What's the difference between road and mtb saddles?

[punkypossum]

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....

 

[youngoldbloke]

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)

 

[punkypossum]

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...

 

[Garz]

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.

 

[yello]

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

 

[peanut]

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

 

[punkypossum]

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....

 

[youngoldbloke]

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 ......

 

[Janeyb]

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.

 

[punkypossum]

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...

 

[Garz]

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!

 

[punkypossum]

 

[peanut]

. 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

 

[Bigtwin]

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.

 

[peanut]

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

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