# What's the difference between road and mtb saddles?



## punkypossum (12 Jul 2009)

What exactly is the difference apart from road saddles tending to have a longer nose?

The (men's) saddle on my road bike is killing me - after about 15 miles it feels like my girly bits are being sandpapered, which is not a particularly pleasant experience. I'm wondering if this is to do with leaning over more on the roadbike, i.e. more pressure at the front, but whatever it is, the saddle will have to go. 

This causes the following problems: a) I'm extremely skint at the moment, so lots of experiments with expensive saddles are out of the question.  my choices are also limited by the fact that my sense of style, the colourscheme of the bike and the current white bar tape will only allow me to have a saddle that's either white or contains a large amount of white (with the possible addition of red or black). 

For some reason, there don't seem to be that many women's specific ones about that fit the criteria and all the designated road bike saddles are even more expensive than potential mtb options. I have found a reasonably priced black and white mountain bike saddle, that would LOOK ok on a road bike, but I'm a bit worried that there is something fundamentally different between the way road and mtb saddles are shaped, which means my riding position might not be suitable for this saddle...

Sorry, this is rather convoluted, what it boils down to is: Can someone tell me if, apart from nose-length and name, there are any other differences that I should be aware of?

Thanks!!!


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## Garz (12 Jul 2009)

Make sure both your ass bones are properly planted on the seat, finding a suitable seat may take some tests from the lbs to find a better fitting one. We had a static bike in the house to train on for a while, it came with a de facto seat which was ok for my wife (it was very wide) but crushed my balls badly. I had to use a much thinner seat than her and swapped them over if she ever wanted to use the bike.


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## punkypossum (12 Jul 2009)

This is the thing, my back end seems properly planted, it's the front I'm struggling with...


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## threefingerjoe (12 Jul 2009)

First, try experimenting with the saddle adjustment. Have you tried sliding the saddle forward? This may put more of your weight on your sitbones. Also, is the horn angled up too high? Is it a very "cushy" saddle? That will let your sitbones settle too deeply into the saddle, and the center of the saddle will then press up against the parts of you that aren't intended to support your weight. This is the reason that so many touring cyclists prefer a Brooks. It will support you comfortably over a long ride.


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## punkypossum (12 Jul 2009)

It's a Bontrager Race something...the position on the rails is so that my knee is in the right position in relation to the pedal axle, so I suppose there is not much shifting I can do. It's not particularly padded, certainly no more than the charge ladle on my mountain bike. The horn bit seems to be slighly higher than the middle of the saddle, so I've tipped it forward a tiny bit, which means back and front are now pretty much level (with the front a fraction lower if I actually take a spirit level to it, but not really visible normally). This has helped in reducing the pressure, but it's still rubbing!


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## Steve Austin (12 Jul 2009)

some saddles just don't feel right. no matter how you tilt them or adjust them.

there is no real difference between road and mtb saddles btw. some mtb saddles are a little more cushioned or sofa like but most are just leather covered like the road ones.

a few shops about do test saddles to let folk see if they want to buy one. might be worth seeing if you can borrow one to test ride.


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## PpPete (12 Jul 2009)

punkypossum said:


> Can someone tell me if, apart from nose-length and name, there are any other differences that I should be aware of?
> 
> Thanks!!!



No difference at all that I know of. MTB seat on the roadie? - it can't hurt to try, at worst all you've lost is a few minutes work with an allen key.


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## peanut (12 Jul 2009)

this is a tricky question to which i suspect the answer is likely to be person specific.

It took me years to find a comfortable saddle. It happens to be a very old MTB saddle with slightly more padding. I've been looking for another like it for a year now.This is it.






3fingerjoe makes a good point. Making the saddle level with a spirit level probably isn't terribly helpful. What is far more important is how level it is when you have your weight on it. If you are finding more pressure at the front then either try sloping the saddle slightly or perhaps buying a Tri /TT specific saddle that has extra padding on the nose like the Selle Italia NT1 




It sounds to me like you are getting sore due to fore and aft movement on the saddle. I would look at your saddle height and position carefully and also your stem height and length.

The rule of thumb about knee being vertically over the BB is complete bunkam just as much as not being able to see the front hub is.
The correct position for your saddle is the one that is the most comfortable and efficient for you.Your body and riding position is unique and should not be forced to comply with some ridiculous formula . 

If you look at my saddle position it is as far back as it will go and the seatpost also has setback . it would suggest that my frame's top tube is too short for me

When out next try to think about how you contact your saddle when riding especially fast or on hilly bits. Try shifting your butt forward and rearward and see if it feels any more natural. Shift your saddle forward and back and try it out for a few miles . 

The last thing to think about should probably be the first. Are your shorts sufficiently padded ? consider perhaps getting a padded undershort and also make sure that you use a good quality cream and that it is well placed. Don't skimp


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## Tynan (12 Jul 2009)

drop the nose a fraction


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## yello (12 Jul 2009)

I feel your pain... well, not literally obviously. 

My wife is currently going through a saddle adjustment phase, and it's hugely difficult to get right. Fortunately, she's happy with the saddle as it's one she's used without discomfort on a previous bike. So it's a matter of getting the position right. 

Peanut's right - theory pretty much goes out of the window when getting a saddle right. I'm aware of the theories, and keep them in mind, but they're only guides and never tailor made answers for individuals. 

I've been asking my wife to try and describe where she feels the saddle needs to be. Only she knows the discomfort and where, so try and describe where she feels the saddle needs to be (or doesn't need to be) to alleviate the discomfort. It's taking a while but I think we're getting there, each ride we do just minor tweaks (fore-aft mainly but we can also adjust bar height).


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## peanut (12 Jul 2009)

its also just occured to me that chafing sores can be caused by pressing too higher gears which due to the effort involved causes greater body movements .
I got a chafing sore in the crotch on a 20 mile hilly Friday because I used my unpadded tights (it was cold miserable wet and rainy ) 

Mrs peanut ended up placing a big bag of gel over her saddle Its a type of saddle cover . like an armchair she reckons


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## punkypossum (12 Jul 2009)

Thanks guys, shorts are padded, but I might try tipping the nose a little bit more and generally having a play with it. See if it at least improves things - I did have a very similar bontrager saddle on my mountain bike when I first got that, it caused similar problems, although not as bad, so that got changed for a ladies saddle in the end, but at least I could do more than 15 miles before my bits started playing up..

This is really frustrating, I was expecting all sorts of weird aches and pains when switching over to a road bike, but apart from still feeling quite wobbly, it's generally been fine - the one thing I wasn't worried about is my bum, and that's the bit that's suffering!!!

Edit: Just thought, could still being quite tense on the bike be related in some way? It still feels really twitchy and I'm gettting used to riding a thoroughbred instead of a shetland pony, so I do find myself tensing up, especially when there is traffic about, so could this somehow be related?


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## yello (12 Jul 2009)

punkypossum said:


> could still being quite tense on the bike be related in some way?



Possible I guess though I wouldn't expect tenseness to cause problems 'down there'. Shoulders, neck, wrists - yes, hips - maybe... but bits... I would have though it unlikely.

You could try dropping the saddle height slightly and/or try to take your weight more in you thighs. If that helps it could indicate that you rolling a little on the saddle when pedaling.


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## punkypossum (12 Jul 2009)

hmph...saddle height is the same as on my other bike and even matches the magic paul hewitt measurements, so I'm dubious it's that, but I will double-check...


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## peanut (12 Jul 2009)

punkypossum said:


> hmph...saddle height is the same as on my other bike and even matches the magic paul hewitt measurements, so I'm dubious it's that, but I will double-check...



oh god ...more formulae 

I'm sure messrs Hewitt & co know how to build good frames but I would question any formula applied to saddle height adjustment. There is so many variations in rider's physiology and cycling techniques. 

Just as a check ask someone to view you from behind when you are riding up a hill and see if your hips are rocking .You might be comfortable on a stationary bike with your current saddle height but not when riding hard


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## punkypossum (12 Jul 2009)

Right, I've just double-measured it, it's in fact a few millimetres lower than on my mbt which I'm perfectly happy on - I'm certainly not riding the road bike hard at the moment, still to scared of it taking off somewhere by itself, so as far as saddle height is concerned, I think I can rule that out. Also, the chaffing is not at the sides of my bits where you would expect it if I was rocking, it's bang in the middle - just feels like the nose presses in too hard and ends up pinching something that should not be pinched...

Think a more downward tilt might be worth trying first....


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## youngoldbloke (12 Jul 2009)

PunkyP - If the Charge Ladle on your mountain bike is comfortable why not use one on the roadbike too? (Except it doesn't come in white, of course - OTOH have you tried a Charge Spoon - which does? Not too expensive, and if it didn't work for you I expect you could sell it on quite easily)


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## punkypossum (12 Jul 2009)

youngoldbloke said:


> PunkyP - If the Charge Ladle on your mountain bike is comfortable why not use one on the roadbike too? (Except it doesn't come in white, of course - OTOH have you tried a Charge Spoon - which does? Not too expensive, and if it didn't work for you I expect you could sell it on quite easily)



It's not only black, it's got blue on it as well, which would make it clash terribly!!!! (How shallow am I??? ). However, what I might do is swap it over temporarily to see if it cures the problem, then at least I would know it's definitely something saddle related rather than a setup problem...


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## Garz (12 Jul 2009)

punkypossum said:


> However, what I might do is swap it over temporarily to see if it cures the problem, then at least I would know it's definitely something saddle related rather than a setup problem...



Try that then let us know if the problem is still there.


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## yello (12 Jul 2009)

punkypossum said:


> just feels like the nose presses in too hard and ends up pinching something that should not be pinched...
> 
> Think a more downward tilt might be worth trying first....



Cool! You're answering your own questions! Seriously, I'm not being sarcastic, it's your discomfort, you're the best placed person (literally!) to diagnose the problem and try a solution. Try it and see what happens. If it's worse then move it back. It is trial and error.

Note also that the nose will also be lowered by lowering the saddle


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## peanut (12 Jul 2009)

I am wondering if the cause of this might lie somewhere else.
The difference in your position on your MTB and the road bike will be very different. You'll be more stretched out which will have the effect of rolling your hips forward. In turn that will bring your front tender bits in firmer contact with your saddle horn.
You might need to raise your bars a little or shorten your stem or get some bars with a shorter reach and try that


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## punkypossum (12 Jul 2009)

Argh- that is starting to sound complex and expensive!  However, in the current setup, there is no radical drop from saddle to bars, I don't seem to have too much weight on my hands and I don't feel overstretched in any other way - would I not have other problems as well if that was the case? I did have a bike once that was too long in the reach, and I ended up with quite bad lower back pain, but not got any other problems apart from the chaffing this time, no sore wrists, no back pain, everything feels absolutely fine....


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## youngoldbloke (12 Jul 2009)

_However, what I might do is swap it over temporarily to see if it cures the problem, then at least I would know it's definitely something saddle related rather than a setup problem...

_- that really is the first, most obvious, and straightforward thing to try ......


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## Janeyb (12 Jul 2009)

I had a WTB Speed She saddle on my MTB and tried that on my road bike when I first got it as it was a saddle I was used to. It felt perfect and so I bought one for the road bike too. I'm sure purists would say that you should have a specific road bike saddle but for me it felt comfortable. I don't think anything other than just getting out and doing more and more riding will help. I did 32 miles today and felt pretty comfortable but initially was only managing 15-20 before I got really sore. As difficult as it was to get my head around I have also taken the advice on here that I have read on other posts....vaseline works and so dies ditching the undies under the padded shorts.


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## punkypossum (12 Jul 2009)

Well, I'm on a set of nights from tonight till wednesday morning, will have hopefully have time to play around with it at the end of next week...


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## Garz (12 Jul 2009)

punkypossum said:


> Well, I'm on a set of nights from tonight till wednesday morning, will have hopefully have time to play around with it at the end of next week...



Woah punkyp, what you get up to in your own time is none of our business!


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## punkypossum (12 Jul 2009)




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## peanut (12 Jul 2009)

Janeyb said:


> . I'm sure purists would say that you should have a specific road bike saddle but for me it felt comfortable. .



They might janeyb but they'd say it through gritted teeth 

Comfort and commonsense wins over anything else in my book .
I have been known to use vaseline in emergences but boy does it get on everything


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## Bigtwin (12 Jul 2009)

The answer to your question is that road saddles matter to most people a lot more than MTB ones.

I can ride any old thing on a mtb and it really doesn't matter - you spend a lot more time out of it, unweighting, moving around and so forth. You don't on a road one.

That said, I'm not that fussy about road saddles compared to some - I know the basic shape - fairly narrow with a flattish top does me fine, and I don't have 2 saddles the same over 13 bikes. The worst one is an overpadded sprung thing I have on the tandem that I don't ride very much - "on paper" that perhaps ought to be the most comfy.

Mrs BT however, has filled a reasonable sized cardboard box in the garage with tried and failed saddles.


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## peanut (12 Jul 2009)

Bigtwin said:


> I don't have 2 saddles the same over 13 bikes.



13 bikes ! yikes  thats a serious habit you've got there BT


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## Bigtwin (12 Jul 2009)

i


peanut said:


> 13 bikes ! yikes  thats a serious habit you've got there BT



13 Saddles, not bikes.

The 'bents don't have saddles on....

That's not counting the boys' and missus's bikes of course.

Or the Tag-a-Longs....

My last house had a shed. I had two bikes.

This one has a garage and workshop, and now....


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## xpc316e (13 Jul 2009)

There is no difference between a road saddle and one designed for a mtb - they are both painful in the extreme and are devices of the Devil. I ended up buying a recumbent as saddle problems were just a small part of my woes, and guess what - I can now ride for miles without any discomfort or suffering at all. Do not close off your mind to a bit of lateral thinking when it comes to solving saddle issues.


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