Very saddle sore

[Deleted member 1258]

Looks like a nice saddle, but would it be ok for a road bike and 30 miles a day? Google suggests it is a mtb saddle.

I have a charge spoon on my fixed, I did 65 miles on it today no problems, and I was riding unpadded, I've done longer distances on it as well, but charge spoons don't suit everyone, theres been one or two on here that haven't got on with them.

 

[Onthedrops]

Padded shorts all the way.
When I first got my bike I made the mistake of going for a short ride in jeans............. never again!
My ass bones were extremely painful for days afterwards. The bike didn't turn a wheel until I got myself some cheap padded shorts from Sports Direct.
Wore them on my next ride out and they felt superb. Certainly do make a difference.

 

[gaz]

I think most of us have owned a spoon at one point, a few of us the same on! *points at Andrew*

I got on well with mine until I lost weight and needed something much harder. I don't really think there's any such thing as a 'road' or 'MTB' saddle. It's just whatever fits your backside, and even that changes over time.

an MTB saddle will have more padding, as it's needed to soak up the bumps more than on a road bike.

 

[Peteaud]

Charge spoon here as well.

Wont give it 10/10 but ive dome 50+ milers on it and not had an issue.

That said i have been thinking about their colour coded special!!

 

[buggi]

1 get your pelvic bones measured.
2 get the correct size saddle
3 get padded shorts or underwear (don't get a big padded MTB saddle for a road bike, better to have padding in the shorts).

it will take time to get used to any saddle but if it's a correct fit you should only feel slightly bruised at first, and you should only feel it when on the saddle, not running around complaining you can't sit on your bruised peaches on a normal chair. also, if your peaches are bruised on the next few rides out, after about 10 minutes you will probably find you don't notice it. If it's painful all the way, change the saddle. i know this because for the 1st three years (before i plucked up the courage to go into a "real bike shop", just in case they knew what they were talking about and thought i was an idiot! doh) i had a badly fitted saddle (too narrow). if i spent more than a week off the bike i bloody knew about it the next time i rode. Now, the first thing i do when changing saddles is get my pelvic bones measured, and if i'm off the bike for a month, and can expect to be a little bit bruised for the first couple of rides, but no pain that lasts more than 10 minutes after i've sat my arse in the saddle.

 

[Hacienda71]

I have a Spoon on my beater bike, it is ok, but I prefer my Fizik Arione on my good bike. The Spoon is very slightly too wide for me. Saying that I have done quite a few 100k rides on it without any major discomfort.

 

[WobblyBob]

I always wear padded shorts when i go out, its just that i've just recently bought my first road bike & i'm having real problems with the saddle.
I started riding a hybrid type bike last July & can't really remember having any real problems with the saddle on that one, but my latest one is a different story, i know this is a road bike but i'm in almost constant pain....so much so that i'm finding myself lifting up off the saddle for prolonged periods & not being able to pedal....i did 40 miles today & was in agony for periods of it

 

[AFF40N]

Another vote for the charge spoon. I've got one one, on one of my road bikes and done plenty of miles on it without a problem, including a number of 50 milers!

 

[Rob3rt]

I don't think moden plastic/foam breaks in. It either fit's or it doesn't. I do find that you can get used to any saddle though.

Agree, they don't wear in, you just get used to them

 

[musa]

I tried a spoon yesterday, not all that (for me anyways) I bought a Fizik Arione not cheap but highly recommended by the guys at my LBS

All I can say is go to your lbs and try them out. I had this issue yesterday

 

[Eribiste]

I re-started my cycling a couple of years ago with a town bike fitted with a Brooks B33, and I rode it everywhere without funny trousers, no problem. When I bought my Boardman Road Race late last year, I found the standard Boardman saddle to be absolutely agonising after about 15 miles, even with padded trousers. I bought a Charge Spoon off ebay and tried that; a bit better, but not much, so I bought a gel padded Selle San Remo. This was quite a lot better, and I started to be able to do 20+ miles without too much trouble.
Today, just as an experiment, I refitted the original Boardman saddle and went for a tootle round the lanes. I racked up 26 miles with no discomfort at all! This might mean that if I'd just applied rule #5 I might have been alright without changing saddles. I'm more inclined to think that using the San Remo as a half way house to help toughen me up has done the trick without going through the purgatory I would have suffered without changing saddles.
To sum up, my experience suggests to me that, given time and miles under the wheels, we can modify our rears to suit our saddles, but it's a hard process, especially when like me, the rider is not in the first flush of youth.

 

[Biker Joe]

Saddles can be a real pain in the bum, can't they.
I envy the people who don't seem to have problems getting a saddle to suit.
It's difficult to know what to suggest that hasn't been said already.
You've probably done this already but have you reassessed your riding position on the road bike?
Maybe some things need tweeking, ie, a slight adjustment in saddle height, stem length,stem and bar height?
I do this a lot as I find things change constantly. Quite often a little change somewhere can have a big effect.
I'm clutching at straws here really. Just trying to help, going on my experiences with saddles.
I settled with a Brooks B17 in the end which has served me well for years. They don't suit everybody however.
I don't know what else to suggest. I do hope you find an answer to your saddle problem. I know it can be so frustrating.
Take care.

 

[MattHB]

As people have said, you really need to measure your sit bones. Once your sure your saddle is the right width it's often just a case of getting used to it. Oh, and make sure you get as hard as you can, padding puts pressure on soft tissue and is bad!

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I have a Charge Spoon on each of my bikes (roadie, single speed and mtb), but there is a small part of me that wonders if the Charge Spoon is just my inbetweener...

 

[MattHB]

I have a Charge Spoon on each of my bikes (roadie, single speed and mtb), but there is a small part of me that wonders if the Charge Spoon is just my inbetweener...

It was mine Andrew (then I sold it to you!). As I got fitter I'm sure my bum changed!