My [censored] hurts!

widge234 said:

I haven't ridden in a couple of years but have started again on a new bike with a small seat. Will I ever get used to this little freakin seat or should I just buy a different one?

Depends on the type of riding you plan on doing I suppose. If you don't plan on racing and don't care what anyone else thinks, you could always get a wider gel padded seat. I did this at first until I got a bit more used to riding. Now I'm on a regular seat with a pair of Pearl Izumi Microsensor 3D shorts and it doesn't hurt as bad as it did at first.

Bike riding isn't meant to be comfortable.
Its all about managed pain 🙂

You will get used to it. After a full season here in the UK, i can tell you that the pain makes you finish quicker!

But otherwise, get a good pair of shorts. It is tempting to get the cheapest ones that sound like they fit the bill, but pay the extra it will be worth it.
I find that a saddle takes a couple of months to get worn in.

wardie2000 said:

You will get used to it. After a full season here in the UK, i can tell you that the pain makes you finish quicker!

But otherwise, get a good pair of shorts. It is tempting to get the cheapest ones that sound like they fit the bill, but pay the extra it will be worth it.
I find that a saddle takes a couple of months to get worn in.

Try the top of the line Castelli bibs and a Fizik allante seat. They will definitly help.

I never have like or gotten used to those narrow skinny [censored] killers 🙂
and have rode them more than I cared to
I replaced mine with a wide Bell Full saddle 🙂

TechJD said:

I never have like or gotten used to those narrow skinny [censored] killers 🙂
and have rode them more than I cared to
I replaced mine with a wide Bell Full saddle 🙂

It depends on your riding style. If your touring or cruising around the park (riding sitting up) etc. then the wide saddle is probably more comfortable but if your racing or riding fast (riding in an aero position) all the time then the wide saddle will cause more chaffing etc between the legs.
The top of the line race saddles are little more than a slightly rounded sliver stuck on a stick.
All depends on what your doing. Your bum does get used to it as the saddle breaks in. You also need to try several different saddles to find one the suits you better. I went through about 10 that were pull-offs from new bikes at my lbs and then started test driving 2nd hand bikes. That way you can try out lots of different saddles.

My butt hurt until:
1). I put enough miles on the road bike and stationary trainer that I became acclimated.
2). Bought some decent cycling shorts.
3). Lost 20 lbs.
4). Tried different saddles until I found a Salsa Zona Tres that seems to work (up to 25-mile rides so far). That was the fourth saddle I tried.

Still, its all far better than the absolute crotch-numbing agony I remember from the awful saddle I had on an Adirondack bike tour as a teenager some 30 years ago.

First your rear end will get used to it, so yes things will get better to a point. Next there can be a huge difference between saddles, try several of them and stick to the one that fits your anatomy the best. Keep in mind that a larger, thicker saddle may seem better at first but becomes much worse during longer rides. When you try a saddle the way it is positionned can also make a huge difference. Try to have the saddle level first and at the right position (height, fore-aft), then try some tilting in small increments.
I settled on a Fizik Arione, never tried the Aliante that has great reviews but is very expensive. The Arione seems very thin and hard but it is really comfortable. It has the advantage of being longer than other saddles allowing you to change position during a ride and depending of the terrain. The change of position works quite well in relieving a particular area of your anatomy and allowing blood flow to reestablish its normal course.
One thing that most will probably agree is that it takes quite a while to find his own seat and yet there will always be some pain during a long ride, the goal being making it less troublesome.

Take a look at your saddle height/position. Minor changes up/down and fore/aft can make significant comfort differences. (From personal experience, the chances of chafing/saddle sores markedly increase when the saddle is lower.)

If after a few hundred kilometres of riding the saddle still feels really uncomfortable, it might just not be right for you; give another one a try. Some bike stores have a selection of saddles for swapping out so that you can give each one a go and see what feels best.