I need some recommendations on "easy on the a--" bike seats. My biggest problem for longer rides is my butt. I need a more comfortable seat. I have a CCX and replaced it's seat with a split/ independent left and right seat. It definitely helped, but not as much as I would like. I'm 78, 170#, in good shape. My longest ride has been 40 miles and my butt was really hurting. I would like to do Pgh. to DC, but that requires some 60 mile stages. I just can't do that with the seats I have tried thus far. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!
Bike Seat
- Thread starter ebott
- Start date
steve mercier
Well-Known Member
I have found the Bontrager comfort gel with springs to be the best compromise so far .....but you might consider adding a suspension seatpost. It will help.
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indianajo
Well-Known Member
I'm 69. I sit upright like Mary Poppins on the carosselle. I tried the schwinn wide seat shown left sold at Meijer's. Big pain after 2.5 hours. Wrong contour. The cylinders that look like air springs are decorations.
Found a Messinger brand seat on a used bike I bought. No softer, but 4 hours is okay on it. Has real springs, oscillates back & forth 1/8" as I pedal, squeak squeak. Contour is subtly different & more comfortable. Sorry, you can't buy these. If I was 20 years younger I'd scan it for a 3D printer and go into business. Tractor seats were out of style for 40 years, you weren't supposed to sit down on a bike.
I have a quilt pattern brook seat from Salvation Army resale, narrower but better than most. I think you can still buy those.
Found a Messinger brand seat on a used bike I bought. No softer, but 4 hours is okay on it. Has real springs, oscillates back & forth 1/8" as I pedal, squeak squeak. Contour is subtly different & more comfortable. Sorry, you can't buy these. If I was 20 years younger I'd scan it for a 3D printer and go into business. Tractor seats were out of style for 40 years, you weren't supposed to sit down on a bike.
I have a quilt pattern brook seat from Salvation Army resale, narrower but better than most. I think you can still buy those.
Mr. Coffee
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- A Demented Corner of the North Cascades
This is a complex issue, and everybody is different. One thing to keep in mind is that there are a lot of dials on the machine in addition to the bike saddle and getting to butt nirvana will likely involve adjusting more than one of those dials.
Having said that, my suggestion is that you do the research to find a bike shop near you that will let you try out different saddles. Ideally they will let you try a saddle for a couple of days before you make a decision. This is important because while if the saddle isn't comfortable in the first five minutes it is unlikely to ever be comfortable, the opposite unfortunately isn't true. The bicycle market is littered with saddles which are cushy and luxurious for short rides and nothing short of torture devices for longer distances. While everybody is different, it is doubtful your behind is that unique, and chances are your local bike shop will have many saddles that will work fine just for you.
Consider adjusting your saddle height. The simple act of adjusting your saddle higher often makes an enormous difference in comfort. I notice that a lot of e-bikers tend to adjust their saddle too low, which helps with balance when they are stopped but in the end (pun intended) increases your discomfort over a longer ride. Also if your local bike shop can help you with bike fitting consider spending the time and money having them assist you in properly adjusting your bike to your body. In a lot of cases this can make a bigger difference than changing saddles.
Clothing is also important. At a minimum wear breathable and lightweight layers, because a sweaty butt is a sore butt. Padded bike shorts might help, and the padded liner shorts mountain bikers use can be layered under a light pair of nylon shorts. If you wear padded shorts, avoid wearing any underwear and in any event avoid cotton underwear. When wet and sweaty (and your butt will get wet and sweaty on a long ride) cotton fabrics are very efficient chafing machines. On a longer ride consider bringing an extra pair of shorts to change into when the pair you started out in become too wet and sweaty and gross. In any event have clean, dry, and airy clothes available to wear at the end of the ride.
There are various goops and jellies available that will help minimize chafing on a long ride (Butt'r and Bodyglide are two popular brands). They work but you do need to apply them appropriately for them to be effective. The best bet is to apply them at the first sign of a hot spot to the appropriate areas. There are also various balms and medications that can be applied to chafed parts at the end of a day. Baby powder also is often helpful.
The most important thing I've learned is that wet conditions, either from perspiration or precipitation, tend to produce a sore butt. So if you stay on top of keeping your butt dry you will be a long ways ahead in this game.
Having said that, my suggestion is that you do the research to find a bike shop near you that will let you try out different saddles. Ideally they will let you try a saddle for a couple of days before you make a decision. This is important because while if the saddle isn't comfortable in the first five minutes it is unlikely to ever be comfortable, the opposite unfortunately isn't true. The bicycle market is littered with saddles which are cushy and luxurious for short rides and nothing short of torture devices for longer distances. While everybody is different, it is doubtful your behind is that unique, and chances are your local bike shop will have many saddles that will work fine just for you.
Consider adjusting your saddle height. The simple act of adjusting your saddle higher often makes an enormous difference in comfort. I notice that a lot of e-bikers tend to adjust their saddle too low, which helps with balance when they are stopped but in the end (pun intended) increases your discomfort over a longer ride. Also if your local bike shop can help you with bike fitting consider spending the time and money having them assist you in properly adjusting your bike to your body. In a lot of cases this can make a bigger difference than changing saddles.
Clothing is also important. At a minimum wear breathable and lightweight layers, because a sweaty butt is a sore butt. Padded bike shorts might help, and the padded liner shorts mountain bikers use can be layered under a light pair of nylon shorts. If you wear padded shorts, avoid wearing any underwear and in any event avoid cotton underwear. When wet and sweaty (and your butt will get wet and sweaty on a long ride) cotton fabrics are very efficient chafing machines. On a longer ride consider bringing an extra pair of shorts to change into when the pair you started out in become too wet and sweaty and gross. In any event have clean, dry, and airy clothes available to wear at the end of the ride.
There are various goops and jellies available that will help minimize chafing on a long ride (Butt'r and Bodyglide are two popular brands). They work but you do need to apply them appropriately for them to be effective. The best bet is to apply them at the first sign of a hot spot to the appropriate areas. There are also various balms and medications that can be applied to chafed parts at the end of a day. Baby powder also is often helpful.
The most important thing I've learned is that wet conditions, either from perspiration or precipitation, tend to produce a sore butt. So if you stay on top of keeping your butt dry you will be a long ways ahead in this game.
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Thank you and all the others for your comments. I'm sure I will now be able to come up with a comfortable situation.
Thanks again!
Bruce Arnold
Well-Known Member
glenmorenee
Member
The only solution seems to be to try a lot of different seats until you find the best combo possible. To be be butt sore free after 40-50-60 miles in the saddle is a lofty goal but may be unrealistic. So the key would be to try a lot of different saddles without breaking the bank.
My bike came with seat post suspension and a modestly comfortable seat, a Selle Royal Nuvola. After rides I noticed a tenderness on my tailbone when I sat down. Now I have a leather Selle X1 and there is very little if any tenderness. I saw the seat recommended here and there was a coupon plus a discount for a closeout color so I gave it a shot. There may be a more comfy seat out there but I do like the looks of this seat.
Seatpost suspension would be the first thing to get. And whenever you can, stand on the pedals when you see obvious bumps coming.
My bike came with seat post suspension and a modestly comfortable seat, a Selle Royal Nuvola. After rides I noticed a tenderness on my tailbone when I sat down. Now I have a leather Selle X1 and there is very little if any tenderness. I saw the seat recommended here and there was a coupon plus a discount for a closeout color so I gave it a shot. There may be a more comfy seat out there but I do like the looks of this seat.
Seatpost suspension would be the first thing to get. And whenever you can, stand on the pedals when you see obvious bumps coming.
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Ant
Member
I like the Brooks saddles; but, they do take a long time to 'break in'. Sometime around 500 miles! Not a quick solution, but once broken in, are good. They need to be looked after with saddle cream don't like to be left in the rain.
bob armani
Well-Known Member
I have dealt with the sore backside issue for sometime. I have also purchased different seats and gel seat covers, tried bike underware, padded bike shorts etc. I have recently found that Serfas Dual Density Saddles seat technology does most of what they claim with putting your sitz bones right where they should be on the seat making for a very comfortable ride. I now have them on both of my bikes and the sore backside days are over, completely. It has made my entire bike riding experience so much more enjoyable. Hope this helps!
steve mercier
Well-Known Member
Serfas has some very fine seats and that reminds me that you should also try adjusting the seat forwards and backwards up and down until you get it in the optimal spot for your sit bones. This makes a huge difference. The best seat will suck if the fit is wrong
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bob armani
Well-Known Member
I took a level on top of my seat and made it true. What a difference in comfort. Good advice here!
steve mercier
Well-Known Member
Yup sometimes I see a bike seat positioned in a way that makes me wince because I know that I could not ride like that. The most common error I see is a seat that is clearly too low for the rider. Whenever I see that I know the person is not a frequent cyclist because they will surely get knee pain.
J.R.
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Piedmont Highlands
In my opinion less is more makes a lot of sense, when it comes to saddles. When memory foam saddles hit the market years ago I tried one thinking it might be nice. It was painful! If your riding very short distances a couple times a week, a large, soft saddle may be comfortable for you. If you're riding 20 or 30+ miles several times a week, a large, soft saddle can be very painful and less efficient for pedaling.
For me, a firm saddle is the best defense against pain. A saddle has to be firm enough for your sit bones to raise your perineum off the saddle to minimize pressure, and a saddle can't be so large and soft to put pressure on the nerves at the base of your spine. The sit bones are essentially the base of your pelvic bone, the massive bone structure that encompasses the hips and base of the spine. Simplistic description, I know (no medical training here
), but it works with regard to cycling. Sit-bones are able to support you very well and will hold your body up keeping pressure from creating nerve pain. Pressure on the nerves can do bizarre things like, tingling and numbness in your extremities. Hands, fingers, feet and toes... and yes men that extremity too With time it can cause permanent damage.
I personally like the split or imperial saddles, they eliminate any pressure on the perineum and they allow air flow to keep you dry. I ride a Brooks B17 Imperial and I love it. Many can't see comfort in it, but my current B17 has many miles and many years on it, with no signs of wearing out anytime soon. Comfortable too!
Time in the saddle, any saddle is required to break it and the rider in. A Brooks leather saddle will take a lot more time to break in than a synthetic saddle but the Brooks will outlast most all other saddles by decades in most cases if taken care of. Saddles, pedals and grips are very personal cycling accessories, there's no one size fits all.
I thought this advice from Sheldon Brown important to remember for anyone new or renewed to cycling, or after any riding layoff.
"Every spring, bike shops sell scads of saddles to cyclists who come in because their old saddle has become uncomfortable since they stopped cycling in the fall. They went out for a ride or two, and found it much less comfortable than they remembered from the previous year. They've heard about the latest buzzword in saddle gimmicks, and they want one of those!
They buy the new saddle, put it on the bike, go for a few more rides, and find they're much more comfortable. They tell all their friends about their wonderful new saddle, and how they need one too...
But was it really the new, high-tech saddle...or was it just that the rider had become unaccustomed to cycling over the winter layoff? In many cases, working your way up over the course of a few short rides of gradually increasing length is all that is necessary, if you have a decent-quality saddle, properly adjusted. If you have previously been comfortable on your present saddle, don't be in a hurry to change."
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html
For me, a firm saddle is the best defense against pain. A saddle has to be firm enough for your sit bones to raise your perineum off the saddle to minimize pressure, and a saddle can't be so large and soft to put pressure on the nerves at the base of your spine. The sit bones are essentially the base of your pelvic bone, the massive bone structure that encompasses the hips and base of the spine. Simplistic description, I know (no medical training here
), but it works with regard to cycling. Sit-bones are able to support you very well and will hold your body up keeping pressure from creating nerve pain. Pressure on the nerves can do bizarre things like, tingling and numbness in your extremities. Hands, fingers, feet and toes... and yes men that extremity too With time it can cause permanent damage.I personally like the split or imperial saddles, they eliminate any pressure on the perineum and they allow air flow to keep you dry. I ride a Brooks B17 Imperial and I love it. Many can't see comfort in it, but my current B17 has many miles and many years on it, with no signs of wearing out anytime soon. Comfortable too!
Time in the saddle, any saddle is required to break it and the rider in. A Brooks leather saddle will take a lot more time to break in than a synthetic saddle but the Brooks will outlast most all other saddles by decades in most cases if taken care of. Saddles, pedals and grips are very personal cycling accessories, there's no one size fits all.
I thought this advice from Sheldon Brown important to remember for anyone new or renewed to cycling, or after any riding layoff.
"Every spring, bike shops sell scads of saddles to cyclists who come in because their old saddle has become uncomfortable since they stopped cycling in the fall. They went out for a ride or two, and found it much less comfortable than they remembered from the previous year. They've heard about the latest buzzword in saddle gimmicks, and they want one of those!
They buy the new saddle, put it on the bike, go for a few more rides, and find they're much more comfortable. They tell all their friends about their wonderful new saddle, and how they need one too...
But was it really the new, high-tech saddle...or was it just that the rider had become unaccustomed to cycling over the winter layoff? In many cases, working your way up over the course of a few short rides of gradually increasing length is all that is necessary, if you have a decent-quality saddle, properly adjusted. If you have previously been comfortable on your present saddle, don't be in a hurry to change."
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html
steve mercier
Well-Known Member
To each his own! Give me that gel everywhere from my head down to my feet. Gel insoles ,gloves ,saddle . If it has gel in it I want it.
Toomanycats
Active Member
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