mrkano

I just done a 3 day ride from Leeds to Glasgow, averaging about 90 miles a day.

I do ride every day but have not done such a big ride since I rode to Paris 2 years ago.

So this come to me as a surprise.

On the 2nd day, the 'middle' of my right leg was in a little pain (i use commers as I am not sure where about, just in that region). After a few pedals it gets into action and I am off.

3rd day when arriving in Glasgow I was so beat! My ass is killing and I can't feel any sensation in my 'man' area and my 'gooch' or that bit which rests on your seat is totally sore/raw!

Apart from my leg, which really should have built up to such a ride, what can I do about the ass area! It has to be my seat. I must admit, the frame does feel a little bit long??? As in I am not sat on the seat properly, but nothign really that noticable, plus I love my bike and refuse to change it.

Here's a pic, of the seat, you cant see it to much but can you guys suggest anything???

SER71

Did you wear bikeshorts with a good chamois? Did you use chamois cream? If you ride that long for 3 days in a row, you're going to need some cream.

DScott

Get a proper fit. It shouldn't hurt that much.

How was the ride?

chasm54

It looks as if your seat is tilted nose-down. That's rarely a good plan, one tends to slide forward and rest on the perineum instead of the sit-bones. Result, numbness. Not what you want, and potentially destructive.

Incidentally, chamois cream is probably not relevant. It can be useful for preventing saddlesores, but won't prevent the problem you're describing. I regularly ride bigger distances than these and never need chamois cream, ymmv.

mrkano

destructive cant be a good thing........ the nose on the seat is a little bet yes..... i like the stream lined look, any other seats I could check????

My leg issue is a simpel sollution, building up with longer rides simple, but the seat thing could be doing a lot of damage...

dscott, the ride was great, 1st day though I had 30mph headwind rigth in my face! all day for 10 hours.... I used up a lot of energy ono this.... 2nd day was great, broken skies, warm and great scenes in the lakes, and the 3rd day right off pissing down but manned up and rode on at 10am with me reaching glasgow in the sun at about 8pm....

dstrong 

Wow...quite an adventure. So many interesting things about that bike: Handlebars; Lack of bartape (with no gloves nonetheless); Single chainring.

Regarding the streamlined look...if it causes pain, it's not worth the look. Besides, you could tilt it down when you're not on the bike, then put it into a more comfy position when you get on it.

pgjackson

That "gooch" area we call "taint". It taint balls and it taint butt-hole. There's a different phrase that applies to women, but it's still called a taint for them.

Anyway, some sore of butt-cream is necessary for those long rides. You might also might want to adjust the angle of the seat.

Also, the most comfortable long-distance seat I have used is a Brooks B-17. Heavy as crap and looks a little odd on a racing-style bike, but damn is it comfortable.

mrkano

This article says that it can be a good thing putting your saddle pointed down a bit..??

https://www.medicinenet.com/script/ma...y=84072&page=2

mrkano

Hi guys... I'm looking at buying a new seat, but is there anyway to tell what will be the best seat???

Tbh I'm still numb in that area below!! It's really got me thinking now... I dont want to be messing about with crap gear.....

Any sites/blogs/posts that show you how to choose the right seat???

AlexZ

You are in the right country for a great seat ! See https://www.brooksengland.com/
I modified mine for no pressure where it counts:

mrkano

Are brooks truly the way to go???? I know it shouldnt be purly on looks but come on we all like to look at ur bikes right?
I love brooks, is this a b17?? I love the swallow!!

But probably after something a bit more modern looking.......... Any other reccomendations???

fairymuff

I've got the Charge Spoon from Wiggle (in the UK). I think it's a great saddle, and a bargain at £22.49 with free UK delivery. It gets 4.6/5 stars on Wiggle from >400 reviews. There are several saddles on Wiggle that cost several times what the Charge costs, and get equal or worse reviews.

Might be worth a try?

I've done several tours on that saddle, and I found it to be very comfortable over longer distances.

DScott

Cool ride, nice photos.

Saddle set up is just as important as choice of saddle, and internet saddle selection is a less-than-good idea, IMO. Your saddle might be fine, if it, and your bike, is set up properly. FWIW, numb is not good, generally speaking. Numbness for DAYS after a long ride, is especially not good.

At least go to a decent bike shop and get real-person feedback.

Cheers!

bhchdh 

I use a Brooks B-17 and find that the last thing I think about being sore is my rear end. As for looks, when used for the intended purpose it's pretty hard to see the saddle.

Commodus

There you go OP, listen to Mr. Scott.

pgjackson

That looks pretty comfy...but why would they discontinue the black version?

fairymuff

Probably out of stock. The black one (which I have) has red lettering btw. Black with orange lettering is still available.