chiyama

Last week we went on a 15 mile ride and her seat was hurting her pretty badly. I've never had this problem,so I'm not sure what to recommend for her.

I fixed up a 48cm 1988 Centurion Accordo for her that looks just like this except the saddle is an Alliante Sport https://oldtenspeedgallery.com/blog/w...d_edited-1.jpg

What are some ways to alleviate the pain? Different saddle? Cushioned shorts? Wrong bike size? I'm not really sure where to start. Maybe she would do better more upright bike.

She's about 5'3-5'4 and the bike is 48cm.

Please let me know what I can do!

FBinNY 

It's impossible to know what will help. It might be saddle angle, saddle shape, that she just needs to toughen up, or maybe help herself by lifting off the saddle on bumps.

Sometimes knowing the nature of the pain, ie. bruising at the "sit bones", irritation up front (to be delicate), chafing, or whatever.

I'd keep it simple and replace the girlfriend, but you might try a few shorter rides and see if things improve, maybe experimenting with saddle angle. Or possibly try a wider saddle which is often better suited for women.

f4rrest

Specialized Lithia Expert Gel works for mine.

If unsure of the width, and if you can't measure ischial tuberosities, just get the widest.

Machka 

1. Make sure the bicycle is set up correctly for her. And yes, the handlebars should be about level with the saddle, or even lower. Less upright is more comfortable. But set the saddle up first ... it needs to the right height. Then adjust the handlebars.

2. Make sure she has the right width of saddle.

3. Make sure she has good shorts with padding that covers her sitbones.

Then it's up to her ... she needs fitness and good core strength so that she can put some of her weight on her feet and sit with good posture.

coominya

How often does she ride? How far does she usually ride? If she's new to bikes then what you described is normal adjustment.

deapee

You didn't tell us WHERE it hurts on here. If you reply with those details maybe someone can help you a bit further.

The only advice I could give you based on what information I have is: Take her to a Specialized dealer, have them measure her sit bones and put a woman-specific saddle on her bike, and let her try it. I think once she buys it, she has a 30 day time period to come back in and swap it out for something else. Most shops even have new take-offs that a cool shop owner would let her try before she buys.

zeeway

If her sensitivity is in the "frontal" area, you might try a noseless seat. That, and more riding helped my wife.

Nachoman

I bought my wife a Terry Butterfly saddle, designed specifically for women, which helped her a lot.

fietsbob

a dozen different saddles on the pegs @ the LBS.. there is a step stool or chair, to set it, still with its display card, on,

And test sit on it..

have her go try a few..




....

ramzilla

I've had good results with plain old vinyl seats equipped with steel springs. The secret is the springs. They soak up all the shock from bumps. Interestingly enough, these seats are also very inexpensive. (Never get price confused with value).

https://www.niagaracycle.com/categor...ring-city-bike

Slightspeed

I recently bought a new Ergon saddle from Nashbar on sale. I mounted it exactly in the same location as the old Specialized that I replaced. On the first ride it was very uncomfortable in the area where the saddle surface transitions from vertical to the horizontal surface. The radius was sharper than I'm used to. By just moving the saddle foreward along the rails about 1/4", it got all better, and now I love the Ergon. Try moving the saddle up, down, fore or aft a little, see if it helps.

Bsgs87

Definitely get her sit bones measured and then get the appropriate women's saddle. Also, get her some good padded biking shorts. This and proper adjustment should correct the problem.

exmechanic89

My wife who is about the same dimensions as your girlfriend OP, and she uses one of those gel seat cover things that ties onto and over the seat. She says it works quite well. We sometimes ride 40 mies together and she never complains. Well not about saddle pain, anyway.

mstateglfr 

Good stuff

canklecat

Might just be a matter of setting the saddle nose angle, fore-aft position on the rails, and seat post height. Little adjustments make a big difference over the miles.

Try a Serfas Tailbones, especially the models with Lycra fabric over progressive density foam. This type of saddle is really comfortable with most regular street clothes, and breathable in hot muggy weather. Very affordable too, around $25.

I have similar older Lycra-over-foam saddles on two of my bikes: a Bell saddle on a Univega mountain bike I've hybridized with 1-1/2" riser bars for a relaxed riding position -- plenty comfortable for rides up to 60 miles over the past year; a Terry saddle on a Centurion Ironman road bike -- had this bike only 3 weeks but have ridden it about 14 times, each ride 10-45 miles.

Any discomfort with the Lycra/foam Terry saddle on the Centurion road bike the first week was due to not getting the seat post height and saddle angle and fore-aft position quite right. I think I've got it dialed in now since the weekend.

Love 'em, have no plans to use a traditional firm saddle for the road bike again -- I did that years ago but I prefer a little more comfort now.

She doesn't necessarily need or would benefit from padded bike shorts yet, especially for relatively short rides like 10-15 miles. I ride with lots of men and women in casual group rides of that length who wear regular street cloths -- jeans, shorts, whatever's suitable for the weather. The problem with jeans and cutoffs is the heavy seam down the center of the delicate bits, especially the perineum.

I have three sets of padded shorts but seldom wear 'em. Occasionally I'll wear them for longer rides of 40-50 miles, especially in hot muggy weather. Or if it's really windy, to cut back a bit on resistance from 15-20 mph headwinds over open prairie rural highways. But I need to adjust the saddle height slightly lower to compensate -- also depending on shoes -- maybe 1/8"-1/4" lower. I use a Sharpie to mark my seat post for quick adjustments.

Myosmith

In this order:

- bike fit
- saddle preference
- quality bike shorts

Make sure the bike is the appropriate size and is actually fitted to her well. You can't fix bad fit with a new saddle or shorts. Once you are sure you are close on bike fit, then consider trying different saddles. Good quality (note I did not say the most expensive) bike shorts are a good idea if you are doing anything more than a casual ride or quick errand. Again, good shorts can't fix poor fit or a bad saddle. It's important to remember that cycling shorts aren't so much for "padding" as they are for moisture control and friction reduction. Thickly padded seats or excessively padded shorts can feel good initially but actually make the problem worse in the long run.

Once those three elements are in place, the next thing is just to keep riding until you toughen up a bit. New or infrequent riders often find discomfort on their first rides.

If she gets chaffing or hot spots despite the other three elements being in alignment, a good chamois creme or another anti-friction product like Glide can be used to further reduce discomfort. A few people will recommend slathering on a thick layer of chamois creme every time you ride. This is unnecessary, feels like you had an accident in your shorts, and is just plain a waste. If you need more than a thin application to potential hot spots, there is something else wrong (See items #1-3).

philbob57

I've had trouble with a Lycra over foam Serfas RX. After a couple of years, the Lycra pilled up and transferred the black color to my khaki-colored shorts. The shorts never got clean.

kuroba

Is she new to cycling? It might just be that she needs to get used to the saddle.

I personally like saddles with a cut out in the middle, helps relieve pressure from 'sensitive' areas. No need to go women specific, mine is a generic, unbranded saddle and works just fine.

linberl

If she doesn't ride often, her butt needs to toughen up. Padded shorts will help in the interim.
Have her sit on some corrugated cardboard on a cement step - that will give you sit bone impressions to measure and match to saddle.
Unfortunately, nothing is going to make her butt toughen faster; have her stand up off the saddle to get some relief along with the padded shorts. Takes time for a butt to break in.