Padding is Good and Padding is Bad?

[MacB]

Been musing, as I do, and was considering why a padded saddle is considered bad yet, for comfort, we seek out padded shorts?

 

[jimboalee]

The reason for this thinking, as I believe, is 'heat dissipation'.

I had a saddle once that was a single plastic moulding on alloy rails. The seat part was about 1.5mm thick. Looked painful but wasn't, and it cooled pretty quick when I stood up on the pedals.

 

[Blue]

I'll start by stating that I don't know the actual science involved. However, my guess is that it's to do with the consistency of the materials.

My experience of padded saddles is that they can wrinkle and pinch/chafe on longer rides. I presume that the padding in shorts is too soft to hold and wrinkles and so doesn't cause the same problems - perhaps moving more 'with', rather than 'against', the body.

Only a guess mind!

 

[montage]

I have read into this - basically .... a padded saddle can be more uncomfortable. Essentially when you sit on it, some of the padding is displaced, some of this paddingis pushed upwards - this presses against something on you bum that it shouldn't press against. Similar to the reason why you shouldn't place weight on the palm of your hand in between the two "balls" (On the palm of you hand, just above the wrist there are two lumpy/fleshier parts... one being right at the "bottom" of the thumb. Between these lumps, pressure shouldn't be applied or the world comes to an end.

Padding on shorts is positioned so that it does not press up, hurting the bit which is not to be hurt.


Sorry - I have no scientific knowledge/terminology, but this is the reason why we like padded shorts and unpadded saddles.

 

[montage]

(I am so proud of knowing something Jimboalee doesn't, most likely a first and a last... B) )

 

[samid]

FWIW: I like Brooks saddles (Pro is my fav) and either very lightly padded shorts (Rapha fixed knickers) or no padding at all. Thick padding in shorts feels awkward to me, not unlike thickly padded saddles.

 

[Radius]

Also perhaps in addition, thinner saddles often have pressure relief channels running through the middle that are negated when the thick padding on big saddles is squished down. The padding in the shorts is probably more adaptable, as said.

 

[youngoldbloke]

The padding - originally a real chamois insert in woolen shorts - helps prevent chafing as the legs move against the saddle. It moves with the legs, whereas padding on the saddle can behave as a chafing surface itself. Thus a 'harder' well fitting saddle is much more comfortable than a soft padded one IMO.

 

[zimzum42]

Saddles with proper flex in the rails are so much better than any amount of gel or padding in the saddle

 

[TimP]

My take is that padding in shorts moves with the rider, whereas padding on the saddle moves with the bike and thus is a source of friction, rucking up where you really don't want it.

Though true arse comfort derives from no padding in the shorts and a proper dark side seat to rest upon.