Burning saddle problems
 

Hello fellow cyclists,
I have a homebuilt Giant Trinity TT bike. This past Sunday I did the Fiesta Island Time trial, and did fairly well. But speed for me is dependent on comfort and my behind was not comfortable in aero position. I have gone through several saddles on it to try and find one I would be comfortable on (ISM Adamo Road Gel, Fizik Arione Tri, Prologo Evo Tri) None of these have yielded anything I would call a comfortable ride in aero position. The problem is that in normal upright position, all is great, I am comfortable regardless of saddle. When I get into aero and try to put power down and be smooth, after 3 or 4 minutes, my gooch area feels like it is on fire, regardless of saddle choice. I have not had any luck yet finding a saddle or adjusting my current setup to help with this issue.

If anybody has any suggestions, I would be happy to try anything to resolve this.

PS. I have not done a professional bike fit, but I figured I might find a saddle that lets me ride comfortably before I shell out coin for a fit.

I'm guessing you already messed with saddle tilt? As you're in the aero position the whole time, I would reckon the nose of the saddle should be pointed slightly down.

I would go for a fit with someone tri knowledgable. The saddles you used may be fine for you and it's just the fit that's off.

I have not tried tilting the nose down too much. I tilted it down a little, but that did not seem to help any and I felt like I was slipping forward.

I have been engaged in a near-constant battle with saddle comfort since I got back into cycling-- which is bizarre, because they will work great for 1,500 or 3,000 miles, then just turn evil on me. I think my current is my 6th saddle, and no two saddles have mounted with the same amount of tilt. Hey, if anything, it's free to try-- mess with the tilt and the fore/aft positioning. As mentioned, a tri/TT specific fit will most likely solve the issue-- but I'm certainly one to go for the trial and error method first.

Have you looked at any Cobb saddles? Their website contains lots of good info and they have a nice selection. I think they also have a demo program or return if not satisfied, etc. Many tri shops sell their saddles, as well. Finding the right saddle can be a real pain in the a**.

I'm surprised that the Adamo doesn't do it for you.
I have one for my road bike and one for my Tri bike, and I swear I feel like I'm cheating. No pain at all.

Thank you for the suggestions. I liked the adamo prologue, but weirdly not in aero position. I could ride it upright forever, but 10 min max in aero. I am currently looking for a Cobb Plus. It is still a narrower saddle but has the cutout. It is an ugly ass saddle, but at this point I am willing to try it. My former housemate that races 70.3s and full ironman races swears by the Cobb plus because she went through 6 or 7 saddles before finally settling on that one. Not an apples to apples comparison, but gives me hope.