Saddle recommendation

Quoted message said:

Bought a 2005 Giant OCR2 recently and while it's possible it's my
riding style (and perhaps it might have had to do with the fact that I
rode without proper cycling shorts the first week on the bike), I'm
thinking of changing the seat considering that after 10-15 minutes on
the bike every night, I start getting a sharp pain at the base of my
bangers (translated: nuts, gonads, etc.). This is not a dull type of
pain I'm talking about--it freaking hurts as it sort of travels up the
entire package and causes me to ride standing up more than I like.

Can anyone make a recommendation as to a comfy saddle with which I
could replace? I definitely need something to change.

FYI, I'm about 6'2", 205lbs, and ride an XL frame.

Thanks,
Steve

First of all, is your seat adjusted so it is level, front to rear?
Having the nose higher than the rear can cause pain like you describe.
Also, having the bars quite a bit lower than the top of the seat can
tilt you forward and put more weight on the "boys". As far as seat
recommendations, I am a fan of Brooks saddles, specifically the B-17.
It breaks in to the shape of your butt and, for me at least, is the
most comfortable saddle around. It is heavy; a B-17 with steel rails
weighs over 500 grams, a titanium one is still over 400. If you don't
want a Brooks and would rather have a light racing saddle, my pick
would be the Selle Italia Flite (the standard model, not one with the
cutouts or gel inserts). Unless you are racing, the weight shouldn't be
that big of a factor.

Smokey

Thanks. The seat's level front to rear and the bars are only an inch
or so below the level of the seat, so I'm not leaning forward all that
much. I'll look into the saddle you suggested. Hoping to get this
done and get a more comfy ride without spending a small fortune.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Thanks. The seat's level front to rear and the bars are only an inch
or so below the level of the seat, so I'm not leaning forward all that
much. I'll look into the saddle you suggested. Hoping to get this
done and get a more comfy ride without spending a small fortune.

The key question: where is the weight? Your weight should be on the "sit
bones", one in each cheek. If you are at all unclear on exactly what I mean
by this, you probably don't have nearly all your weight there.

The level of pain you are describing doesn't sound normal. Don't ignore it.

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

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Bought a 2005 Giant OCR2 recently and while it's possible it's my
riding style (and perhaps it might have had to do with the fact that I
rode without proper cycling shorts the first week on the bike), I'm
thinking of changing the seat considering that after 10-15 minutes on
the bike every night, I start getting a sharp pain at the base of my
bangers (translated: nuts, gonads, etc.). This is not a dull type of
pain I'm talking about--it freaking hurts as it sort of travels up the
entire package and causes me to ride standing up more than I like.

Can anyone make a recommendation as to a comfy saddle with which I
could replace? I definitely need something to change.

FYI, I'm about 6'2", 205lbs, and ride an XL frame.

Thanks,
Steve

First of all, is your seat adjusted so it is level, front to rear?
Having the nose higher than the rear can cause pain like you describe.
Also, having the bars quite a bit lower than the top of the seat can
tilt you forward and put more weight on the "boys". As far as seat
recommendations, I am a fan of Brooks saddles, specifically the B-17.
It breaks in to the shape of your butt and, for me at least, is the
most comfortable saddle around. It is heavy; a B-17 with steel rails
weighs over 500 grams, a titanium one is still over 400. If you don't
want a Brooks and would rather have a light racing saddle, my pick
would be the Selle Italia Flite (the standard model, not one with the
cutouts or gel inserts). Unless you are racing, the weight shouldn't be
that big of a factor.

Smokey

Funny things - seats. My experience of the Brooks B17 is quite different
than Smokey's. I bought one after reading and hearing several good comments.
It is the only seat that has caused me significant trouble - not just
uncomfortable - in fact it was quite fine to sit on, no 'bum or nuts'
problems, but the only time I have ever developed back pain. I tried
everything, angles, height, forward and rear position. I even tried it on
different bikes. I just could not handle the lower back pain which would hit
me within half an hour, or quicker on hill riding. I even ended up at a
sports physio for several sessions. I've given up on it and am using an
Avenir man's sprung seat. It's a gel seat similar to the type I am used to.
No trouble at all. I don't even know the model name or number. I've had all
sorts of seats over the years and do quite a bit of touring, long days in
the old saddle, so comfort comes before other considerations for me. I'm
sticking with gel from now on. The only downside is they don't last forever,
but at least a new one will break in after one or two rides.

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

Bought a 2005 Giant OCR2 recently and while it's possible it's my
riding style (and perhaps it might have had to do with the fact that I
rode without proper cycling shorts the first week on the bike), I'm
thinking of changing the seat considering that after 10-15 minutes on
the bike every night, I start getting a sharp pain at the base of my
bangers (translated: nuts, gonads, etc.). This is not a dull type of
pain I'm talking about--it freaking hurts as it sort of travels up the
entire package and causes me to ride standing up more than I like.

Can anyone make a recommendation as to a comfy saddle with which I
could replace? I definitely need something to change.

FYI, I'm about 6'2", 205lbs, and ride an XL frame.

Thanks,
Steve

As another poster mentioned, your discomfort doesn't sound like most of
the problems I've heard about or experienced. The usual problem is
numbness in the manly components during or after a ride.

I'd recommend you go see a doc and bend over. You could have prostatitus
which is a very common problem that can be fairly easily cured.

I always carry the proper size hex keys to adjust my seat height,
front/back position and angle. Lowering the nose a degree or two or
saddle height by 1/8" can make a big difference.

I'd been riding Brooks Pros on 2 of my bikes for years and I just
invested in a third for my latest road bike. The oldest saddle is the
best. It's a late 60's model with small copper rivets. It has over
20,000 miles on it. I got it used in the mid 70's and put on about
10,000 of those miles myself.

I've been looking for a new saddle for my mountain bike. I have an
Avocet gel version from about 10 years ago. I recently noticed that I
was getting numb from pressure coming from the padded nose. The back gel
portion has become too soft. I looked at a number of saddles with "love
channels" in the middle. I guess I'll have to try one of those.

Good luck,

Chas.

My Bontrager Ergonomic Saddle for women has been great for me.
Small footprint. Men's available I am sure and really cheap $35 Cdn.
from Bicycle Sports Pacific One in Vancouver and Langley.

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

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

Bought a 2005 Giant OCR2 recently and while it's possible it's my
riding style (and perhaps it might have had to do with the fact that I
rode without proper cycling shorts the first week on the bike), I'm
thinking of changing the seat considering that after 10-15 minutes on
the bike every night, I start getting a sharp pain at the base of my
bangers (translated: nuts, gonads, etc.). This is not a dull type of
pain I'm talking about--it freaking hurts as it sort of travels up the
entire package and causes me to ride standing up more than I like.

Can anyone make a recommendation as to a comfy saddle with which I
could replace? I definitely need something to change.

FYI, I'm about 6'2", 205lbs, and ride an XL frame.

Thanks,
Steve

As another poster mentioned, your discomfort doesn't sound like most of
the problems I've heard about or experienced. The usual problem is
numbness in the manly components during or after a ride.

I'd recommend you go see a doc and bend over. You could have prostatitus
which is a very common problem that can be fairly easily cured.

I always carry the proper size hex keys to adjust my seat height,
front/back position and angle. Lowering the nose a degree or two or
saddle height by 1/8" can make a big difference.

I'd been riding Brooks Pros on 2 of my bikes for years and I just
invested in a third for my latest road bike. The oldest saddle is the
best. It's a late 60's model with small copper rivets. It has over
20,000 miles on it. I got it used in the mid 70's and put on about
10,000 of those miles myself.

I've been looking for a new saddle for my mountain bike. I have an
Avocet gel version from about 10 years ago. I recently noticed that I
was getting numb from pressure coming from the padded nose. The back gel
portion has become too soft. I looked at a number of saddles with "love
channels" in the middle. I guess I'll have to try one of those.

Good luck,

Chas.

Quoted message said:

FYI, I'm about 6'2", 205lbs, and ride an XL frame.

For a 205# fellow, the classic NG reply to saddle recommendation would
be a San Marco Rolls.They cost about $50 for a steel railed model. No
gimmicks. Simple, firm, flat. Set it up with a bubble level and a
straight edge and start with perfectly level with the ground. Worth a
shot.

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

Quoted message said:

Funny things - seats. My experience of the Brooks B17 is quite different
than Smokey's. I bought one after reading and hearing several good
comments. It is the only seat that has caused me significant trouble - not
just uncomfortable - in fact it was quite fine to sit on, no 'bum or nuts'
problems, but the only time I have ever developed back pain. I tried
everything, angles, height, forward and rear position. I even tried it on
different bikes. I just could not handle the lower back pain which would
hit me within half an hour, or quicker on hill riding. I even ended up at
a sports physio for several sessions. I've given up on it ...

Somebody in the UK might want to e-mail Fred and see if he'll part with this
cheap. Otherwise, it will sit in his basement for decades until his heirs
throw it out. I've had good luck with used Brooks -- the hardest break-in
work has already been done by somebody else.

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

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

FYI, I'm about 6'2", 205lbs, and ride an XL frame.

For a 205# fellow, the classic NG reply to saddle recommendation would
be a San Marco Rolls.They cost about $50 for a steel railed model. No
gimmicks. Simple, firm, flat. Set it up with a bubble level and a
straight edge and start with perfectly level with the ground. Worth a
shot.

I will second that. I have one in storage.

Thanks for the tips. Did 24 miles in Central Park today and the boys
began to hurt after that first lap. Rode through the pain until it
subsided at least somewhat, but I'm going to try a few things first:

1) Lower the front of the seat slightly. Common sense dictates this
will relieve pressure under the boys. I tend to place my weight on the
butt and not the ass-ball connector, so a slight shift in the seat
shouldn't hurt riding.

2) If that fails, I might snag the seat off my old man's mountain bike
(which he doesn't use anymore). See if that helps fix the problem. If
not:

3) See the doc and get a new seat b/c the pain is ridiculous. Make's
riding miserable.

Quoted message said:

Thanks for the tips. Did 24 miles in Central Park today and the boys
began to hurt after that first lap. Rode through the pain until it
subsided at least somewhat, but I'm going to try a few things first:

1) Lower the front of the seat slightly. Common sense dictates this
will relieve pressure under the boys. I tend to place my weight on the
butt and not the ass-ball connector, so a slight shift in the seat
shouldn't hurt riding.

2) If that fails, I might snag the seat off my old man's mountain bike
(which he doesn't use anymore). See if that helps fix the problem. If
not:

3) See the doc and get a new seat b/c the pain is ridiculous. Make's
riding miserable.

Get a recumbent, it won't hurt to ride.
Bent riders don't wear padded shorts or padded gloves, because they
don't need them (they often still wear lycra shorts, but the shorts are
ones that don't have any padding).

The cheapest new recumbents are down around $600 now, but those models
would be on the slower side. If you can go ~$1000, there's a number of
fairly-decent choices.

Alternately you could consider the RANS Fusion ($800) or Zenetic
($1600+), they're "upright" style bikes that mostly eliminate riding
pain, but that are still performance-oriented.
~~~~~~~~~

DougC said:

Quoted message said:

Thanks for the tips. Did 24 miles in Central Park today and the boys
began to hurt after that first lap. Rode through the pain until it
subsided at least somewhat, but I'm going to try a few things first:

1) Lower the front of the seat slightly. Common sense dictates this
will relieve pressure under the boys. I tend to place my weight on the
butt and not the ass-ball connector, so a slight shift in the seat
shouldn't hurt riding.

2) If that fails, I might snag the seat off my old man's mountain bike
(which he doesn't use anymore). See if that helps fix the problem. If
not:

3) See the doc and get a new seat b/c the pain is ridiculous. Make's
riding miserable.

Get a recumbent, it won't hurt to ride.
Bent riders don't wear padded shorts or padded gloves, because they
don't need them (they often still wear lycra shorts, but the shorts are
ones that don't have any padding).

The cheapest new recumbents are down around $600 now, but those models
would be on the slower side. If you can go ~$1000, there's a number of
fairly-decent choices.

Alternately you could consider the RANS Fusion ($800) or Zenetic
($1600+), they're "upright" style bikes that mostly eliminate riding
pain, but that are still performance-oriented.
~~~~~~~~~

I bought a used recumbents a few years ago for about $400. Still love
it.
Never wore anything fancy with it.

DougC said:

Get a recumbent, it won't hurt to ride.

I tried affixing a recumbent to my seatpost once, I managed it with one
of the old fashioned clamps. Problem is that it not only make my bike
really uncomfortable, I looked like an idiot as well.

Seriously though, 'bent riders need to stop evangelizing every single
time saddles are mentioned. It's about as annoying as the BSD guys (or
vice versa) that think that the solution to every Linux problem is BSD.

Some of us enjoy visibilty, multiple hand positions, and being able to
stand and climb.

DougC said:

Quoted message said:

Thanks for the tips. Did 24 miles in Central Park today and the boys
began to hurt after that first lap. Rode through the pain until it
subsided at least somewhat, but I'm going to try a few things first:

1) Lower the front of the seat slightly. Common sense dictates this
will relieve pressure under the boys. I tend to place my weight on the
butt and not the ass-ball connector, so a slight shift in the seat
shouldn't hurt riding.

Lowering your seat will help only if it's too high to begin with, but most
beginning riders have seat positions that are too low rather than too
high.

Best thing is to find a shop where there is someone who knows what he/she
is doing, to help you find a good position, and/or a better saddle.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

2) If that fails, I might snag the seat off my old man's mountain bike
(which he doesn't use anymore). See if that helps fix the problem.

Can't imagine that an old saddle off a (low-end??) mountain bike will be
an improvement.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

3) See the doc and get a new seat b/c the pain is ridiculous. Make's
riding miserable.

Most doc's have no clue about riding. If you can find one who rides, that
would help. Don't let them talk you into any weird saddle, like a
noseless saddle. There are many reasons why those are not common.

don't get a saddle that is too soft. It's worse on this sort of pain than
a hard one. If it is really the "boys" that hurt, and not the pads of
flesh between the saddle and the sit-bones, then maybe a firmer saddle
will help, or one with a fart-slot.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored
_`\(,_ | by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." --Ralph Waldo
(_)/ (_) | Emerson