fungirl

Bought the Giant road bike a month ago and it is smooooooth and fun. Although, I keep having problems with the saddle. First it was not properly adjusted so they leveled it again. I noticed that I still have to 'push' myself backwards on the seat while riding to feel comfortable. It is that I feel the weight is more on the front of the saddle than in the back.
I know when it feels comfortable, my MTB rides awesome. Do I need another saddle, or do I have to get a bike fit?

Wildflower

Saddles can be a ral problem and you often don't know that it is a problem until you start doing longer rides. The first question to ask is whether you are using a male of female specific saddle. You mention that the pressure is more towards the front than the back. You have a number of options. At my bike shop, the coach fits people for their new bikes so that they are tailored for the specific person who is to be riding the bike. He also says that if the new saddle doesn't work out, to bring it back and he will change it over. You just have to pay the difference in price between the new saddle and the one that you are bringing back.

I had a Giant Defy1 road bike with a male saddle and after the initial wearing in time, had no problems. It is cut away at the front. Then I decided to upgrade my bike and got a Trek Madone 4.5 WSD with a Bontrager female specific saddle. It was a little uncomfortable at first, but so was the Giant initially. The came the test; the longer ride. It was 60 kms and by the 40 km mark, I was in agony, having to stop frequently to relieve the discomfort. Also. the pressure from the saddle affected the movements of my legs, making me ride slower. The pressure was in one spot and it wasn't my bum!

I rang the coach and brought in the saddle and he changed it over to a Selle Italia female saddle. This saddle is cut away at the nose and it immediately relieved the pain. Over the next few days, it was o.k. and last Saturday I tested it out on a 50 km ride and there were no further problems.

I would suggest that you go back to your cycle store and get fitted for a saddle that will work for you. You don't have to ride in pain. Maybe you can use your trusty mountain bike saddle since it has worked well for you. Hope this helps.

deep_sky

I would also like to add that you should not feel like wsd saddles are necessarily better or more appropriate just because you are female. If one works for you for the type of riding you want to do, great. If a non-wsd saddle also works, great. It's about the fit and the level of comfort you have on the saddle.

Best idea, and the one that saves you the most money, is call around to your LBS's in your area to inquire about test saddle programs. If you can test saddles for free or a small fee, find out they don't work, then you have saved yourself the time and money figuring out that saddle X does not work for you, on to the next.

The discomfort you describe sounds like the saddle is nosed up too far, and its not far enough forward, so you end up sitting on the nose of the saddle (not comfy) because your body is going into that position. You could try EITHER moving the saddle forward or adjusting the angle. You want to try one at a time so you know what does and doesn't work to make the saddle comfortable. If no adjustment makes it comfortable, time to sell that one on CL or ebay and move on to the next one.

fungirl

One week ago I went back to the bike store and they leveled it again. Yes it was nosed up too far. It actually is the Giant racing, women's specific saddle. (I thought you cannot use a MTB saddle on a road bike?) Well, with all your suggestions and advice I think I go back to the LBS and see what they could do. They adjusted the angle but if it still does not feel good, maybe there is something else they could do. Am training for long distance ride, for now 50-100 km but my actually official ride will be two day ride.

Mr. Beanz

You might try a shorter stem. Be easie rto keep your position at teh back of the saddle. Could be you are reaching too far whcih pulls you off teh seat. I had that problem, switched stems. If your stem is correct, the handlbars should cover the front hub axle as you are resting on the hoods. If the hb's are in front of the hub from your view, too far of a reach, need shorter stem.

You might also switch to a seatpost with less set back, a straight up post with clamp at top instead of curved back (just incase you don't know what setback is, some don't) This willalso help you stay towards the back of the saddle eliminating some of the reach.

deep_sky

If the seatpost clamp can securely hold the rails of a given saddle, you can use any saddle you want. Generally incompatibilities crop up with certain brands and models of saddles that have carbon rails, but I doubt you are looking at that high-end a saddle. If your mtb saddle can fit on your road bike, then by all means do it.

Siu Blue Wind

In the beginning I had the same problem as you. Try to tilt the saddle up a tad. Not a whole lot but just a bit from being level. That forces your bottom to be on the rear part of the saddle, not the front. Believe it or not, just that little bit can really help a lot.

You can barely see it but here's a pic of my bike with it tilted up a bit.

Jeff Wills

Personally, I think you need to reduce the reach to the handlebars, which means a shorter handlebar stem. Typically women (you are female, aren't you?) have shorter torsos in proportion to their legs, so "typical" bikes make them reach too far forward. A shorter stem might correct that.

Machka 

Why not?

And yes ... like Siu says, tip the nose up just a tad.

StoicOne

It is a matter of man and machine, and how they accommodate one another. Bicycles are designed to place all the weight in a region not designed by nature to support weight. To some extent, the biology can adapt and this will result in less sensitivity over time. The standing joke is if you are placing too much weight on the seat, you should get off the seat and just use it for balance. Everyone, however, sits fully on the seat.

The sits bones, extensions of the hip, are the weigh bearing skeletal bones, and seats have been designed that have no nose, but only contact the sits bones. They feel uncomfortable at first, and getting the friction right, and adjusting your legs to provide balance, takes a little time, ... but it is more naturally supporting. These seats are rarely used and more expensive - showing that usually people adjust to the commonly used seats, and this might mean they spend less time on their bikes unfortunately. If you are heavier you might be interested in a specially designed seat :

https://www.bikemania.biz/ProductDeta...gyWonderMark9B

I have no connection with this company, other than having purchased a seat from them. They are a tad expensive, but with them, you can go long, and be seated in comfort.

Jeff Wills

That link doesn't work, but if this is the seat you're pointing at: https://www.spongywonder.com/ then what you say might make sense if you never got "out of the saddle". The "nose" of the conventional saddle is there to stabilize the bike when the rider pushes hard enough to lift their body weight with one leg. This is a common enough occurance for even moderately fit cyclists.

A properly adjusted conventional bicycle seat will support the rider's weight through the weight-bearing skeletal bones. If it's putting pressure on the soft tissues, it's not adjusted properly or it doesn't match the rider's anatomy. End of story. I had a heck of time until I tried a WTB saddle. A WTB saddle was all-day comfortable, so I put one on every upright I had.

Because of other issues, my current day-to-day ride is really different:
https://home.comcast.net/~jeff_wills/jeff-big.jpg

deep_sky

I can see how people with specific conditions and/or needs might use a nose-less saddle, but I agree with Jeff Wills. I am not an uber cyclist by any means, but I need the stabilization the nose provides. Also, being tied to one position for an entire ride would be rather uncomfortable. If I am seated, I do spend the majority of my time on the sit bones, but to rest things I do move around periodically if I am sitting for a long period of time (I tend to stand only to climb short steep bits). A nose-less saddle would prevent that, and I'd have to sit for my entire ride in one position, and unbalanced at times. Also I'd worry if I hit an un-expected bump and got jostled off those pads and on to that metal bit in the front. I'm not even a guy and the thought makes me cringe. It seems to me that this seat is designed for those who have specific anatomical needs that are not met by nosed saddles, and it's good that there are alternatives for those people out there such as this saddle. For those who don't have those needs, this just seems like a gimmick designed to suck money from people who don't know that their saddle is either not set up right or doesn't fit them.

cyclist2000

could you try your mtb saddle on the new bike and see how it feels?

fungirl

I thought of trying my mtb saddle to put on the roadbike but today I went to a bike store and there was this nice WTC speed saddle for only 50 dollars. Tomorrow am going to try if for a training. Seems it feels good but I was told I can return it if it doesnt. The best thing is to test it for a few hours and that will be tomorrow. Hope it works!

Jeff Wills

Excellent deal. Give it a good test- with luck the store won't be too busy. You want to get it installed, ride a few blocks to see if you're sliding this way or that, adjust it to eliminate the movement, ride a couple more blocks, adjust again, ride again, etc. until you're not sliding around. Then go for a long ride and see what happens when you're tired. Go back to the bike store and adjust again if needed. If the bike shop wants your business, they'll understand what you're trying to do.

fungirl

Hmm...so yesterday I bought the new saddle, installed it and could test it when I had my 2,5 hour training today. It feels the same! It got a bit more padding but that was not the 'sore spot'. It still felt that the weight was more on the front than the back side. For now, I will put my mtb saddle on it tonight and tomorrow I have a 3 hr. training ride. Suggestions what the problem could be?

deep_sky

Not really enough information to go on, but it sounds like the nose is tilted too far (or at all) up. I recommend picking up a cheap level from your local hardware store. It really is an invaluable tool to help get your saddles level, or establish a baseline on what angles (or lack thereof) works for you.

tntyz

Check out a shorter stem or a slightly more upright riding position. Sounds like you're reaching too far to the handlebars.

fungirl

I trained this morning, app. 30 miles riding and felt comfortable with my mtb saddle. So I will go back to the store and see if they have similar model or else, leave the mtb saddle. It works, it feels good, I'm happy again!

mystolenbikes

No body ever mentioned this but did you ever get your sit bones measured? seems like to me you are on a wrong size of saddle.

shouldberiding

It would be only by sheer coincidence that "level" is anywhere near the proper saddle angle for anybody. The vast majority of saddles are not board flat which makes getting a saddle perfectly level difficult if not impossible.

First things first, do you have a two bolt seatpost?

If not, get one. Single bolt seatbolts with a "toothed" adjustment mechanism have adjustments so coarse that they're almost always in the incorrect position.

The difference in angle between having the nose too high, and slipping forward all the time, is very slight. And it's going to be different with every saddle. Remember that in fitting a bike, a few millimeters makes a big difference.

Might also want to try moving the saddle forward just a smidge.

Forgo the level, get a two bolt seatpost, and bring an allen key with you on every ride til you get it dialed in just right.

When I got my Thomson Elite seatpost it was a godsend. Having fine adjustment will lend more comfort to even crappy saddles.

fungirl

No I never had them measured. Never got a proper bike fit either. But I think I have to book an appointment for that, I think for about 45 dollars they'll do that.

mystolenbikes

You really don't have to make an appointment, you should be able walk in and get measured it only takes seconds. I didn't write the below statement but it actually explains the seat fitting very well.

"The idea of the sit bone measurement is to match you up with a saddle width that allows for your sit bones to be adequately supported by the width of the saddle. If you use too narrow of a saddle, your sit bones will be placed towards the outer edges and may not leave you adequately supported. This is especially true as you slide forward along the saddle during a ride. If you get too big of a saddle, your sit bones can be placed too far inwards towards the cutouts, which may not leave you adequately supported. And sitting too close along the cutout portion actually can cause more comfort problems for the typical rider than anything else with a cutout saddle.

What has worked best for me is to get the width that allows me to center my sit bones on padded ovals. That way I can move forward or backwards along the length of the saddle as needed and have the best range of sit positions, while still being adequately supported.

Something like 70% of riders will fit nicely on the middle sized (143mm) saddle, according to the Specialized rep I bumped into at my LBS. Your LBS should have a sit bone measurement pad. You sit on it and compare the impressions from your sit bones to the dimensions of the three saddles and go from there."

I ride the Avatar and have no complaints at all. The key though is to get the proper fit. Without it, they won't work out as well.

Hope this helps.

Jeff Wills

Uhh... no... a "complete bike fitting" should take at least an hour, starting with questions about riding type, fitness level, and experience. Once that's done, measurements are taken and the rider's flexibility should be evaluated. After that, test rides and tweaks.

Fungirl- too bad you're in that Vancouver and not this Vancouver. If you were here, you could go visit Michael Sylvester, who's taught bicycle fitting to bike shop people for years and years.

mystolenbikes

Bike fitting yes but measuring your sit bones...no. All you have to do is walking in the shop tell then you wanna get measured let them sit you on a measuring pad for about ten seconds and they should be able tell you what's the width of the saddle you should be getting and after that you should spend some time with them to fit you on your bike.