Bum technology

my.motion

Pedelecer
Jun 26, 2009
115
0
Hi Team,

What is the latest in saddle/seat technology? Do all seats result in a sore bum/butt (especially in the middle bone area? if you cycle for 1hr? or are other designed not to hurt the bum? Is posture important to the backbone/vertibrate? I find that the seat on milan2 results in sore butt especially on the middle bone area.

Do i need to change the way I sit or change the saddle? or just cushion the saddle?

Which saddles are cheap and do the job? What do I need to look for in a saddle?

What are you experiences with saddles (long hour cycling) pls?

Thanks
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,763
30,349
My experience is the the body gets used to the stress with repeated cycling, the more you do the less the pain, and saddles don't make as much difference as might be thought. Some padded types can be worse than hard models over time, and such as the quite hard Brooks leather saddles are often much loved by experienced cyclists.
.
 

Danny-K

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 25, 2008
281
0
South West
...Do all seats result in a sore bum/butt... if you cycle for 1hr? ...
This question is as old as, and has been asked of, I guess, ever since the invention of the bicycle. The short answer is that a bicycle saddle that one person finds satisfactory, is often compared by others, to an instrument of torture that could have been devised by Torquemada himself.

If there was 'one' (for those of us who suffer) we'd all be on it. Worldwide the nearest thing to the 'one' has traditionally been the heavy (as in very) Brooks leather saddle. Personally, I don't like them. Why? Because for them to 'work' properly you have to maintain them on a regular basis. Proofing and rubbing Neatsfoot oil in to it or somesuch. It's like another unrelated hobby in itself, puts me in mind of those who seek out the rarer varieties of 'real' ale - with all the funny names. Ignore the maintenance (particularly after exposure to a ride in the rain) and you're back to square one. Most people want less maintenance worries not more, hence the proliferation of 'maintenance-free' saddles. And hence the compromises begin.

However, before I go on to make a personal recommendation (personal remember , what works for me, may not work for you), I've highlighted your '1 hour' riding complaint for a reason. You shouldn't really be in such agony after one hour's ride, or at least it should not be such a level that it warrants a mention. Which leads me to draw two conclusions:

One) It's as Flecc suggests - you need more regular cycling to become used to the new position you're putting your body too; in other words - were you a cyclist before becoming an e-bike rider? If not, then Flecc's stay-with-it for now means it will probably fade as you become more accustomed to the saddle.

Or maybe it is Two) The saddle really is inadequate.

Before e-biking I was very paticular about my saddles, particularly as I would be off on tours where I'd be in the saddle all day, every day for at least a week or a fortnight at a time. And when not on holiday then on weekends it would still be a full day in the saddle. (Not so much of either these days).

So on getting my first e-bike I took one look at the 'disastrously' over-padded, 'poorly designed' cheap-as-chips saddle and immediately thought, "If I do nothing else - that saddle simply has to go!"

Imagine my surprise therefore when I found I had no issues with the saddle - whatsoever. I can only conclude that the added motor effect of the e-bike assistance meant that due to the reduced effort required on my part, I am not pulling and pushing as hard, an therefore giving my body an easier time of things. Either that or the limitations of the battery mean that I am not on it long enough in one ride for it to become a problem. That was 2008. The saddle remains to this day. However on my other 'normal' bikes, choice of saddle needs much more careful consideration and I have what to me is now the ultimate saddle on them, (but not as mentioned, my e-bike which I find trouble-free).

So my recommendation for a comfortable saddle is - The Rido

It's cheapish about £13 when I first discovered them, (more nowadays,£20 with delivery on eBay) and so simple and plasticky-looking that it defies belief in the manufacturers claims to be one of the most comfortable saddles available.

A look on the customer letters page is staggering. People who had given up riding - now back in the saddle due to the Rido, etc., etc., And I too, have found it to be more comfortable than any previous saddle I have owned.

The RIDO bicycle saddle - get comfortable at long last!


 
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RichLarry

Pedelecer
May 7, 2009
44
15
Rido R2

Absolutely the perfect saddle. 1426 miles on mine in 6 weeks (see Wisper Review). Fantastic Saddle and a great price and worth every penny. Takes about one week to get used to on your bones but since have had no discomfort whatsoever. Bloody Fantastic !!!!!!
 

stevew

Pedelecer
Try Brooks, most experienced long distance cyclists swear by them but your bum and the saddle will take a time to get into a good relationship !!
B67 will most likely be the best bet. BROOKS ENGLAND LTD
 

themutiny

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 26, 2009
354
0
I personally never had a problem with the saddle on my Torq, but the fizik on the Cannondale caused a very serious case of NNS. So serious that it was several days before most feeling returned, and two weeks before all returned to normal. I thought it was because the saddle was too high, so I adjusted it which helped a bit, but when complaining of it during a recent long ride (5hrs) and standing up a lot of the time as a direct result, one of my co-riders explained that my sitbones were too wide, so all the pressure was on my perineal nerve. Googled for an answer and came across the Rido R2.

I don't actually find it particularly comfortable, and a recent 35 mile ride left me slightly chafed the following day, however, it did cure the dreaded NNS, so it's worth it's weight in gold to me. Looks a bit odd though..
 

Fecn

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 28, 2008
491
2
Warlingham, Surrey
I don't actually find it particularly comfortable, and a recent 35 mile ride left me slightly chafed the following day, however, it did cure the dreaded NNS, so it's worth it's weight in gold to me.
Actually you have a point there.. so I'll add a condition to what I said above.

The Rido R2 is not actually that comfortable when you first sit on it (not compared to the Belle Assano which I replaced at least). The photos make it look like it has soft pads at the back, but actually the whole thing is moulded from plastic. However, the discomfort level seems to remain much the same even after many hours of use. With my Belle saddle, the soft padding makes it very comfortable for the first hour or so, but I start to go numb after two hours. With the Rido R2 I seem to reach moderate discomfort after a couple of hours, but nothing goes numb. After 6 hours in the saddle, discomfort is still only moderate and very much concentrated on the sit bones rather than all-over numbness.
 

themutiny

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 26, 2009
354
0
the discomfort level seems to remain much the same even after many hours of use.
Yes, that does sum it up. It is tolerable throughout, and will doubtless improve as I get used to it. I just wanted to point out that it is not an immediate eureka moment, but a gradual one.
 

Danny-K

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 25, 2008
281
0
South West
. . .but the fizik on the Cannondale caused a very serious case of NNS. So serious that it was several days before most feeling returned, and two weeks before all returned to normal. . . one of my co-riders explained that my sitbones were too wide, so all the pressure was on my perineal nerve. . .
Your sitbones are too wide? LOL. No way! It's the saddle that's too narrow! (Unless you're female with the customary wide pelvic bones to contend with).

Just what is your mate suggesting? That there's nothing wrong with the saddle - that you've got an unusually big ar$e???

- I know those Fizik saddles - they're for whippet-thin athlete-like riders who carry no excess weight at all, or skeletally-thin teenagers yet to physically mature - they must be the narrowest saddle on the planet - and rubbish IMO!

In fact I'll stick my neck out a mile (Warning! Warning! Danger, Will Robinson!) - yes I will, and say: I doubt there's a rider on this forum who'd be comfortable on the Fizik! There!

That's the problem with fashion - the fashion doesn't get blamed when it fails to perform - it's us for being built 'wrong'.

- Your sit bones are too wide!?! - (shakes head) :eek: Tsk! Hee hee! :D
(Fashion victim your mate then, is he? :rolleyes: )
 
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Danny-K

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 25, 2008
281
0
South West
Custom designed for the more generously proportioned members of this forum....

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=810&stc=1&d=1247095169

Rog.
What about this little baby then?



Yep! You guessed - it's from the land famous for having more than it's fair share of lard asses, (reasonable too, at $40).

Whereas the world famous Brooks and to a lesser-known extent the Rido, are both from here, the land of the pain-in-the-ar$es! (And I should know...)
 
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flash

Pedelecer
Apr 1, 2009
189
78
68
CW12 Congleton
three points on saddles

1 - your postion on the bike is important (if you sit up you put more weight through you bum) the more you sit forward there is less weight on your bum and more through your arms and wrists many ebikes have a vertical sitting position.

2 - Padded shorts watch the tour de france and see how much padding modern professionals have in there shorts.

3 - I have used brookes b17 and professional saddles for the last 40 years they have no padding but I never get a sore bum.
 

RichLarry

Pedelecer
May 7, 2009
44
15
Rido R2

Yes beware when looking at the pictures as the pads on the back are not soft which is how they might appear. However once your bones get used to sitting on them the saddle is excellent but this does take a while. Took me a week in which I covered 300 miles to really come accustomed to them. 200miles + per week now is now problem and the saddle is now a friend. it does take a liitle while to get used to but the end result is worth it.
 

themutiny

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 26, 2009
354
0
He wasn't really commenting on my arse (although he is whippet thin) or the width of the saddle, just making the point that the combination was unsuitable, and that's why I was suffering. I'm glad he did. I probably didn't need a Rido, but my introduction to NNS meant I was going to make damn sure I fixed it.

........then again, maybe I do have a wide arse ;)
 

my.motion

Pedelecer
Jun 26, 2009
115
0
since am newbie on the bike, here is my plan
1- Get use to the saddle give it 4 weeks or so and see if the pain goes away
2 - If still a problem get rido r2 seat
3 - If still not good try Brooks saddle