all, I've ridden about 6 times (around 20mile rides) on a Trek Domane SL5 which I bought second hand. The previous owner fitted a Specialized Power saddle which seems to be rated very highly after a quick Google search.

The problem I am having is that I am getting quite bad pain on my sit bones at the end of my rides, it's noticeably worse when I am going downhill/flat compared to when I'm going uphill.

Any recommendations on basic saddle adjustments that will help me out would be very much appreciated! Thanks

There are several points to consider. First, just riding will accustom your back side to sitting on a narrow saddle. Secondly, rider weight is distributed to the contact points of the bike with some weight on the handle bar, some on the saddle and some on the pedals. To a large extent, comfort is a matter of finding the best distribution of weight on those points and this relates to bike fit. For example, if the saddle is to far forward there will be additional weight felt on the saddle. In this case, the saddle should be moved back. Most of us fiddle with saddle position until we find a good location. Lastly, saddles come in a large array of shapes to fit the large array of back sides. Generally, if the rider's position is rather upright, placing increased weight on the saddle, a wider saddle would be more comfortable. If the rider's position is more toward a racing position, lower, longer and stretched out, a narrower saddle would work better. Then there are all the positions in between with all the between saddle shaped.

For myself and many others, the process of finding a comfortable took some time and trials of 4-5 different saddles. With each different saddle I got a better idea of what to look for.

^+ A simple test of saddle suitability is to ride for ~1/2 hour every day for a couple weeks. If the saddle will work for you, by the end of that time your sit bone pain should be gone or mostly gone. OTOH if not, wrong saddle.

Not necessary, can be simply incorrect saddle position. First, and foremost - saddle should be set at correct height, horizontal offset and angle. E.g. the same saddle that absolutely doesn't work for me can change from "hurts as hell after a single lap in the parking lot" to "can tolerate up to 50 miles" - just by playing with the positioning. And the saddle that works for 20 miles may be actually a perfect saddle for you - just incorrectly positioned.

Thanks for the advice, I think I will move the seat up/down, forward/back and tilt it to see if I can find the right spot.

If not then it looks like I'll look at different saddles.

Look at the pictures in this posting from Steve Hogg's site:
https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com...ion-smp-seats/

As stated above, there are many factors that affect saddle comfort, but generally speaking, unless you're sitting erect on a three-speed bike, your weight should not be entirely on your sit bones. Depending on your flexibility and on how aggressive a riding position you take, at least some of your weight should be forward on the pelvis between the sit bones and the pubic bone. There are a variety of saddle adjustments that can accomplish this. In my particular case, I started experiencing sit-bone pain earlier this year on longer rides. Tilting my saddle back two degrees completely eliminated the problem.

Wilderness Trail Bike saddles cured my sit bones pain.
Saddles

Some like them. I tried one, and it was completely wrong for me. Others will say the same about Brooks saddles. And all other saddles, for that matter. A highly rated saddle means many people like them, but it doesn't mean you will. We are all built differently, and it's too hard to find an ass-o-meter to predict which saddle you'll like. I agree with the above advice to try a saddle every day for two weeks. You'll know then. But to complicate matters, adjustment is also crucial. It might help to point the nose up slightly, or you might prefer having your saddle level. It is rarely a good idea to have your saddle nose pointed down. Also, the saddle should be at the right height, and not only that, the fore-aft measurement makes a difference, too.

The Power is meant for more aggressive riding positions. I know some posters here like them even though they ride more upright, but in general it was designed to allow riders to be more comfortable when getting low. I got my first one during a Retul fitting at a Specialized dealer, and my fitter mentioned that people who like the Power often like it tilted down about 3 degrees. If you have too much weight on your saddle vs. other contact points, consider whether your saddle is too low or your hips may not be rotated enough so that you're leaning backward.

Specialized also has upgraded versions of the Power, such as Elaston and Mimic, that offer different padding in different places. I ditched my original Power and now have both, and while I haven't noticed Elaston being much of an upgrade, the Mimic has been just about perfect. If the Power shape works for you, and it's just the firmness that you can't get used to, you could try those options.

Thanks to everyone offering their advice. After tweaking the saddle position a bit I have found that turning the nose up by a degree or two has helped significantly. Been on a few slighter longer rides and not had any issues this far.

You may want to move around in the saddle. I have one that gets uncomfortable if I sit too far back on it.

When I went for my professional bike fitting, one of the things they did was to measure my sit bones. (Okay, I admit, that seemed a little weird to me at first, too.) Swapped out the existing saddle with one 10mm wider, got it adjusted, and it's like sitting in an easy chair compared to the original.
I really believe that all the adjustments fore and aft, height, and tilt, won't really matter much if it feels like you're sitting on a fencepost.

Sit Bone Pain
 

What I've noticed is getting away from any type of pain is almost impossible with the saddles on the market today. Of course everyone's body is different so not everyone has issues. I've had issues for 40+ years and was getting frustrated, not to mention having less money and more saddles than i know what to do with. I can't tell you how many saddles I've tried, probably the same amount as everyone else here. We all have a pain here or there after a ride or during a ride, and adjust this a little, adjust that a little. Sometimes it works, sometimes, meh... Even after getting a fitting there's always still an issue. The problem is the design of bike seats. Good lord, they're torture devices. I always suffered, whether it was inner thighs chafing, saddle sores here and there, or aggravated sit bones. I went with wide seats, narrow seats, extra padding here, less padding there, ones with a dip here or a shorter nose, or whatever was the latest and greatest in relieving seat pain. Yeah, I'm calling BS on the whole industry. After a while, you get to the point of skip it, just ride and deal with it. Then I found infiniybikeseat.com and everything changed. Goofy looking to say the least, and designed by a chiropractor. At this point, I've tried everything else, so what the heck. After receiving and installing per their guidance all I can say is wow, I mean wow. No pain, none. Let me repeat that, No pain. None. Amazing saddle, now I don't even wear a chamois, just some compression shorts and a regular pair of shorts. I went with the E1X model and I will never buy another type of saddle. Kind of pricey but if you really enjoy a full day in the saddle and you don't want any pain, it's well worth it. That's just my two cents, but well worth looking into if every ride turns into a day in the dungeons.