Saddle Soreness

Hi
I had terrible problems and two cysts removed in hospital, I spent hundreds on new saddles.
My answer was measure your sit bones, loads of info on u tube. Then look at Saddles that give you the option. I tried fizix and the ones with two prongs that look awful. My rear end was saved by Specialized power pro Elaston also I needed extra padding on one side as the scars from the operation left me with little flesh under the scars.
Hope this help also make sure you fitted to the bike. That can also cause saddle issues.

Wow!! That sounds horrendous. I can see why you would want the right saddle then. You must have been doing some amount of mileage to end up with them.

I measured them as 150cm. I bought a Specialized saddle too. A Power Expert. It’s definitely better than the original. Looking at it today it might be leaning down a bit. I’ll make some minor adjustments and see if that helps.

A lot has to do with the experience you get while riding. The biggest mistake, “newbies” riding indoors do is they only ride flat routes. A flat course does not invite you to get out of the saddle. My suggestion is to pick a route with a small climb in it. Every time you hit the hill, stand up, and do it. 2nd your sitting position might be incorrect. 3rd What I have also noticed is that many people spin way to small gears.

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Definitely something I’m guilty of. I think it comes from trying to get the mileage up. I originally started with letting Zwift choose the route and it always seemed to give me a hilly route. As I’m 100kg going up inclines slows me right up and I’m spinning away at a cadence of 85 and I’m doing 1 mph with people on the pavements walking quicker than I am riding. It felt kind of demoralising.

Also I feel my technique whilst standing up is weird. I’m not used to it on a trainer yet as the bike is not moving sideways. I need to practice so that I feel comfortable out the saddle.

As in the saddle is in the wrong place or it could be in the right place but I’m not sitting in the right part?

In the main I do workouts so I don’t use gears as I do them in ERG mode. Am I right in thinking it doesn’t matter what gear I use, the resistance is governed and controlled by my trainer? I usually ride my workouts and spin at anything between 80 and 95 during the main blocks of my training. I usually have an average cadence of around 87 to 90 in my workouts I think. Is that too fast? I feel comfortable at that range.

Hi, I think your situation sounds similar to mine. Thanks for creating the thread and for responding and opening the conversation up to be so thorough. There’s lots of good information here.

How are things for you now? Which methods have you found most improvement with?

I hope you’re well and enjoying your pain free cycling now.

Thanks in advance

Here is some ancidotal bits I’ve picked up.

Go to your local bike shop and talk about the saddle. They have setups with 90 day returns so you can get an idea of comfort levels
While in the workouts its the low power stuff that hurts Grey and blue. If you switch it up more to ride in the other colors there seems to be some relief.
Rides of about an hour seem to work best for me. Anything over that and pause the workout, get off the trainer and walk around for a few minutes.
Those ftp builder workouts while easy on watts are killers for comfort.

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Hi Ross,

Things definitely better now but not completely pain free. Did a 3 ½ hr ride and I was still absolutely numb afterwards.
I’ve been doing mainly turbo cycling and the best thing definitely is remembering to get out the saddle. I try and stand up on the pedals about every 6/7 minutes. This has helped tremendously and I reckon I don’t feel a thing on rides of an hour up to about half an hour. I can do over 2 hrs now with a little bit of discomfort but nowhere near how bad it was.

Getting the right saddle and getting it in the right position has helped to. I’ve “built” a bike that will stay on the turbo and deliberately put the handlebars at a height that helps “share” the load.

I have been using bib shorts which are definitely much better. They don’t fall down and move about as much. These in combination with chamois cream had definitely helped with the “delicate” areas getting less irritated.

I’ve found that it’s been very much a long game getting things better but it’s been worth it.

This has been really helpful to read. I wasn’t aware that there were shorts for indoor riding. I’ll check it out. I have a limit of an hour before it gets too uncomfortable. Have had my saddle adjusted, try to move around. I might tip my saddle down a bit more to relieve the pressure.

I can’t imagine 3 hours on an indoor training. I’d love to learn why you are riding so long. Is this to keep up the endurance?

Thanks for replying, Stephen. It’s good to hear that things are a bit better and that the thread contains some good advice.

Personally, I’ve stopped doing the FTP builder. It’s all seated with some of the sessions over and hour and 20 minutes. I’m finding racing and riding with friends, climbing out of the saddle sometimes pain free and enjoyable.

I thought my saddle was tilted down but when I checked it with a spirit level it was tiled up at the front slightly, I’ve set it level for now.

Finally, I’ve got three paits of bib shorts on rotation, washing after each ride. They’re all different brands with different pads (none specifically for indoors) and I think they vary the pressure.

I’ll probably try some new saddles when covid restrictions permit but for now things are good.

Cheers
Ross

Hi
I’m back in training after along time away from riding due to a work related injury. Bought a new ride with what looked a really comfy saddle. OMG how wrong was I. First I thought, yea I’ve been off the bike for almost a year. It’s going to hurt. After 3weeks of training I was ruined. Bike fit, new saddle has worked for me although expensive.
Al

If you think there might be a problem with your bike setup – saddle height, bars, etc, then check out bikedynamics[dot]co[dot]uk. For about £5 you can download a bike fit guide, which contains detailed instructions on how to do your own bike fit. I’m about halfway through and have made a couple of apparently minor tweaks that have already improved my comfort on the bike.

Hi
Sorry very sorry did not thank you for your comments , I’m not much of a forum guy but just came across it
Hope you’re well and cycling.?

I found that not not using ERG mode, but selecting gears manually made a difference. I also have the saddle turned slightly to the right. I guess I must be cycling slightly at an angle.

Posture can have a big effect. Sometimes you get a bit lazy on the trainer and you end up perching on the soft flesh rather than your sit bones. Also, if you’re spinning a very easy gear for long periods of time i.e. not enough resistance in the pedals, this can exacerbate the problem. Finally (for me at least), a saddle with minimal padding works best (this can be counter-intuitive for a lot of riders who may be tempted to move to a softer saddle). If your saddle is too high, that will cause you to “rock” from side-to-side and, for me, that can cause chafing. If your saddle’s too far back, that can cause you to slide forward and ride more on the nose of the saddle, which can cause numbing and discomfort (use a saddle with a central cut-out or deep channel). Also, check that the saddle is “perfectly” flat (not significantly nose up or down) and also parallel with the top tube. I find that I can ride for quite some time before I need to take a few seconds out of the saddle to alleviate the pressure.