seat comfort question
 

I've put maybe 20 miles on the bike so far and the saddle that came with the bike is a bontrager R1 and it's nice that it doesn't hurt in the crotch region while I'm riding, but if I stand up after sitting on it for a while, the crotch area starts to hurt like hell. Also, I noticed the seat to be hard as hell on my bony butt, and it hurts when you go over pot holes or bumps. Is this all normal and something that'll go away with time? Or is this an early indication that this seat isn't gonna cut it?

It's very normal for you but to hurt, and hurt a lot. You need to put a lot more miles on that saddle before you know if it will work for you or not, like a couple of hundred more miles.

You need to raise up slightly off the saddle when going over bumps.

Both posters above are correct, you need to get used to the saddle, it'll take some time. Adjust the angle to just about level so you are comfortable on it. Also make sure your seat is far enough forward so that you're not sitting on the nose. Crotch pain and numbness sucks, I had some very painful experiences with a seat that was too far back as well as narrow for me.

If you don't stand for a while your circulation gets cut off. 5-10 minutes would be decent for standing a couple pedal strokes. This resets your clock, so to speak.

However, if the saddle doesn't feel right after an hour, it may not be the right one for you.

This is making an assumption that you're using good shorts, have saddle at right height, pedal smoothly, all that. Lots of assumptions actually.

I have two saddle models that work for me - the Arione and a now-obsolete Titanio 2000. If I wear certain shorts I cannot ride either of those saddles comfortably. I'm actually looking into cannibalizing good shorts so I can put their padding into the knickers that have the bad padding.

I mention that because it's a whole system, not just the saddle.

For me, though, if the saddle doesn't feel right in, oh, about 2 minutes, I stop. The saddles that seem good seemed good right away.

cdr

I never had problems on the bike - but usually the next day, sometimes days on a row, my crotch area did feel "present", not painfull but "bruised". Changed saddles. positioning, height, for aft etc. and it took me almost a year and a half... What works for me does not have to work for you. But don't give up, it's well worth the efforts.

After being off the bike for most of late summer last year (broken fibula) then this long winter, my rear end hurt also on the first few rides. I could tell it was my sit bones though so it's just about logging some more miles. I'm riding a Specialized Avatar. It'll take more than 20 miles for your sit bones to become accustomed to any saddle I think.

Also, be sure to make sure it's your sit bones hurting and not chafing. I had that on my longer rides also, then I started using chamois but'r and it made worlds of difference. I'm still learning.

If your new to riding and haven't logged a lot of time in the saddle, you butt should adjust the more miles you put in. I'm assuming your riding with cycling shorts with a decent chamois/pad?

A bike saddle is kind of like marriage, or more specifically picking a spouse. You try some, toughen up from dating, discard a few (maybe a lot), and endure some bad experiences. Even good ones take some tweaking to reach perfection. Then as you age and change, you need to keep trying new things to stay fresh.

In these terms, 'sounds like you've had your first date...ever. Be patient with your butt, keep things clean, and keep riding.

it can also be a function of the psi in tires, your seatpost and of course your sit position. fore and aft as well.