danielhaden

I think that the optimum handlebar height (effects on saddle position mimic saddle trouble) is up so high that you can slouch, but NOT so high that you must slouch. This requires a wider saddle, but touring size is still wide enough. See Brooks B67S and use a modern cushy touring saddle or hybrid bike saddle that's same size as the Brooks. Also, some women prefer to have the horn down a bit for some reason--you know, the "slippery slope" look.

If she's still having trouble:
https://www.rei.com/online/store/Prod...1&source=14543
The women's version only fits children. One of the men's versions will fit.
Why this bike? Easy, fast, intuitive, light, durable, and sort of like a floorboarded Cadillac.

cyclezealot

Patience is a virtue. Yesterday. Wife's maiden voyage on her new bike. One car in five minutes,she made it sound like commuter traffic. Sort of panicked when that one car passed. Then, the saddle question. Says it hurts. Wants some really funky weird saddle. I try to explain the purpose of saddle construction.
She did wear some cycling shorts. Says her arse still hurts.
My dilema. I have to be patient. I mean, I have to understand her using saddles I think weird, until she gets adjusted to biking.
Try to convince her one's rear will toughen up. Her now bike has one of those wide, gel padded saddles . Think Newbies should use gel filled saddles?
But, there is hope. She did enjoy the ride, spiced up with some grousing. Talks of going to the beach next.Patients please. And keep the rides totally recreational and fun. Nothing serious for a long time.

kf5nd

Let her run, and you bike! You be her sag vehicle.

RRZ

I couldn't stand running at her slow pace when we tried running together years ago...I can't imagine riding (or even staying upright) behind her. I'd be ready to throw myself in front of the passing traffic if I had to ride behind my wife running....

danielhaden

Guessing again. . . at a two inches too much forward reach on the handlebars. This can cause one to slide forwards just a tiny bit instead of sitting on the nice part of the saddle. Then again, saddle selection is a time-consuming process that is more art than science. It is like shoe selection.

Hey! Tell her it is like shoe shopping.

TWMiller

There is a lot of good info. When my wife first got into biking, she had fanny issues. She went to bike shop and got the biggest seat they had. Its not pretty, but it has a ton of cushion (springs, gel, the works) and she loves it!

The next issue comes from an old car accident many years ago. She cannot lean on her arms for more the 5 min - period. Her hands go numb and shoulders become painful. Road bike are out of the question. So thats were the hybrids come into play. With fork shocks and seat post shock (and her favorite seat), she is happy as a lark. Because she choose the setup, she is really getting anxoius to do some serious riding this summer I can hardly wait!

cyclezealot

Heah all. Please help me out. Gotta have patience. Gina is sensitive to saddle position. Her cancer required surgery in nearby spots that are effected by saddle type.
Preparing for the next ride. Every manual , I tell her says saddle position need be as straight as possible.. She says manuals don't matter. Her body is different from everyone else's.
She asked me to point the horn downward about 15 degrees. I tell her it will cause all the weight to be shifted off her sit bones and onto soft tissue. It will push her downward into the areas she worries about. I can't be wrong can I.?
Every manual says strive for a perfectly horizontal position. I sat on her horn pointed down. The saddle pushed way up into my arse. How can she call this comfortable. She says it is ok.
I need patience. She says she is not interested in what manuals say. How would you all handle this. I had re-adjusted it because it was maybe downward 5 degrees. Now it is absurd.
I tell her it is because she in not sitting properly on her sit bones, not due to saddle positon. I guess just give her time to discover that this will hurt her. I will return it back to her favored positon before our next ride. Her surgery, I understand her worries. but, wow. I have not been too arrogrant with my experiences as of yet. I just tell her, she need sit on the sit bones.

Portis

Like the mall. That would work for most women.

LIVE2BIKE80

I had a very ironic situation. My fiance got me into cycling. It started as mtbing and then evolved into becoming roadies. As I became more and more obsessed she began to lose interest thinking she was holding me back. While this might have been true if I really wanted to push myself when riding with her, but I was riding with her for the enjoyment. The breaking point was the Gold Coast Tour on Long Island. I think it was over her head as I had to make her stop as she was looking like she was on the verge of passing out.
Ever since then it has been hard to get her back on the bike. She promises she will do the Tour again if we get a road tandem. Also, she had some seat problems, complained that it hurt her unmentionable regions. We went to our lbs and got one of those seats with the cut outs and it worked for her. Now I just got to get her to use the seat

-=(8)=-

Actually, my Surly has the front of the seat tilted down about that far, so shes
not the only one !
But, I say let her do her thing......My wife got into cycling again this past weekend
after 25 years off . For the sake of brevity all I can say is I am suffering some of
the same issues with her. Im trying to just let nature take its course because I dont
want her to become disinterested because of me telling her shes doing everything wrong
So I pick my lectures accordingly.
I know a few people who have returned to riding and it always seems the way they prefer
the bike set-up when they start out is very different then the way they end up once they are
a little more experienced. I say try to patient and let nature takes it course.

cyclezealot

Lem. I am too impatient a person, I know. Just I sat on it and it pushed all my innards up towards my stomach. Every manual I read says it must be horizontal. Could it be male/female anatomy is that different.?
I am sure that position would certainly cause the average male to become impotent. you are right. She will find her own riding style with time. It just felt so miserable to me; afraid she might come home and hurt herself. . Just make suggestions until she finds her style.

-=(8)=-

I dont think mine is actually 15 degrees but level it puts too much pressure on the
underside of my twig 'n berries. Another thing to think about to....could the seat
situation be the symptom of another problem ? Like maybe a shorter stem might
be needed ? The seat too high ??
Its painful for me to look at the way my wife has her bike set-up and also that she
refuses to stand on hills, thereby compounding the sufferage of this bizarre set up
but she gets out everyday and has a good time even with all the grunting and 'I
cant do that hill" . Thats all I can ask for. Gina sounds like shes been
through some unpleasant stuff so maybe just try to look past the wack seat thing
as hard as that might be and just be glad she here and enjoying cycling too.....
I think its great to have the grrrrl friends and wives go along even if it requires us
to 'dumb down'(??) a little, but yeah....my tongue looks gnawed from having to bite
it so much . I feel yer pain !

RRZ

Have her try a recumbant bike. Those seats are like lazy-boy recliners...

cyclezealot

Lem. By keeping my saddle pretty much horizontal, I find it helps me in centering my weight on my sit bones. Saturday's ride changed my wife's saddle to that downward positon. Rode it since to get some groceries, since it has larger panniers. GOd, that position hurt. cant sit on one's sit bones, since downward angle pushes a guy's soft tissue into the horn.
can our anatomies be that different.
rrz. she sort of wants a tandem, wants me to do all the work. guess, good for training.
i just hope her assessment is right. after a ride complains of saddle caused pain, instead of during the ride. I just can suggest what the manuals say and hope she will adjust. glad to have her ride with me.

matagi

Aerodave and Cyclezealot,

get your wives to sign up to the forums at Team Estrogen - no subject is taboo and all the advice is given from a female perspective, so they should find it quite useful.

https://forums.teamestrogen.com/

I had a hellish time with sit bone pain when I first started cycling but at least I had faith in my husband's knowledge so when he would suggest changes to my seat position or angle, I tried them. The thing that finally worked for me was raising the seat height but we only got to that after a lot of reading on the subject of bike fit and a whole bunch of body measurements.

Bottom line - if they aren't comfortable, they won't enjoy it and they won't keep doing it. So making sure they are comfortable is the first thing to address.

cyclezealot

matagi.. thanks for a woman's perspective. I made a favorite of this site for my wife.

Ricardo

Been there done that.

My wife is 26 I also tried to get her into cycling with very little success. At the end, I realized that she just didn´t enjoy cycling as I do, she enjoys swimming instead (which I wholeheartedly hate). I respect her swimming and I buy her all the speedo gear she likes (goggles, eyewear, swimsuit, etc) while I get good padded shorts and maybe a new rear derailleur.

Ricardo

wahoonc

We have been down this road and this is our answer. I am a old long term cyclist. I will ride any bike that has a Brooks/Ideal leather saddle DW wanted to share in the riding, bought her a nice GT cross bike, complained about the seat, 4 seats later she can ride 20 miles max. Got her on a bent trike (ICE) loves it. Next purchase will be a Greenspeed tandem trike Still plan on keeping the regulation bikes, but the trikes are nice

Aaron

2manybikes

Finding a saddle that works is like finding shoes that fit, you just need to keep trying different saddles.

In the mean time make the jewelry store one of your ride destinations. That REALLY works.

2thGrinder

I got my wife a smaller gel saddle but it was some good bike shorts that has made a big difference.

chephy

Lol. Lovely, just lovely. Yeah, it's totally over our pretty little heads with puny little brains in them... Just to think of it: 20+ gears! Number too big! Boggles mind!