Saddle fit?
 

I wasn't sure if this was the best place to post this...

I just bought a new saddle and it doesn't feel right. I feel like I'm sitting on the corner of my sit bones, like the point where you can roll your pelvis either forward or back except I'm right in the middle. It's like I'm not high enough to roll the hips back and I'm not low enough to roll the hips forward.

Before I blame the saddle, I wanted to see if it's an adjustment issue. First, how should I be sitting? Do I want the hips to be back like I'm sitting back in a chair or should they be forward like I'm about to stand up? Is there an adjustment that affects this or do I just have the wrong type of saddle.

I have an older road bike and my position isn't terribly low. The saddle feels better when I'm in the drops but being on the hoods is less comfortable.

Thanks.

- Hips rolled forward is better as it keeps the back in a more neutral position.
- Try lower saddle height to allow pedaling without rocking the hips
- Small variations in tilt of the saddle make a big difference in feel, experiment
- Expect some initial soreness as the bony parts taking the weight toughen up

I don't feel like my hips are rocking. When I lower the saddle, it feels like it should go back as well.

I'll experiment with tilt and see how that goes. It's pointed up a little right now. If I bring it more level, I'm not sure it would help but I'll try it tonight.

The saddle has a 30 day return policy so that gives a little time to play with it. It's the Specialized Avatar Comp Gel in a 155mm size. Does anyone have experience with that one or can make suggestions?

Thanks.

Saddles are like girlfriends...you just keep going through them until you find on that isn't a pain in the ass.

I am not an advocate of having a saddle tipped forward or backward. Forward puts more pressure on your hands, backward causes you to slide backward and changes much about your sitting position. I have found that the need for seat tipping is usually a symptom of another problem ie. too much drop to the bars when in the drops, too much pressure on the abdomen compresses the diaphragm, makes breathing difficult so the seat gets tipped forward to fix that. It doesn't.

I am not totally sure if I followed your description, but your "sit bones" should be centered and on the seat. The seat should not be pushing on the soft tissue of your underside. People have different widths of sit bones (duh) and that's why there are different seat widths.

Women's seats are wider because women have wider sit bones. If a woman generally rides a guy's road bike seat, they seat will be inside of the sit bones.

Bottom line, some shops have a seat measuring device. Basically a pad with measuring lines on it, you sit on itin a position like you would a bike seat, we measure where your sit bones push into the seat and that's the width of seat we are looking for.

Hopefully that makes sense. Generally seats have a comfort guarantee so if it's not comfortable you can return it. Some (like us) have demo seats you can try for no cost.

I'll put it flat and see how that goes. I haven't really had time to adjust it yet, I just put it on and rode it home.
The width seems ok, there's no issue with the soft tissue. They measured me and I was kind of borderline so they gave me the wider saddle.

With the sit bones: You know how when you sit on a hard surface and you roll your pelvis forward like you're sitting on the edge of your seat and there's kind of a flatter sitting-on spot on your bottom? Then you roll your pelvis back so your sitting closer to your tailbone and there's another kind of flatter sitting-on spot at that part of your bottom? I feel like I'm balanced on the middle point so my weight is concentrated on the narrowest part of the sit bones and it was uncomfortable. Maybe that's how it's supposed to be and the new seat is different enough that I just need time to get used to it? I had never noticed it before but I was thinking about it all the way home.

The seat does have a 30 day return policy but I wanted to make sure it's not something I'm doing before I bring it back.

It could be the seat and its "newness"...If it is wide enough and the front of the bike is the right size (top tube, stem, etc.) so you are not compensating for the lack of room in the front by changing your sitting spot (too crammed in for example), you should just be able to sit on the seat and go. It's hard to tell, obviously, from words, but I am also assuming you are good on shorts, etc.

Unless it's a fit issue elsewhere, ride it for a while and see how it feels.

If anything, the reach could be a little longer. I didn't want to start changing stems until I know what position the saddle would be in. I'll ride it a bit and see how it goes.

Is there a "correct" alignment for the bum to saddle interface? Like, at what angle should the sit bones make contact, right on the tips? Sorry for the weird question, it's just something that didn't come to my attention until yesterday and now I'm wondering what is "correct".

It does help to get an outside opinion just to make sure I'm not doing something obviously wrong or if there's something important I should be aware of.

I'm considering getting a professional fitting. I hesitate because it's an old 80's Schwinn and doesn't seem like it's worth putting money into. On the other hand, I like it and want to be comfortable riding it so I suppose it's worth the investment.

There is not a single 'correct' way, but a lot of similar ways that should work for how you are sitting on your sit bones.

If you feel like you are sitting between the front and back part of your sit bones you are probably flexible enough to rotate your hips forward. If you can drop your handle bars at all then try doing so by about 1cm or less increments. Be sure your saddle is just about dead level across the high points of the saddle, it is a good starting point, though a few mm of forward or rear pitch may be needed in the end.
Dropping the bars should slightly increase reach, while at the same time lowering the bars which will give you a slightly more powerful and aero position (your steerer tube is angled so moving the stem down also moves the bars forward slightly)

SITTING ON A BIKE ? answer to long question / SMP seats?? » Bike Fit » Pelvic » Steve Hogg's Bike Fitting Website

This should give some things to consider...

I have ridden a Specialized Avatar or Alias that was on a demo bicycle once. Can't remember which one it was exactly, but I do remember having a similar feeling to what you describe - like only the very tips of my ischial tuberosities were resting on the saddle and like I was lacking stability front to back. I also had a similar feeling with a Selle Italia saddle (again, can't remember which model exactly) that was very T-shaped with an abrupt change in width back to front.

Personally, I prefer having my weight on the inferior ramus of the ischium, rather than the ischial tuberosity. It's a larger surface so there is less pressure and it feels more stable, and also the forward rotation of the pelvis provides for a better, more relaxed back position. To sit like this, the shape of the saddle is at least as important as its maximal width. Measuring and matching the width of ischial tuberosities works only if you only sit on them. Otherwise, it's back to trial and error.

The article @woodcraft posted gives a good illustration of how I sit on the saddle (I'm probably not tilted quite as far forward, at least not most of the time). I don't use a Selle SMP though, I'm currently on an older Selle San Marco Aspide (version without a hole). It is narrower than what a sit-bone measuring chart would recommend, yet it offers a lot more support to me than a wider but more T-shaped saddle.

As for your problem, I would suggest you don't rush with changing the saddle just yet. It takes some time to find just the right tilt and set back of a new saddle, and, more importantly, just the right way to position yourself on it. If it still doesn't work after 100-200 miles, then it's time to start looking for a new one.

Yes, that's it exactly. If that's normal I'll just spend some time getting used to it, I just wasn't sure if it is or not. I wonder if trying the next size narrower saddle would make a difference?

Maybe that's the best bet, especially since I haven't ridden in a couple of years and I don't have many miles in yet this year. The snow finally melted though so I can start getting out more.

This would be the correct seating position. When you feel it's "flat" like you'd sit on a chair your weight is on muscle, either the glutes or the hamstrings. Weight on a working muscle will hurt and make it feel bruised after a little while. That's why on a bike saddle you keep weight on the sit bones. This is not a normal seating position and they WILL take time to toughen up. Obviously, in the beginning you may be more limited by the sit bones than by muscles, and tilting the saddle slightly to offload a little weight onto the glutes can provide some relief to permit you to spend time on the bike at all. But as you get used to spending time in the saddle you'll want to be aware of what you've done and tilt it back.

Some people also have pointier sit bones than others; in that case you want a slightly flexier saddle to cradle the bones. A flatter sit bone will be more comfortable on a harder saddle. If you have pain on a specific sit bone point rather than around them in general, then go to a more flexible surface saddle. You can feel the flex by pushing on the weight bearing area with a thumb and see how much it gives.

But in general, there's no getting around the need to break in your butt.

As you get stronger you will also shift weight off the saddle and onto the pedals. Your weight matters as well, since this is what's held up by the sit bones. A skinny, strong cyclist will have very little weight on the saddle.

Thanks sfrider, I think that's what I was looking for.

In my experience, it either works or doesn't.
You'll know right away. You can't make a bad saddle work.

I haven't been out this past week because it got cold and snowed again but I did some adjusting on the stationary trainer. I ended up moving the saddle up and a little forward and the handlebars down and that seems to help. It's supposed to warm up this weekend so I'm looking forward to going out and giving it a good test ride.