Saddle upgrade

jcat1974 said:

Well, I have been riding my Trek 7300 for the last month on a 10.3 mile
'loop' around my house, and the Bontrager sport seat is just not
comfortable. Any reccomendations on either a good saddle or would a gel
cover work?

Short answer is no, a gel cover will not work, IMNSHO gel is a bad idea
for saddles. You want to support yourself on the "sit bones", actually
fairly tough (once you've been riding enough) pads covering a portion of
your pelvis. Between these sit bones are a lot of sensitive nerves,
veins, arteries; serious stuff you do not want to put weight on. A gel
saddle squishes the gel away from the sit bones, making it harder than it
should be there. Worse, that gel gets squeezed over to those serious bits
you don't want to sit on.

A firmer saddle will be more comfortable in the long run. Really.

But you have to find what fits your butt. That may take a while, but a
cooperative bike shop can help out.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | "What am I on? I'm on my bike, six hours a day, busting my ass.
_`\(,_ | What are you on?" --Lance Armstrong
(_)/ (_) |

David L. Johnson said:

jcat1974 said:

Well, I have been riding my Trek 7300 for the last month on a 10.3 mile
'loop' around my house, and the Bontrager sport seat is just not
comfortable. Any reccomendations on either a good saddle or would a gel
cover work?

Short answer is no, a gel cover will not work, IMNSHO gel is a bad idea
for saddles. You want to support yourself on the "sit bones", actually
fairly tough (once you've been riding enough) pads covering a portion of
your pelvis. Between these sit bones are a lot of sensitive nerves,
veins, arteries; serious stuff you do not want to put weight on. A gel
saddle squishes the gel away from the sit bones, making it harder than it
should be there. Worse, that gel gets squeezed over to those serious bits
you don't want to sit on.

A firmer saddle will be more comfortable in the long run. Really.

But you have to find what fits your butt. That may take a while, but a
cooperative bike shop can help out.

David's right on this one. Gel seats are wonderful things for beginners
on short rides looking for something soft, but your 10 mile loop
probably doubles the maximum comfortable range.

Pat

jcat1974 said:

Well, I have been riding my Trek 7300 for the last month on a 10.3

mile

Quoted message said:

'loop' around my house, and the Bontrager sport seat is just not
comfortable. Any reccomendations on either a good saddle or would a

gel

Quoted message said:

cover work?

What makes a saddle comfortable, IMO, is that it's exactly as wide as
it needs to be and no wider, and that it doesn't compress enough to
contact your soft tissues.

Your ischeal tuberosities - the "sit bones" - should ideally be the
only part of you that bears on the saddle. So measure the distance
between your sit bones (try sitting in some wet sand, or putting on
some tight wet shorts and sitting on a concrete stair, and measuring
the distance between the impressions your sit bones leave behind;
really, I'm serious!) and look for saddles that are the correct width.
The rest of the saddle should be as minimal as possible. If you get
perineal chafing or numbness, a saddle with a cutout might help (and
probably won't hurt).

The other factor is positioning. If your position on the bike is
pushing you forward or back, or the angle of the saddle is causing you
to slide, you'll never be comfortable on it.

Some bike shops keep a supply of trial saddles; some mail order vendors
such as REI take returns for any reason. Use such a retailer to try
saddles until you find the right one, after first narrowing the field
using accurate measurements.

RichC

Yes, you will get used to the firmer saddle, and will be happier in the
long run. Keep it up - it sucks at first but push through it.

I am only now getting used to my bike's 1992 "racing" saddle (read:
hard and stylish with no ergo cutouts for the delicate man-taint).

On my previous bike I went through 3 saddles: the first came with the
bike and wore out quickly. The second was a softie gel saddle that
eventually felt like sitting on feces. It felt like I had a load in my
pants. I got wise; the third was firm and sturdy, and when I got used
to it, I could ride 50 miles without saddle soreness.

"jcat1974" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Well, I have been riding my Trek 7300 for the last month on a 10.3 mile
'loop' around my house, and the Bontrager sport seat is just not
comfortable. Any reccomendations on either a good saddle or would a gel
cover work?

Saddles are a personal thing - we all have different rears ;-) The important
bit is fit to your sit bones: gel does not equate to good. Gel can be too
soft which means pressure on important bits of your nether regions that
shouldn't have pressure on them and a properly fitting saddle will avoid
this.

I swear by a Terry's Liberator, but as I'm a girly, my sit bones are likely
to be totally different to yours ;-)

Cheers, helen s

"Pat Lamb" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

David L. Johnson said:

jcat1974 said:

Well, I have been riding my Trek 7300 for the last month on a 10.3 mile
'loop' around my house, and the Bontrager sport seat is just not
comfortable. Any reccomendations on either a good saddle or would a gel
cover work?

Short answer is no, a gel cover will not work, IMNSHO gel is a bad idea
for saddles. You want to support yourself on the "sit bones", actually
fairly tough (once you've been riding enough) pads covering a portion of
your pelvis. Between these sit bones are a lot of sensitive nerves,
veins, arteries; serious stuff you do not want to put weight on. A gel
saddle squishes the gel away from the sit bones, making it harder than

it

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

should be there. Worse, that gel gets squeezed over to those serious

bits

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

you don't want to sit on.

A firmer saddle will be more comfortable in the long run. Really.

But you have to find what fits your butt. That may take a while, but a
cooperative bike shop can help out.

David's right on this one. Gel seats are wonderful things for beginners
on short rides looking for something soft, but your 10 mile loop
probably doubles the maximum comfortable range.

Pat

Plus if you park your bike in the hot sun you can fry an egg with the
retained heat.

jcat1974 said:

Well, I have been riding my Trek 7300 for the last month on a 10.3 mile
'loop' around my house, and the Bontrager sport seat is just not
comfortable. Any reccomendations on either a good saddle or would a gel
cover work?

I bought a Trek 4300 (Mountain Bike) last year and after 1 ride replaced
the bontrager saddle with my 10 year old gel seat off my old mountain
bike. Comfy as can be, even for a few hours. So I personally think gel
seats are great, but as other's have said YMMV.

Rich

"jcat1974" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Well, I have been riding my Trek 7300 for the last month on a 10.3 mile
'loop' around my house, and the Bontrager sport seat is just not
comfortable. Any reccomendations on either a good saddle or would a gel
cover work?

Sheldon Brown explains it the best.
http://sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html

Get a Brooks B17 and all saddle discomfort will disappear. They are
THE most important piece of equipment to add to a bike

Pat Lamb said:

David L. Johnson said:

jcat1974 said:

Well, I have been riding my Trek 7300 for the last month on a 10.3

mile

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

'loop' around my house, and the Bontrager sport seat is just not
comfortable. Any reccomendations on either a good saddle or would

a gel

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

cover work?

Short answer is no, a gel cover will not work, IMNSHO gel is a bad

idea

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

for saddles. You want to support yourself on the "sit bones",

actually

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

fairly tough (once you've been riding enough) pads covering a

portion of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

your pelvis. Between these sit bones are a lot of sensitive

nerves,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

veins, arteries; serious stuff you do not want to put weight on. A

gel

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

saddle squishes the gel away from the sit bones, making it harder

than it

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

should be there. Worse, that gel gets squeezed over to those

serious bits

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

you don't want to sit on.

A firmer saddle will be more comfortable in the long run. Really.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

But you have to find what fits your butt. That may take a while,

but a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

cooperative bike shop can help out.

David's right on this one. Gel seats are wonderful things for

beginners

Quoted message said:

on short rides looking for something soft, but your 10 mile loop
probably doubles the maximum comfortable range.

Pat

"Rich" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

jcat1974 said:

Well, I have been riding my Trek 7300 for the last month on a 10.3 mile
'loop' around my house, and the Bontrager sport seat is just not
comfortable. Any reccomendations on either a good saddle or would a gel
cover work?

I bought a Trek 4300 (Mountain Bike) last year and after 1 ride replaced
the bontrager saddle with my 10 year old gel seat off my old mountain
bike. Comfy as can be, even for a few hours. So I personally think gel
seats are great, but as other's have said YMMV.

Some gel seats only have the gel in patches where the 'sit bones' are rather
than the entire surface are being covered. Gel covers are usually all gel
and covers usually suffer from sliding about.

Quoted message said:

Get a Brooks B17 and all saddle discomfort will disappear. They are
THE most important piece of equipment to add to a bike

Lots of people have had lots of bad experiences with lots of Brooks
saddles. They're expensive, hard to buy, and by no means a panacea.

Peter Cole said:

Quoted message said:

Get a Brooks B17 and all saddle discomfort will disappear. They are
THE most important piece of equipment to add to a bike

Lots of people have had lots of bad experiences with lots of Brooks
saddles. They're expensive, hard to buy, and by no means a panacea.

Sources for this?

I've never known a purchaser of a Brookes regret it.

Expensive? All relative : but not for me considering the materials,
longevity and craftsmanship & history of a Brookes Saddle.

I too am going through the same problem, and have done a little
research. Apparently Specialized has a 30 day return policy for their
saddles. Has anyone tried the Avatar or Alias saddles yet ? I also here
the Terry Fly is good.

Walter Mitty said:

Peter Cole said:

Quoted message said:

Get a Brooks B17 and all saddle discomfort will disappear. They

are

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

THE most important piece of equipment to add to a bike

Lots of people have had lots of bad experiences with lots of Brooks
saddles. They're expensive, hard to buy, and by no means a panacea.

Sources for this?

I've never known a purchaser of a Brookes regret it.

I regret mine. I did everything you're supposed to, gave it a couple
thousand miles, and still never felt good on it.

If a saddle doesn't fit, it doesn't fit.

RichC

rdclark said:

Walter Mitty said:

Peter Cole said:

[email hidden] wrote:

>Get a Brooks B17 and all saddle discomfort will disappear. They

are

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>THE most important piece of equipment to add to a bike

Lots of people have had lots of bad experiences with lots of Brooks
saddles. They're expensive, hard to buy, and by no means a panacea.

Sources for this?

I've never known a purchaser of a Brookes regret it.

I regret mine. I did everything you're supposed to, gave it a couple
thousand miles, and still never felt good on it.

If a saddle doesn't fit, it doesn't fit.

Which is why leather saddles like brookes are generally so good : they
mould to your fit. sorry to hear about your bad experience.

Walter Mitty said:

I've never known a purchaser of a Brookes regret it.

I regret three of them.

To give more detail, I was sorry two of my bikes came with Brooks
saddles - a Brooks B-17 Narrow and a Brooks Professional which claimed
to be pre-softened. And I was more sorry the wider B-17 Standard I
bought as a replacement for the Narrow was was also uncomfortable.

I tried valiantly to make those saddles work, for years. For me, they
just didn't do the job.

- Frank Krygowski

Quoted message said:

Walter Mitty said:

I've never known a purchaser of a Brookes regret it.

I regret three of them.

To give more detail, I was sorry two of my bikes came with Brooks
saddles - a Brooks B-17 Narrow and a Brooks Professional which claimed
to be pre-softened. And I was more sorry the wider B-17 Standard I
bought as a replacement for the Narrow was was also uncomfortable.

I tried valiantly to make those saddles work, for years. For me, they
just didn't do the job.

- Frank Krygowski

Well : I stand corrected. I'll rephrase : I've never known anyone
personally who had problems 🙂

I suspect other saddles get a lot more people who are not compatible.

[email hidden] top-posted (now there's a shock):

Quoted message said:

Get a Brooks B17 and all saddle discomfort will disappear. They are
THE most important piece of equipment to add to a bike

"BS Post of the Wee--- hell, Month"

Walter Mitty said:

rdclark wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I regret mine. I did everything you're supposed to, gave it a

couple

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

thousand miles, and still never felt good on it.

If a saddle doesn't fit, it doesn't fit.

Which is why leather saddles like brookes are generally so good :

they

Quoted message said:

mould to your fit. sorry to hear about your bad experience.

My opinion after trying one is that if a Brooks feels okay when brand
new it will probably feel better after the break-in period. Maybe even
better than any other saddle you've ever had, which might explain their
owners' enthusiasm.

But if it feels uncomfortable when new, it will always feel
uncomfortable. Just like any other saddle.

RichC