Cycle seat needed

[Hamster]

Can anyone recommend a bike seat that's kind to my backside? Well not actually the backside, the bony bit under the crown jewels! I've just cycled for about an hour and a half and i had to stop every few minutes, it's that uncomfortable. It's for a Schwinn Moab A2 mountain bike with front suspension and a rock hard seat and i cycle mainly on the road. I haven't cycled for a couple of years and i know it's usually a bit uncomfortable to start with but i've never been this sore before!! I know there are those gel seats in halfords but not sure which type to go for. I'd prefer a black one as the bike is mainly grey and black.

Thanks

 

[badbob]

The right seat for me might not be for you, however I've found Brooks leather saddles- namely the Team Pro really comfy. It's pretty rigid however it's comfy.

 

[fatherdougal]

I think that your soreness will probably go but I like to use the saddles with a cut-out central channel to relieve pressure on the area betwixt your Paul Jewell's and Nicky Butt-hole.

 

[badbob]

I think that your soreness will probably go but I like to use the saddles with a cut-out central channel to relieve pressure on the area betwixt your Paul Jewell's and Nicky Butt-hole.

Again that might not because of the anus area, but the mis-shape, compared to the pelvic sit both. My brooks doesn't have a centre channel, but it's far more comfy than the two other seats, which both had centre channels.

 

[dunker]

i've found actually having the sit bones on the mid-back of the saddle where the padding is helps, i moved the saddle slighly forward to encourage this. also padded cycling shorts are a must and the more you ride the less it'll hurt. a couple of saddles a lot of people get on well with,

sdg bel-air rl cro-mo £20 available everywhere.

charge spoon cro-mo £20 available at wiggle but no stock until mid-feb, 10/10 in lots of cycling mags.

 

[fatherdougal]

It's also worth making sure that everything else is set up right. That your seat height is ok (so that your HEELS are able to touch the pedals comfortably at just under full extension). You can also have a play with the angle of the saddle, using the adjustments on the rail to check that it is both far enough back or forward and also tilted to the right position.

 

[PlatinumFX]

I would be wary of cut out saddles. They're ussualy for women or any men with wider spaced sit bones. Child bearing hips and all that. In combination with a decent cycling short, you want a saddle which correctly allows most of your weight to go down on your sit bones and not the soft tissue around your buttocks.

Finding that saddle is unfortunately going to be trial and error. But I would avoid gel/overly padded saddles. They are not suitable unless you really do very little cycling.

 

[fatherdougal]

I would be wary of cut out saddles. They're ussualy for women or any men with wider spaced sit bones. Child bearing hips and all that. In combination with a decent cycling short, you want a saddle which correctly allows most of your weight to go down on your sit bones and not the soft tissue around your buttocks.

Finding that saddle is unfortunately going to be trial and error. But I would avoid gel/overly padded saddles. They are not suitable unless you really do very little cycling.

Thats why I would recommend going to a shop that sells Specialized saddles. They come in 3 different widths, for those that are either snake-hipped or child bearing, all shops should have a 'gauge' that tells you which width is right for you.

 

[Alasdair]

I would be wary of cut out saddles. They're ussualy for women or any men with wider spaced sit bones. Child bearing hips and all that. In combination with a decent cycling short, you want a saddle which correctly allows most of your weight to go down on your sit bones and not the soft tissue around your buttocks.

Finding that saddle is unfortunately going to be trial and error. But I would avoid gel/overly padded saddles. They are not suitable unless you really do very little cycling.

I agree with you on the gel comment, I find that the softer saddles promote more movement, and in turn pain.

I think that the cut out saddles make a lot of difference though, it means that your veg aren't compressed onto the saddle when you lean forward, thus reducing discomfort and increasing your chances of being able to conceive (or at least not reducing them as much).

I just bought an SDG Bel Air FX with seatpost for £50 from Wiggle, I'm yet to have a long ride in it but it seems soft enough around the bones but hard enough so you don't sink into it too much. I'm spending tomorrow in the hills, so will report back on it later.

al

 

[Hamster]

Thanks for the suggestions. Yes, sit bones are where the pain is and all other ergonomics aspects are ok. I will warily pop down to a decent cycle shop for an inspection


m

 

[semi-pro waster]

SDG Bel Air(s) are indeed fantastic saddles but of course they don't suit everyone. Specialised Body Geometry are pretty good with the cut-outs but again it is something you really need to test for yourself, it is definitely worth spending a bit of cash on though as one of the contact points with the bike. Too many people seem to treat it as unimportant, much the same as they deal with keyboard/mouse/monitor - these are the parts that directly impact on how you interact with the item and are therefore about as important as it gets.

 

[PlatinumFX]

I think that the cut out saddles make a lot of difference though, it means that your veg aren't compressed onto the saddle when you lean forward, thus reducing discomfort and increasing your chances of being able to conceive (or at least not reducing them as much).

As long as the saddle suits your sit bones, a cut out can do no harm and indeed be helpful depending on how you sit.

Finding comfy saddles can be a hit and miss process. But decent cycling shorts which have no exposed seams and a chamois (a pad for your crotch) also go along way to minimising movement, chaffing and discomfort. Heres a good candidate from Endura: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=-385742919

For a £10 more theres these: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=848021835&n=Endura FS260 Shorts
I own a pair of those and they are extremely comfortable. If your going MTB'ing, you could look for some MTB'ing specific shorts which are faced with a tougher material to resist falls, branchs, thorns ect or alternatively just throw a pair of ordinary shorts on if your desperate not to be seen in skin tight clothes. When MTB'ing, I always put on a non-skin-tight but technical cycling short over my lycras and never found the added potential for movement and chaffing caused a problem.