AndyK 

Might be as simple as tilting your current saddle nose down a hair. Or, leveling it if it's nose up a hair - etc. Hard to tell without seeing the saddle on the bike.

WhyFi

He is, indeed, correct. 95th percentile in height != 95th percentile in sit bone width. FWIW, I'm at about 140mm (6' tall) and had to go with a 155 Toupe.

nelson4568

i have 2 selle superflow's and one brooks b17 imperial. the imperial I still have issues with. the selle's are perfect.

Selle Italia SLR Superflow by hanhan131, on Flickr

illdthedj

sorry didn't read the rest of the thread, so someone might have said this already:

they fit your bike to you....
but if they saddle is stock then they didn't fit a saddle to your butt.

we all have different sized butts.
an important size consideration is WIDTH....or moreso the width between your sit-bones.

if your saddle is not wide enough, which most are probably not for guys our size (we are similar) you arn't sitting on your sitbones. your sitbones are outside the width of the saddle, and you are sitting on your TAINT (perineum)

saddle widths typically look like 130, or 144, or 155
and considering you are a similar height/weight as me, you probably need something thats a 155 (the specialized toupe and romin come in this size)

you can roughly measure your sitbones by taking tin foil, laying that on a towel, then sitting down and measuring center to center of the dips.

on top of finding the right width saddle, then theres always cutout saddles.

ok good luck!

rdtompki

This is a new bike. What saddle were you using on your "old" bike? I'm guessing the problem is also new in which case I'd temporarily but the previous saddle on and attempt to approximate the old seat position.

iim7v7im7

The saddle is a stock Giant saddle. It is pear shaped and 143 mm wide which may (or may not) be too narrow. I think that it may be one of the components where they saved a bit of money? My fitter told me to stay off the bike until I see him on Saturday morning. He has 3-4 Selle SMP saddle models that he wants to try with me. We set up a 90 minute appointment.

iim7v7im7

My old saddle is a 20 year old specialized saddle on a mountain bike. This is my first road bike in years.

gc3

saddles being right is such a personal issue, and heavily dependent on riding style...I think any advice offered is laughable beyond the basic "you'll have to figure out what works for you through trial and error" ...especially guessing at the appropriate width based on weight and height...

...Just saying....

contango 

My local Specialized store has what they call an assometer which is pretty much what it sounds like. It's basically a strip of gel that you sit on and it measures the distance between your sit bones. Then from your riding style they figure which width saddle you need. I was borderline between the 143 and 155mm (I'm about 6'4 and 250lb, so people who guess based on size would probably assume the 155mm, as I did). I went with a 155 to see how I got on and liked it, so never tried the 143.

iim7v7im7

I don't think that they use an "assometer" but another method (which he would discuss during my appointment). He implied that gages were totally inadequate in selecting a saddle.

There were 4-models that he wanted to work through with me. Here are the width dimensions from narrow to wide. I think the Glider was his first choice.

Lite209 - 139 mm / 102 mm
Pro - 152 mm / 103 mm
Glider - 136 mm / 110 mm
Avant - 153 mm / 135 mm

I will let you know what I find out after my visit to my LBS on Saturday.

stryper

Been riding with an ISM Adamo Podium for almost a year now. It's a bit heavier and nobody likes how it looks, but it's darn comfy up to about 70 miles. I get sore at that point, but never ever numb

gsa103

Here's the best description of the entire SMP model line: https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/...ll-about-smps/

Also, your first ride or two on an SMP will likely hurt. The saddle puts a lot of pressure on your bones, which most people find initially uncomfortable. That will get better with time. The main thing is to worry about numbness.

gc3

Here is an excellent article with detailed review of many saddles and a summary of pointers at the end...happy reading

https://www.randorichard.com/hints-helps/saddles

Icculus21

This thread may help a little: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ad-back-saddle!

jerrycan42

That thing has a bigger hole that my toilet seat...j/k.

I put a cheapo ebay vader saddle on one of my bike till my Terry FLX came in but damn that vader saddle is pretty comfortable. Did a century on it without issues....

bikebreak

It sounds like you are sitting on your perineum instead of your sit bones.
If you are in a fairly upright position now, try scooting your rear backwards on the seat. You will put yourself in a lower angle and get your sit bones towards the wider part of the seat where they can make contact and get stress off your soft tissue.

Also, try pedalling harder and faster. The force generated by your legs reduces pressure on your bottom. The "harden up" you need in the legs, not the rear.

JGSnCA

I always like to light a couple of candles when I do this.

TromboneAl

I've decided to try the ISM Adamo Road. Haven't decided if I will demo one for $25, or just get a used one from ebay for < $100 (and sell it on Craigslist if I don't like it). My sitbones got sore yesterday on a long, slow ride with my Specialized Alias in the nose-down, prostate-friendly configuration.

iim7v7im7

I am going to stay off until Saturday when I visit my LBS. My wife inspected the area (lucky her..:-) and I have bruising at the junction of my legs and my perineum. The numbness has subsided, but the pain is still present. This is only after a series of 1 hour rides.

I will let the forum know what my fitter has to say/recommends after he observes me on the trainer.

:-)

Icculus21

Sore sit bones are normal and they'll eventually adapt to the saddle. Stick it out for a couple weeks and see how it feels - either way, beats a sore taint, numb junk, and ED!

TromboneAl

That's good advice, but I've ridden 653 miles since I tilted the saddle forward (6/11/13). Some days it was OK, but yesterday's slow ride was pretty uncomfortable.

Notgrownup

If your junk is going numb that "TAINT" good, there is a pinched nerve or loss of blood flow somewhere... I have poor circulation from Diabetes and i don't go numb in 1 hour...butt my a$$ hurts.

WhyFi

I dislike long rides with people (even) slower than me for that reason - less on the pedals seems to mean more weight on the saddle.

Nihilum

I had this issue on my Cannondale. To fix the issue, I slightly lowered the nose of my saddle to keep pressure off that area.

Not everyone can get rid of the numbness like this, but it did work for me.

The numbness is a normal side effect of cycling, though many can get rid of it by changing the saddle's angle or simply changing the saddle completely. The other issues for men are temporary shrinkage, numbness of the scrotum, perineum, and tailbone...not to mention chafing if you don't wear proper fitting shorts or fail to use an anti-chafing cream like Deez Nuts or Chamois Butter for longer rides.

TromboneAl

Yes, I've noticed that before also.

The other thing that is noticeable is how discomfort on the saddle can be perceived as fatigue. I stand up and feel fresh, sit down and feel tired.