Bike Noob

Because I'm Always Learning Something New

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Partners

Ponza — My One-Hour Saddle

05.04.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 17 Comments

Over the last year, I’ve blogged more than once about my Selle San Marco Ponza. It’s the saddle I mounted on my bike last May, after complaining about the hard ride on my previous saddle.

I liked the Ponza for its narrow race-inspired shape. It has a slight upsweep at the back, which cradles the butt. I wasn’t getting the soreness on my bottom that the previous saddle was giving me.

That was before I started riding longer on it.

It’s been evident for some time now that the Ponza is okay for anything up to an hour. At about that time — maybe 55 minutes, maybe 65 — my butt hurts. Specifically, the soft tissue area right at the bottom of my bottom hurts. And the soreness will be there well into the next day.

In addition, I’ve been developing saddle sores. Bag Balm seems to do a good job of dealing with them, but still — on a ride of several hours’ duration, you don’t want to have to deal with an irritated pimple on your butt being rubbed uncomfortably by a saddle that has turned against you.

Much of the time, a one-hour saddle is fine for me. I can ride from my home to the Veloway, do three or four laps, and ride back home in roughly that 55-65 minute window I mentioned above. That’s about 15-18 miles.

But on weekends, I like to go longer. Two hours would be the minimum for me there. And to do that would require another saddle.

Recently, I did a Sunday ride with a group of folks I’d never ridden with before. Looking over their equipment, I saw many more generously padded saddles than I do on my club rides. When I asked people if the padded saddles don’t cause them problems on long rides, I got a unanimous no. Everyone said they feel as good after three hours on the bike as after an hour.

So, despite everything I’ve read or heard about how padded saddles can compress your sensitive parts, and cause just as much discomfort as the hard ones, I decided I would go for something cushier this time.

The new saddle is on the bike, and I had a good first ride. But I’m going to wait a bit before I review it. I need to get more miles on it — and rides of longer than an hour.

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Categories // Equipment, soreness Tags // saddle sore, saddles, Selle San Marco Ponza

Comments

  1. Steven King says

    May 5, 2010 at 4:56 am

    Definitely agree with you on that one.

    The Ponza that arrived with my bike does the same to me – longer rides just get worse and worse as you go. I also found it rubbed unpleasantly on steeper climbs when you’re forced to mash on the pedals.

    I’ve changed mine for a Specialized Toupe. Not a cheap option, but I’ve used and liked their Alias model in the past. Feels good so far, but the long weekend rides will be the true test…

    Cheers for the great blog,
    Steven

    Reply
    • rainycamp says

      May 5, 2010 at 8:51 am

      Just goes to show you – the Ponza replaced the stock Specialized Alias saddle. I put the Alias back on the bike for two rides last week, and it was flat and hard. However, it did force me to pay attention to my pelvic tilt to make sure the sit bones were on the seat. I think I’m done with minimally-padded race-type saddles. But then, I’ve got old man flat butt anyway – no longer much built-in padding back there.

      Reply
  2. Tim says

    May 5, 2010 at 5:41 am

    I’m pretty happy with the “stock” saddle that came with my Specialized Roubaix. No hot spots, no soreness and no numb places.

    Specialized Avatar gel saddle

    http://specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=47235

    Reply
    • rainycamp says

      May 5, 2010 at 8:53 am

      The saddle is the most personal component on the bike, and what works for one person won’t suit another. A fellow club member just got a Specialized Roubaix, and hated the Avatar Gel. He replaced it with a Toupe.

      Reply
  3. Sine Botchen says

    May 5, 2010 at 9:09 am

    So did you end up getting the WTB saddle (saw a link from twitter)?

    I like the “speed” model and have them on both of my bikes. I regularly put in 2+ hours several times a week and so far have not had any complaints. Also, I really couldn’t tell much difference between that model and the next one up the chain – except for a $100 price difference.

    Reply
    • rainycamp says

      May 5, 2010 at 9:36 am

      Ditto. On sale at Performance for $25. The jury is still out – I need to get in some long rides on it.

      Reply
  4. Justin says

    May 5, 2010 at 10:27 am

    Try a Selle An-Atomica. That is an all day saddle.

    Reply
  5. Apertome says

    May 5, 2010 at 11:19 am

    Hope you have better luck with the new saddle! I’ve used a Speed V at some point, and I don’t really recall it having a lot of padding. Maybe the Ponza is just really, really hard …

    I still love my Brooks saddle. Recently I’ve been having a few issues with it, but I think I can work them out by making a few adjustments. I don’t mind a little maintenance every 6,000 miles or so, though …

    Reply
    • rainycamp says

      May 5, 2010 at 11:44 am

      The Ponza has virtually no padding.

      Reply
  6. RamonH says

    May 5, 2010 at 8:26 pm

    Really makes me wonder which saddle were you riding for the BP MS-150, since that was definitely longer than an hour.

    I have to agree with Apertome and give a +1 to the Brooks saddle. It is definitely not the sexiest, or the lightest of the bunch, but you can ride that thing for hours and hours on end. That was what I rode for the BP MS-150. I was expecting a tough ride, saddle-wise, for the second day, and the saddle behaved like any other ride day.

    I will be fair though. You always have to make sure that the Brooks saddle does not get wet. And if it does, maintenance soon ensues. I am seriously considering laceing mine up since I feel there is way too much give now that I had the saddle for over a year.

    -RamonH

    Reply
    • rainycamp says

      May 5, 2010 at 8:50 pm

      I did ride the Ponza in the MS 150. And I was not a comfortable rider after the first hour. I stopped at every rest stop after the first, not so much to top off the water and get a bite, but to walk around and shake out the soreness. The second day, I was sore from the first pedal stroke. I stood on the pedals a lot that day. It was that ride that convinced me the Ponza had to go.

      Reply
  7. Mark Elam says

    May 9, 2010 at 7:40 pm

    I rode a 40 miler yesterday sitting on my Bontrager Lite. Like other saddles, it’s fine for the first 20-25 miles, then something happens.

    I’m watching some auctions on Ebay for a fizik Aliante, famous for being the most comfortable saddle out there (at least for ‘B’ riders).

    I’ll let you know!

    Reply
    • rainycamp says

      May 9, 2010 at 8:32 pm

      Please do, Mark. Always looking for more information.

      Reply

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Get Email Updates

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 259 other subscribers

Categories

  • Accessories
  • Bike fit
  • Bikes
  • Blogging
  • Books
  • clubs
  • Cold weather
  • Community
  • Commuting
  • Components
  • crash
  • cycling
  • Equipment
  • Favorite rides
  • fitness
  • food
  • guest post
  • Heat
  • Injury
  • logs
  • Maintenance
  • Mental
  • Nutrition
  • Odds 'n ends
  • People
  • Poll
  • Racing
  • Records & stats
  • Review
  • Rides
  • running
  • Safety
  • soreness
  • Specialized
  • Technique
  • Technology
  • Tips
  • tires
  • training
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Partners

Recent Posts

  • Getting Back on the Bike: Road Cycling Tips for Older Cyclists
  • Are BCAAs and EAAs Good for Cycling?
  • How to Fix Numb Toes When Cycling
  • How to Find and Vet a Bike Club
  • Celebrate Pearl Izumi with Big Savings in the Memorial Day Sale

Categories

  • Accessories
  • Bike fit
  • Bikes
  • Blogging
  • Books
  • clubs
  • Cold weather
  • Community
  • Commuting
  • Components
  • crash
  • cycling
  • Equipment
  • Favorite rides
  • fitness
  • food
  • guest post
  • Heat
  • Injury
  • logs
  • Maintenance
  • Mental
  • Nutrition
  • Odds 'n ends
  • People
  • Poll
  • Racing
  • Records & stats
  • Review
  • Rides
  • running
  • Safety
  • soreness
  • Specialized
  • Technique
  • Technology
  • Tips
  • tires
  • training
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized

Archives

  • May 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • March 2022
  • October 2020
  • November 2018
  • May 2018
  • September 2017
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • January 2016
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008

Copyright © 2026 · Modern Studio Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Go to mobile version
%d