Same as when I get a tyre puncture - cry and call my mum.
Pump up your saddle
- Thread starter DEFENDER01
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Col5632
Guru
- Location
- Cowdenbeath
This one going by the looks and feel of it could save my bony bum from getting uncomfortable after 15 minutes in the saddle
Most bikes come with razor blade saddles who designs these things certainly someone that doesn't spend long riding.
It's said that your bum adjusts to the hardness and stops the gel being moved around in places you would rather it didn't, I used to think gel seats were the way to go but really the 'razor' seat teamed with a good pair of padded shorts are the way to go
Globalti
Legendary Member
A soft squishy saddle may feel good for the first few miles but your sit bones will sink into it, transferring the stress to your soft tissues. Your saddle area will become sweaty and then you will get saddle sores caused by friction on damp skin in the perineal and gluteal areas. Worse, the sweaty environment will encourage bacteria to grow, causing infections and eventually boils.
Much better to get a well-shaped but firm saddle (Charge Spoon is excellent) and make sure you've got it set up right, which means:
Correct angle.
Correct height.
Correct position on the rails and hence distance from the bars.
Correct height differential with the bars.
Correctly set up, a good saddle will "cup" your sit bones and carry your weight in the way Nature intended.
On shorts pads, unfortunately the cycle clothing industry has decided that we all need soft squishy pads but these are a mistake in the long run for the same reason. The pad is supposed to wick away moisture and prevent the shorts from creasing and folding, not provide thick spongey padding.My most comfortable shorts are my 3/4 dhb Roubaix bibs, which have a thin, firm pad.
Brooks saddles work by stretching to match the shape of the rider, which is why they are provided with a tightening bolt. They are fine if you plan on avoiding rain but they are damned heavy and IMO a modern plastic saddle does as good a job for less weight and expense and in wet or dry weather.
Much better to get a well-shaped but firm saddle (Charge Spoon is excellent) and make sure you've got it set up right, which means:
Correct angle.
Correct height.
Correct position on the rails and hence distance from the bars.
Correct height differential with the bars.
Correctly set up, a good saddle will "cup" your sit bones and carry your weight in the way Nature intended.
On shorts pads, unfortunately the cycle clothing industry has decided that we all need soft squishy pads but these are a mistake in the long run for the same reason. The pad is supposed to wick away moisture and prevent the shorts from creasing and folding, not provide thick spongey padding.My most comfortable shorts are my 3/4 dhb Roubaix bibs, which have a thin, firm pad.
Brooks saddles work by stretching to match the shape of the rider, which is why they are provided with a tightening bolt. They are fine if you plan on avoiding rain but they are damned heavy and IMO a modern plastic saddle does as good a job for less weight and expense and in wet or dry weather.
OP
OP
DEFENDER01
Über Member
- Location
- Essex
Surely having to wear padded shorts to compensate for a hard seat says the seat is too hard.It's said that your bum adjusts to the hardness and stops the gel being moved around in places you would rather it didn't, I used to think gel seats were the way to go but really the 'razor' seat teamed with a good pair of padded shorts are the way to go
You dont need to wear padded shorts to compensate for bad seats in cars so why bikes.
Andy_R
Hard of hearing..I said Herd of Herring..oh FFS..
- Location
- County Durham
'cos a car seat supports you over a much larger area, distributing your weight.Surely having to wear padded shorts to compensate for a hard seat says the seat is too hard.
You dont need to wear padded shorts to compensate for bad seats in cars so why bikes.
robjh
Legendary Member
- Location
- Cambridgeshire - almost Essex
If you fill it with helium then the saddle will try to float upwards, making your bike seem extra-light.
...and your farts high pitched.
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
Time for my favourite cycling quote:
He said: "It has been an idea of mine that the right saddle is to be found."
I said: "You give up that idea; this is an imperfect world of joy and sorrow mingled. There may be a better land where bicycle saddles are made out of rainbow, stuffed with cloud; in this world the simplest thing is to get used to something hard....
From Three Men on the Bummel by Jerome K Jerome. The ensuing conversation reads something like a "which saddle" thread on here. You can read it in full here. (It starts at the bottom of the page).
He said: "It has been an idea of mine that the right saddle is to be found."
I said: "You give up that idea; this is an imperfect world of joy and sorrow mingled. There may be a better land where bicycle saddles are made out of rainbow, stuffed with cloud; in this world the simplest thing is to get used to something hard....
From Three Men on the Bummel by Jerome K Jerome. The ensuing conversation reads something like a "which saddle" thread on here. You can read it in full here. (It starts at the bottom of the page).
OP
OP
DEFENDER01
Über Member
- Location
- Essex
And if you fill your tyres with helium as well we could all just float around.
Col5632
Guru
- Location
- Cowdenbeath
Surely having to wear padded shorts to compensate for a hard seat says the seat is too hard.
You dont need to wear padded shorts to compensate for bad seats in cars so why bikes.
Basically what @Globalti said
"A soft squishy saddle may feel good for the first few miles but your sit bones will sink into it, transferring the stress to your soft tissues. Your saddle area will become sweaty and then you will get saddle sores caused by friction on damp skin in the perineal and gluteal areas. Worse, the sweaty environment will encourage bacteria to grow, causing infections and eventually boils"
If you believe this, then your longest ride will have been no more than a few minutes. A hard saddle is significantly better than a cushion for a ride of a few miles and more.This one going by the looks and feel of it could save my bony bum from getting uncomfortable after 15 minutes in the saddle
Most bikes come with razor blade saddles who designs these things certainly someone that doesn't spend long riding.
Saluki
World class procrastinator
- Location
- ...Norwich over the water.
Selle Italia Lady FlowO/K
i guess you guys like sitting on a plank of wood
Just out of interest which is your idea of a comfortable seat.
When I got it, it was not so nice, but it's all broken in now and I'm 3 stone lighter so now it's lovely and comfy.
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
So @Globalti 's comments cover the reason why (as Jerome K Jerome put it) "the best thing is to get used to something hard". The next thing that springs to mind is - why aren't damping mechanisms between bike and saddle (suspension seatposts, sprung saddles) more popular?
I ride Brooks B17s btw. I'm quite happy with that but there's always room for improvement .
I ride Brooks B17s btw. I'm quite happy with that but there's always room for improvement .
Cos I'd hate to be bouncing up and down.
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
Well, big squishy boingy apparatus would do that. But surely a firm suspension that only has a travel of a few mm would smooth things out.
I don't know, that's why I'm asking. Maybe the amount of boinginess that's already in a B17 is already optimum?
