FujiFan89

I did not even know that having your sit bones measure was a possibility! Where does one achieve this measurement?

GovernorSilver

I had mine done for free at my nearest LBS (Local Bike Shop). They have a device that you sit on.

Your preferred riding posture also comes into play - some saddles are designed for more aggressive (racing) postures and are more likely to have cutouts for your genitalia to relieve pressure on those parts. Others are designed for more upright posture, and yet others are designed for something in between. The LBS also asked me about my posture and thus was able to recommend certain saddles. They have a good return policy too, if the saddle doesn't feel right, I can return it for another one.

Here's a nice diagram of sit bones and saddle - you can see that no amount of padding will work if the saddle is too wide or too narrow.

FujiFan89

Ah yes, I can see how my saddle may be too narrow and causing my tail bone to act as my "suspension". I'll go to my LBS (thanks for hinting the lingo) today and see if I can get it sorted out with some measuring and a posture check! Thanks!

caloso

NB: a sore bum and saddle sores are not the same thing.

Jaywalk3r

Note that, due to the shape of the pelvis, the width between one person's "sit bones" is not the same for all riding postures. As the pelvis is rotated forward, the width between the sit bones decreases. This is why road bikes, which tend to have a bar height well below saddle height, tend to have very narrow saddles, and beach cruisers, which encourage a much more upright posture, tend to have wide saddles.

Machka 

When your handlebars are higher than your saddle, you sit more upright and you put more pressure on parts of your sitting anatomy which don't take the pressure well.


A few years ago, I gained some weight and raised my handlebars in order to sit more upright because I breathed easier that way. And I had enough padding I could sit upright without too much discomfort.

Then I lost all that weight and then some and of course, lost all my padding and I started experiencing all sorts of sitting discomfort.

Lowering the handlebars again was kind of an accidental discovery ... Rowan had gone to all sorts of trouble to raise the handlebars on our tandem which we hadn't ridden in a while, and when we did, I went from my previous mild discomfort to agonising pain. That ride was pure torture, and all I wanted to do was to be able to lean forward and get the pressure off. That's when I realised my handlebars were too high ... and we lowered them on all my bicycles. Much better!

Machka 

+1

And I've managed to log over 150,000 km with only one saddle sore which was caused by riding with shorts that were too loose, in the pouring rain, on a 600 km randonnee.

But I have had sore bum pain caused by handlebar height, and saddles that were too narrow ... and one Terry Butterfly saddle that had to have been designed by the devil himself.

Sangetsu

Getting your bike fully set up for comfort takes time and experience. If your backside is still getting sore after so long, you are probably putting too much weight on it, and need to support more of your weight with your hands and arms. To do this, you need to have the proper bar height and stem length.

When I began riding, I experienced saddle discomfort. I made some adjustments, and the saddle become more comfortable, but then my hands began to get numb, and my arms sore. A little more adjusting, and my backside, arms, and hands were okay, but then the bottoms of my feet became hot and uncomfortable, a problem solved by better fitting shoes. Eventually, I got everything set up right, and the only soreness was in my muscles after long rides (150-250km).

As for the most comfortable saddle? After 3 decades of riding, racing, using many bikes and saddles, I have to vote for the Brooks B17. I bought a new one for my commuter bike a couple weeks ago, and it is starting to break in right now. I find I can go on long rides (100km) without cycling shorts on a well-broken in Brooks saddle. If you are riding enough that you use cycling shorts, the ones I have found most comfortable are Assos Sportsline shorts. In my experience they are more comfortable than the much more expensive Prosline. The narrower Brooks saddles, like the Swift should be used with cycling shorts.

GovernorSilver

Funny thing is, one of the guys at my nearest LBS commented that road bike manufacturers tend to assume all customers have narrow hips, and so the stock saddles are sized accordingly.

Seems consistent with what I've been hearing from local cyclists - just about nobody is happy with the stock saddles on road bikes. When I commute I see a lot of big dudes on road bikes - pretty sure their sit bones are wider than would fit stock road bike saddles, even in aggressive position.

Sangetsu

In my experience, a saddle which is too wide is less comfortable than a saddle which is too narrow. Saddle width is less of an issue than proper bike fit and good shorts. If you are putting all of your weight on your backside, it is going to hurt, no matter which saddle you are using, or how wide or narrow it is.

Most people do not have their bikes set up properly, even those who get their bike fitted to them at a bike shop. It takes a lot of personal experience to find the right fit, and the most comfort. There is no real standard as to how a particular bike fits a particular body, there are only rough guides. The length of the legs, torso, arms, etc. must all be considered, not to mention weight, flexibility, and physical limitations.

A few weeks ago I was visiting a well-known bike shop here in Tokyo, and the salesperson was trying to sell a customer a bike which obviously didn't fit him. The frame was too small, the top tube and stem too short. But the salesperson was telling the customer that the standover height was the best way to determine the right size, and was measuring the distance between the top tube and the customer's crotch as he stood over the bike. There was no way this customer would be able to ride this bike comfortably for any considerable distance. I am sure right now he is commenting on a Japanese cycling forum about how he just got a new bike, and how much his ass hurts after a 20km ride.

Most people who work in bike shops are minimum-wage goofs. In better shops, they know a little more, but not much more.

GovernorSilver

Sure, too wide is also not good, just like too narrow is not good.

I hope nobody thought I meant that wide is always better.

That is why people tend to reject the stock saddle and try one or more replacements - to find that "Goldilocks" saddle.

And yes, bike shops vary in quality. The one I ordered my next saddle from is one of the better ones - not just my opinion, but in the opinions of more experienced cyclists in my area. And yes, they have recently let me know, in no uncertain terms, which shops also suck in this area.

Hopefully that person that didn't know about sit bone measurements is going to a good bike shop. A good bike shop will at least ask him/her about the riding posture and everything. If that bike shop doesn't even ask him/her about riding position (aggressive, upright, somewhere in between, etc.), then that bike is not good and he/she should move on to another one.

SlinkyWizard

Thanks for all the valuable insight

I still have the stock saddle that came with the bike, Bontrager Evoke 1.5



thing is, my wife has this saddle



we did a 52 km ride today, me with padded shorts,( I usually ride around 30km daily ) , she without padded shorts, ( she rides every now and then, around 30km a week ), I had the much sorer bum. Is it the saddle? I have read that wider saddles don't equal greater comfort, I have also read that Brook saddles seem to be the bees knees for more than most. To me, the wider saddle looks very appealing at the moment, given the wife's feedback.

Jarrett2

When my butt starts hurting on a ride depends on a lot. Cadence is one of them. Intensity is another. Time on the saddle yet another. Anything under 40 miles or 4 hours seems to be fine. Once I get over that time/distance, I start to have to add in creams and salves to make it all work.

I try to get off the saddle for a couple of minutes every hour or two. If I'm doing a long, multi-day ride, then I apply chamois cream every 30 miles and use Desitin as soon as I get off the bike, preferably after a shower.

I'd love to get to a point like others here that are riding 120 miles without cycling shorts and no issues. I have a hard time imagining that happening. Then again, I'm 280 lbs. I'm putting down more pressure on the saddle than most.

Booger1

I feel no pain on long rides,I just get tired.

Saddles,handlebars and pedals are all personal things......Everybody is different....What I ride or they ride is meaningless....You would have to kill me,to get me in a Superman costume riding a carbon bike with an ass hachet,but people ride them a long way,so,who am I to say?

I say it's time to try some new saddles....For me,looking at your saddle makes my ass hurt.....

jen_turnbull

Anything above 10-20 miles is going to start to feel uncomfortable without a chamois.

No amount of experience or a different saddle is going to eradicate that. Your backside is sweating and chafing is going on between it, your underwear, outer clothing and the rubbing against the saddle.

If you don't want to wear lycra shorts (or the best option - bibs), then I'd suggest some padded undershorts. You can wear these in place of your existing underwear, but they have a chamois which will reduce the discomfort considerably. Nobody will know you're wearing them.

I would suggest getting over any fear of lycra though.