First Ride - very sore butt!?!

[billboat10]

Would a suspension seat tube be better

 

[Gustnado]

Would a suspension seat tube be better

I thought about that and looked into it a little, however, my bike comes with a drop post for the seat so that wouldn't work. Also, it's not so much an issue with bumps during the ride as it is constant pressure of being in the saddle for a period of time.

I temporarily put on the bike seat from my old mountain bike and it already feels better. I took a similar ride in distance (6 miles) today with minimal pain. I also stopped twice after each two miles to walk and stretch for a few minutes. This combo of old seat and riding in chunks seemed to alleviate the pain I experienced on my first ride. I am hoping to get down to the full service bike shop this weekend and see if I can use their machine that measures your hip bones and then get advice for a seat from them. I have looked at and reviewed many of the suggestions given by members of this board - which has been extremely helpful and informative so "thanks" to everyone who has contributed!! I have a few models in mind but still want see what a the folks say at the bike shop.

 

[drewberz]

get fitted for a saddle. i'd recommend your lbs on this one. if you don't want to go down that route, then experiment and make small tweaks to the saddle to refine the position. you can get aches and sores from a poorly fitted saddle. some common traps people get into: a saddle with gel (or substitute some soft/squishy thing) will be more comfortable, 'X' saddle works really well (it may be for them, but not necessarily for you). some gels e.g. chamois cream will alleviate the friction and the sores. i've heard but never used vaseline. good luck!

 

[PowerMe]

Never mention sore butt from riding a bike to a know-it-all non-cyclist. I said something about my soreness to my cousin, who is most definitely not a cyclist or physically fit. I wasn't asking for advice, just making a comment. Her immediate and forceful suggestion: put a sheep skin cover on your seat. (Yes, seriously). Good thing this conversation was over the phone because my eyes rolled. She finally stopped insisting that was the solution when I said, "this is muscular, as in muscles I haven't used in a long time and sheepskin doesn't do a thing for that!" Geez. Lesson learned.

 

[Trail Cruiser]

A combination of suspension seat post plus the spring mounted seat such as the cloud-9 can do wonders to your butt.
(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)
(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

I have been using body float and C9 seat and on some terrain it can be as good as my full suspension ebike. Recently, I have a simple telescoping suspension seat post on a new bike and I just changed the seat to C9. It made a whole lot of difference and I will not use body float this time since it feels adequate already.

 

[jhoblo]

It's a compromise either way. Bike seat isn't a car seat or sofa. Your weight is distributed between seatbones, hands and feet.

Softer seat - sinking deeper, discomfort on longer riders. Wider seat - interfering with downstroke. Upright position - more pressure on the butt. Lean forward - more stress on hands and possible back problems.

Some of this will not be applicable to your MTB. Ex., you won't get really upright position because handlebar is "wrong". Try replacing the seat. Cloud 9 is popular (I think they have 2 models now, newer is slightly better).

I don't know- I'm dealing with similar problems- I was told by folks at LBS that multiple hand positions will definitely help prevent numb hands. I bought but haven't put on Jones Loop H Bar handlebars so that I can ride more upright, I hope it helps because I can't do a whole lot more to my bike.

 

[jhoblo]

A combination of suspension seat post plus the spring mounted seat such as the cloud-9 can do wonders to your butt.
(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)
(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

I have been using body float and C9 seat and on some terrain it can be as good as my full suspension ebike. Recently, I have a simple telescoping suspension seat post on a new bike and I just changed the seat to C9. It made a whole lot of difference and I will not use body float this time since it feels adequate already.

Which size C9 did you get? For my weight their website suggests the 12" x 12" seat, but that seems huge.

 

[Trail Cruiser]

I have both the 10x10 and 12x11. Not much difference between the 2, maybe a little more comfortable for the 10x10 for me (190 pounds).

 

[mrgold35]

I have the 12X11 and it looks very large compared to most road and MTB saddles. It fits me at 6'3"/+270lbs and my wife at 4'11"/130lbs.

 

[bob armani]

My 2 cents- I have always used some kind of padded shorts along with a gel bike seat cover. I also use 'bike underwear' under shorts. All of them combined makes for a very cushy ride.

 

[Bruce Arnold]

I took a fairly long ride today. Bike shorts and the new Cloud 9. The Cloud 9 has been a noticeable and welcome improvement without the bike shorts, but with them, wow what a difference. There are bumps I used to get out of the saddle for because it was uncomfortable to stay seated. With this combo, it was actually a while before I realized I wasn't getting up in places where I always used to.