I've been riding with your club since October. As some of you know, I'm riding my first road bike ever. I love it more than anything; however, I do have a question about saddle comfort.
I first want to state that I ride without experiencing any discomfort in my legs/knees, back, arms, shoulders, or neck. I have yet, however, to complete a ride without quite a bit of discomfort from the saddle. I do feel like I'm riding on my sit bones, so I don't think the saddle is too wide or narrow, but I end each ride feeling rather bruised in the sit bone area. SusanB mentioned on one ride that it looked as if I was "bouncing" sometimes and I have noticed that, but that usually occurs when I have chosen a gear where I am spinning too fast and I quickly eliminate any bouncing by making gearing adjustments so I don't think that's a saddle issue. I do find myself shifting a lot on the saddle, but I honestly can't tell if that's because I'm sliding forward or just shifting in an effort to find a more comfortable position. I do try to periodically take my weight off the saddle completely in order to relieve the pressure a bit.
My longest ride to date has been around 33 miles, and while I do feel like I could have gone further, I was uncomfortable enough to know that I won't be able to consider completing a century (which is my goal) if this issue doesn't improve. If the weather is good and my schedule allows me to ride two days in a row on the weekend, it is a guarantee that I will be forced to take one to two days off the bike, whether I want to or not, in order to ride with any level of comfort.
So, my question is have I given myself enough time to even feel comfortable, does this sound like a fit issue and I need to go back to the shop and have them play around with the saddle fore/aft/height positions, or do I just need to shop around and maybe find a completely different saddle? Any thoughts on this issue?
I might first check my fit on the bike as that may be an issue. That being said, the most important things for me are the points where my body contacts the bike and the most important is the saddle.
Many riders have had saddle issues at some point. I have had great saddles that were not great for me. Size matters when it comes to saddles. You can be measured or sit on the "bench" at MOAB to determine your proper saddle width. Then you need to find a saddle that has the right amount of padding for you. Too much padding is not a good thing for most people and sometimes less is best. Talk to the guys at the shop and tell them everything from how you feel on the saddle to how far you can go before you feel discomfort. You may have to test ride some saddles before you find the right one.
There are many saddle options out there and you will find the right one.
Kelly - could be the saddle, could be the shorts - here is a link to a saddle that several of us girls love. http://www.terrybicycles.com/Saddles/Womens-Endurance. Especially for distance riding. I actually have an extra if you'd like to try before you buy.
From a shorts perspective - make sure they fit snuggly - (NO UNDERWEAR!!) - some like a gel pad, some prefer a sueded chamois.
Saddles and shorts are the two things you do not want to skimp on - because either one can make or break a great ride!
Good luck!
Sarah
I second Sarah on shorts quality, you need to find the pair that fits YOU. Check out different chamois and preferably women style ( although I know some women that prefer men chamois). Feeling the sit bones may mean you have too narrow of the saddle, therefore you need to check the width your pelvis-ischial tuberosities at the "sit bench". Bouncing during pedaling and sliding motion- check if the saddle is possibly tilted forward with the nose below horizontal, and/or it is too low and too far forward (basically get re-fitted). There are the drills can be done of the bike to improve pedaling efficiency to eliminate the bouncing also. You can google them or I can send them to you.
Thanks, everybody! I feel like I'm pretty good with my shorts and tights. I purchased female-specific Pearl Izumi and I have the same discomfort issue regardless of if I'm in the shorts or the tights. I have no chafing or irritation, it's just a sort of beat up feeling after riding. I start feeling it about 10 miles or so into a ride. I got the bike at Harpeth and I was just noticing on their website that they include the cost of a "Basic Fitting" for bikes over $1,000 but I didn't get one of these. I've just emailed them to see if I can this set up. I figure even if it doesn't resolve the saddle issue, it's worth doing just to make sure everything else is adjusted to me as it should be.
I'm going to google the pedaling drills because I'm always looking for ways to improve! I appreciate all the input on this issue.
I think if you pay for a basic fit from harpeth it will resolve your issue. The times I have had issues, the cause has been fit and saddle position.
I bought some new knickers recently and I notice that they have a different padding than the shorts in a am used to. Any ride over 50 miles in my knickers and I start to feel my saddle.
I have tried Pearl Izumi select brand shorts. I did not realize that they have different levels of chamois. Three to be exact. I realized after two purchases that I like their mid range chamois best. It has an orange pad versus the blue pad in the select. It's a trial and error kind of thing.
Good luck to you.
Lots of good thoughts from good riders above. I'll mention 3 more things:
1) At a minimum, use the 20/20 principle. Every 20 minutes, get out of your saddle and pedal 20 strong strokes while standing. That gets the blood flowing to all the parts, and relieves pressure. Doing that every 10 minutes is even better, especially as you adapt to longer rides.
2) The symptoms you describe can happen even if you are using the perfect saddle. It's just not natural for the human body to sit on a saddle for hours at a time. Barring a true misfit, the good news is that you and your body will adapt over time. As a personal example, I can ride 100 miles mid-season with no pain at all. Early in the spring, it may get tender after 30 miles. After being off the bike for 5 months, I start to feel it after even 10 miles. All of those experiences are on the exact same type of saddle that I've been riding 4-5,000 miles per year since I switched to it in 2004.
So don't expect that you shouldn't experience any discomfort as you increase your mileage. I'd definitely consider all of the other good advice above, but just don't feel like you immediately need to go out to buy a new saddle either. I'd check the saddle fit, but then give it a little more time (and miles) before switching to something new.
3) Check your tire pressure vs your weight. The recommended tire pressure on the sidewall can be way too much for your weight, making for a harsher ride. Do a Google search to determine the right pressure, and don't be satisfied until you find one that recommendss different pressure for front and rear. The front requires less pressure because there is less weight on the front tire. On smooth roads you may not notice a difference, but I guarantee that you will when the pavement gets rougher.
Good luck.