Saddle vs Shorts
 

Hey all,

I've been really getting into cycling this year. I have been steadily increasing my distances, but now I'm finding myself quite uncomfortable on the saddle after 20 miles. Im curious what I should upgrade first, my stock saddle, or cheap cheap shorts I got a few years ago when I first got into riding? Use on both is probably 1000miles or so as school got in the way for a while. I guess I'm just wanting to know which provides the biggest bang for my buck? Especially as I could get probably 2 shorts for the price of one saddle.

Thanks,

Jonathan

both, but get the shorts first, it sometimes takes awhile to find the perfect saddle.

Its hard to tell what is the real problem. Shorts and saddles can be very personal things.

For me saddle choice is more important than short choice. The wrong saddle may be uncomfortable regardless of what shorts you wear. Shorts are also important though. I do have pairs I dont like, and some I will not wear for long rides.

If you would like to try new saddles maybe you can find a local shop that has some demo saddles you could try. Then you can find out if a different one may be more comfortable before you spend the money to buy one. My bike fitter had some for me to try. I could tell pretty quickly once I found the right one that it would work better for me that the saddle I had.

The padding in modern shorts is more about wicking moisture than comfort per se. You need to find the right saddlle for you. Check out the Toupes - I love me some Toupes.

20 miles is not a long distance at all. Your problem is more likely fit related or your not strong enough yet for that distance and have too much weight on the saddle. I just started re-using a saddle I gave up on years ago with only 20-50 km distances on it. I've put a few hundred KM on it in the last week with one 90 km ride without issue. Even cheap shorts should be fine for 20 miles

What saddle? What shorts?

Modern fashion is for extreme light weight saddles, which means little more than a carbon fiber shingle to sit on; padding is relegated to the shorts, where the additional weight won't appear in the marketing brochures.

I have a couple pair of shorts that don't come out of the drawer unless everything else is dirty. I have an overpriced pair of Louis Garneau shorts with really poor seam placement. I really like my Tenn bibs I got off of Amazon - a great value for less than $40 a pair.

Did you get biking shorts (with no seams in the crotch area)? Are you wearing underwear under your shorts?
Is the pain coming from chafing or saddle pressure?

shorts - too big or with too lumpy a pad (gel chamois stand out as super nasty...) - nasty - it's usually not totally price related, there are plenty of well-priced shorts/bibs that work well...
saddle - sometimes tough match, but for some most saddles do fine under the 2hr ride...
again, it's not about price - there are plenty of good saddles which aren;t premium price - much of the pricey stuff is all about the bling.
some saddles are noted ass-hatchets...
might wanna go to a Specialized dealer which has an assometer and have your bones measured - your saddle may not be a good match for you load size... and it's not about your body size, many people of varying size have varying load widths...
position - I think that was mentioned - but getting well positioned on the bike is verty important for many reasons - that gets complicated... but the 41 luv 'complicated'...
and if you're not getting regular rides in, then you may be going thru the 'butt break-in' period too often... getting in some regular rides for a period of 3 or 4 weeks (ride at least 3 or 4 times a week) will get the sitz bones acquainted with the burn. ride once a week and the butt burn to be a regular thing...

They are biking shorts, with minimal padding, no underwear. Pain is definitely a pressure.

Don't assume that you have to spend a small fortune to find a comfortable saddle. I have a $29 Specialized Riva that's very comfortable, at least for my posterior.

At first I wanted a thick chamois pad, thought that was most comfortable. recently found that I prefer a thinner chamois but has more density. I dislike much in the middle of the pad because I find it bunches and can create abrasion after long distances (60+ miles). For a saddle, I prefer a saddle that has a small touch of padding that isn't to soft but not to hard. shape of the saddle has more to do with it for me. Its a tough combo to find for some people like myself yet others can throw on any shorts and ride any saddle.

Oh this one's easy... Choose:

A. Get a pro bike fit.
B. HTFU.
C. You're too fat for this sport.
D. All of the above.

*The aforementioned options do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the author, but rather represent a sampling of the most likely responses to any problem presented in the BF 41.

as far as saddle goes, everyone has a preferred shape. A racer who changes positions a lot is better off with a flatter saddle. Someone doing a tour is better riding a curved saddle. Width of your sit bones vs the saddle width is critical.

Then, there's official brand saddles, and then cheap ones on ebay selling for $20. I honestly don't know the difference between them. But I can tell you that I have a specialized road riva saddle, and a progolo saddle that I got off of ebay for a $20 steal. The progolo retails for like $90 or something, and it's like hard, yet supple, very comfortable even in regular shorts. On the other hand, my specialized saddle is just hard, and can be real uncomfortable without padded shorts.

You need a better saddle. Even with good shorts I was stilling have comfort issues. I tried several saddles and eventually chose one but it turned out not to be ideal either. Now I have a Romin and so far I'm really liking it. Of course you should get some good shorts too. Cheap shorts suck.

I find that CF shingle to be by far the most comfortable saddle I have ever ridden. That shingle is not a board it flexes.

I completely agree. I've had just about everything over the years and CF shingles are the most comfortable. Saddles aren't supposed to be a big cushy leather thing you sit on for hours. Rather it minimally supports your sit bones so your legs are unobstructed to pedal. It's like running where your legs are free to propel you.

Also before you invest in new saddles and try lots of different shorts, make sure the saddle is adjusted just right for you. Lots of pain is from saddles titled wrong or are too far f or ward or backward.

I agree with that. My preferred saddle is the Brooks "Professional." I have four of them; the newest is from 1995, the oldest from 1967.

Comfort is relative and made up of a variety of things.
Starting out with a decent, you don't need to spend a fortune and they don't need to be replaced after a year...I'm still wearing shorts that are 15 years old and they are perfectly serviceable though they are used strictly for the wind trainer and under tights, pair of shorts is fine...
A good saddle, what is good is so arguable, comes next. I suggest not spending a lot because it may take awhile...a long while often with no real conclusion...to settle on one. Some shops allow trying or borrowing saddles and that is a good thing as long as you buy there and not use them then buy online.
If you are new start with a more comfortable saddle...better padding, gel padding etc...not a big wide tractor saddle though as a road bike position is not comfortable on one of those.

Also realize, most important, that it is going to take time for your body to physically and mentally adjust and accept sitting on and being supported by a small object.
You will always know you are sitting on a saddle. There will always be some discomfort but as you strengthen your "sit" areas and your body adjusts it will become less noticeable until you exceed your normal riding distance, etc. when you are starting anew with your body having to adjust to longer periods of time.

Make sure you change your positions often as well. Don't sit in one position while riding. Slide a bit forward and back. Lift yourself out of the saddle slightly for even 10 seconds is a lot to allow blood flow to increase and your sit area to take a bit of a break. Stand a bit while climbing or make believe you're climbing if on flats by going to a high gear and getting out of the saddle for 30 seconds. There are lots of tricks you can do to give your bottom a break.

I've raced and ridden for over 30 years and have used nearly every saddle on the market. None are perfect but some are better than others. Currently I'm on a Specialized saddle with a 45MM? width. I for get the model as it is a few years old but one of their lighter performance type saddles and it works fine. Perhaps one of the most comfortable saddle I've ever used was a Selle San Marco Regal...they are still widely available and a wonderful saddle.

I'm sure you will have a small collection...with ebay we can at least sell them to somebody else to try...until you find one that is relatively comfortable...for now.

Keep us informed

yep. That saddle is perfect for conforming to the rider and riding efficiently.

It's the saddle. I'll ride in bibs, cycling shorts, running shorts, tennis shorts, jeans and with and without liners/chamois...the correct saddle makes everything work. Think demo, buying saddles in the blind hoping for the best fit is the expensive route to take.

Uncomfortable Pressure = wrong fitting + (maybe) wrong saddle.
If the saddle is a good fit, you can ride comfortably with no padding

Have you had a pro fit yet?

Have not had a pro fit yet. I was always uneasy of throwing out the cash to get one done as 1) I hadn't been as committed to cycling in the past 2) had done mostly shorter rides without issue. But now I can see that may be a good choice as I am starting to really get into it and it's becoming a pain in the but (literally)