Gentian

I have a question that I hope someone would be kind enough to answer for me. I'm new to both biking and these forums.

I bought a used Fuji Boulevard on Tuesday. I assume it still has the original seat because it says FUJI on the back. I rode it for about an hour on both Tuesday and Wednesday, and the seat is causing me a lot of pain that I don't remember from biking in childhood (I'm 29). It still hurts quite a bit now, 24 hours after my last ride. It hurts to sit down. It hurts to stand up. It hurts to lie down. And it's going to hurt a lot to get on the bike again!

I read another thread where someone with a similar problem was advised to stick with it for about a week and then replace the seat if the pain doesn't go away. With this level of pain, is waiting it/toughing it out still recommended? Thanks in advance.

PS How much can I expect to pay for a new seat?

stapfam

If it hurts that much then get it changed- but have a few days off the bike first- then ride for an hour. If it is not quite so painfull- keep it a while longer- If it is like sitting on a pile of Glass - Change it- next week after the pain has gone .

Many of us have the butt pain- some still have it years later. Remember the butt has to attune itself to a Saddle- Any saddle.

Easiest at first is to go into a cycle shop and sit on a variety of saddles- the day after a ride- when there is still a bit of pain. When you find the one that does not hurt look at that style of saddle. Then try various types of that saddle shape etc. Then you could go into a Specialised bike dealer and try the memory foam- This will give an indication of the size saddle to get.

Then it gets technical!!! Setting up any saddle is difficult- Go to a Local bike shop (LBS) and get them to give you a few pointers. So many things come into setting up a saddle- Height- fore and aft position, nose tilt and even bar height will come into it.

Sorry but stay with the saddle you have got- Unless it is the same as my torture impliment that I loan out to people occasionally- No-one will ever have a good ride on that one.

Cost by the way is ip to you- When you find the right saddle you will offere anything for it.

Gentian

Thanks for these suggestions. I'll follow them and see what happens.

Is there some reason a hard seat is better than a softer one?

Michigander

Its all a matter of preference my friend. I have used a bunch of seats, and eventually found the bontrager FS2000 to be a perfect fit for me. Try everything that looks good. Whatever you do, don't buy cheap padded shorts, use only the best ones, and wear them every time you ride. When I was 14, I found lumps in my nut sack. After I got my nads ultra sounded, the Doc told me they must have been from riding on a hard seat with no shorts.

Ass pain is unnesasary, as is any pain in cycling, and you should do what it takes to avoid it.

dyno_blast

lol so you rode the bike naked? or is this some other sort of shorts?

TYB069

I think you should wait a few days for the pain to subside, then ride for a while. Then wait another couple days, ride again. If you still hurts at that point, new saddle time. But seriously, give it a week (remember to spend some days without riding) and you may be able to save some cash by not buying a new saddle.

Michigander

Eh em, padded shorts that is. Yes of course I was wearing cloths.

dubes

I recently (<1 month ago) got back into biking again after a dozen year break, and I can sympathize with what you're going through. Using the saddle that came with my new bike, I experienced a high degree of butt pain which I initially ascribed to being out of the saddle for so long. But due to the intensity and the duration of the pain--much as you describe, with soreness lasting days after a ride and no improvement--I started to think something else was amiss, and I considered using padded shorts and other sorts of remedies to improve comfort, even though I never needed anything like that before when I biked.

Make a long story short, before I changed attire, I tried changing my saddle. I found one that seemed to fit my shape reasonably well, and lo and behold, no more pain. And I don't mean, no more pain eventually; I mean no more pain immediately. I was pretty shocked at what a difference it made, since I was never a gearhead and never gave a moment's thought to such things when I was younger.

Anyway, good luck and good riding!

Bikes-N-Drums

Your first rides after a long hiatus will feature some intense butt pain. It goes away in time. That being said, I had a CODA seat on my Cannondale that felt like you were sitting on a brick. The pain never went away until I got a new seat.

SQ-OT

Someone mentioned Specialized has gizmo for determining best saddle--is true. Bit like shoe store measuring foot but with memory foam.
The guy that sold and fitted me to Specialized bike did NOT check saddle size. First 2 weeks of having Specialized bike, I used saddle (and pain) that came with it. Pain finally decided for me that change was needed. Tried another brand--better but also worse. So back to store--different guy measured using the memory foam gizmo: Saddle that came with bike too wide--Got the size suggested by Specialized--pain problem SOLVED. Of course, good quality shorts are a must. I thought the number printed on Specialized saddle was a model #--no, it actually indicates size. Lesson learned: Cannot depend on shop folk to think of everything...~s

ericgu

Good shorts help a bunch. Consider something like Chamois Butt'r, especially if you're having issues with chafing.

You should also evaluate the tilt of the saddle and where you're sitting on it.

Banzai

Here we go.

There's saddle sore (normal) and then there's PAIN (not normal). A bit of saddle soreness is to be expected, particularly if you are a new or long hiatus rider out for unacustomed to long rides. Bike shops make a killing in the spring when all the fair weather riders get on their bikes, ride for a couple of weeks, and declare that their saddle is "bad". So they buy a new one, and the problem goes away...but perhaps it went away because they kept riding...

The Fuji Boulevard has an upright riding posture, which is also going to put more pressure on your butt. A road bike with the handlebars level with the saddle will enable you to support more weight on your arms. (Notice I said level, all you Lance wannabes out there. I'm not talking about setting them below, because racing bikes are sold by ninnies who think everyone wants to win a time trial!)

Soft saddles do actually cause more pain. The softer it is, the worse the pain. You "sit" on your ischial tuberosities, or your "sit bones". Everything else under there is rather soft and fragile. When perched on a soft squishy saddle, your pointy sit bones with all your weight on them sink through in short order, allowing the squishy material to start beating upon and bruising your soft bits as you bump and ride along. I would, however, caveat this with saying that I don't believe that rock hard skinny racing ass hatchets are the key to comfort either; those only have applicability to racing.

One of the dumbest bits of marketing with saddles is the "squeeze test". You know, the one where the package encourages you to squeeze the saddle with your thumb to feel just how wonderful it is. Of course it feels great to your thumb! Can your thumb exert 150-200lbs of pressure focused at that single point? If it can, don't ever shake my hand!

The tilt of your saddle can matter too. Are you falling forward or backwards on it? A saddle should be essentially level, with the part your butt goes on ever so slightly higher than the front. Do a google search and you should find some good pics of this.

I haven't seen you ride, nor have I seen your saddle, so I can't say for sure what the problem is. You should assess whether it's sore gluts (maybe?), or other sore muscles. Or maybe it's chafing from the clothing your wore. However, to reiterate, while saddle soreness can be expected after a long hiatus or if just starting cycling, unless you are just a really big whiner (I doubt it) the level of pain you are describing strikes me as abnormal.

Gentian

These replies are really fascinating and helpful. Thank you all for your input.

I did try someone's suggestion to stay off the bike for a few days, but the soreness never went away completely. When I hopped on the bike today, it flared up again quickly and I thought, "Ohno, I'm going to have to buy a new saddle." There are a few gizmos (like a clock and a water bottle holder) that I'd rather get first.

But I took it for a three-hour ride today and the pain ended up diminishing as I rode. Now I'm home and just feeling a rather comfy sort of ache. So, yes, I think it was just saddle soreness after all.

Banzai, your information on the benefits of a hard versus a soft seat is very interesting. Why don't the same principles apply to your seating at home, though? The overstuffed chair I'm in right now is definitely preferable to the wooden kitchen chairs.

Banzai

A saddle isn't a seat. There's a reason it's called a saddle; you are active on it, not just sitting on it. If your chair at home were as narrow as your saddle, and you sat upon it with the same posture, and you were also very vigorously active on it, then you wouldn't like that overstuff chair. However, the overstuff chair more cradles and supports you and your body.

You could also find a measure of comfort on a saddle that was SO wide that if it were skooshy and stuffed it would cradle your bum. It would also be so wide that it would impede your ability to pedal, and would probably seriously bruise your legs if you worked too vigorously at it. You wouldn't go far on a saddle that fit like an overstuffed chair.

You'll notice, also, that recumbent riders are not laying back on rock hard planks. Again, its a stance and geometry issue.