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Could my saddle be too firm?

04.21.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 15 Comments

I got out this evening for an 18-mile ride on the Veloway, which was about all I could handle after the MS over the weekend.  It was a good ride, just what I needed to ease back into the biking routine after the MS ride left me with a sore taint.

I’ve got a new pair of Sugoi shorts with the largest chamois pad I’ve seen.  It didn’t seem to matter.  I was struck by the fact that my bottom started complaining after about the same distance when I did the century ride last fall. It’s the soft tissue that gets sore — the perineum.

I’ve written before about my Specialized Alias saddle, and how much I like it.  But I gotta say, after about 50 miles, my bottom starts to hurt.

specializedaliasThe Specialized Alias saddle.

So — it may be time to start rethinking the saddle.  The Alias is firm, like a racing saddle.  It could be that I need to go to something with a little more padding so that when I do longer rides, I come through them without any soreness. The problem is, how much (or how little) padding do I need?

I like to window shop as much as anyone.  I’ve been attracted to the WTB line of saddles.  Wilderness Trail Bikes seems to be primarily a mountain biking line, but they do have saddles for road biking.  Most are reasonably priced, too.  They carry a little more padding than I’ve presently got. Could be worth dropping a few bucks on one to test it out.  Most retailers will take back the saddle after a reasonable try-out period.

The other thing that occurs to me is that I might need a real bike fitting.  I’ve done some tweaking of my saddle position since I got the bike, so it’s not in the same place it was when they fitted me at the time of purchase.  However, their fitting was rather cursory, and I wasn’t impressed with the process.

A shop in Austin is known for its fitting services, and the price is right, too.  Any thoughts about new saddles vs. a professional bike fitting?  Which way should I go?

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Categories // Equipment, soreness, Uncategorized Tags // bike fitting, saddle

Level that saddle

01.02.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 7 Comments

Some time ago, I read a tip about riding position that said you should use a carpenter’s level to make sure the saddle is in the right position.

A few days before Christmas, I remembered the tip, and spent a little time in the garage doing just that. It turned out the saddle was tilted up a few degrees, more than I had expected. Maybe that’s why I’d been feeling sore down there after a longish ride.

allezThe saddle looks level in this picture from September, but it turns out that it wasn’t. I think the sloping top tube throws off the eye, making the saddle seem flat, when it’s really tilted up. Even though it’s tilted, it will still look flat when compared to the top tube.

I assume the saddle was level when I bought the bike. I had them switch out the original white saddle for a black one, and I hope they leveled it. After a few months of riding, I wouldn’t be surprised if it starts tilting one way or the other. Maybe that’s why the suggestion is to check its level once every month. Getting the saddle level again didn’t take long, although every time I thought I got it right, the pressure from the Allen nut would raise it. After several tries, I got it the way I wanted it.

I’ve now had several rides with the new saddle position. I hardly notice it, which I guess is the goal. Today, I did 19 miles of hills in strong wind. I wore some older shorts with rather thin padding. No problems with my bottom, but it’s time to start including more hills in my workouts again!

Anyway, if you’re not as comfortable aboard the bike as you think you should be, a few minutes with a level should help out.

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Categories // Equipment, soreness Tags // saddle

I hab a head code and other sundry stuff

10.23.2008 by Ray Niekamp // 2 Comments

Broke into a sneezing and runny nose fit yesterday afternoon. At first, I thought it was a bad attack of allergies, but no…when I woke up this morning, I realized it’s a cold. I hope it won’t affect my riding any. As I’ve already mentioned, I’ll be away for the next couple of days, and will be back Sunday. With any luck, my cold will have run its course.

Sunday morning, several of my friends will be riding in the Livestrong Challenge.  The course west of Austin is hilly, and the 90-miler promises to be tougher than the century I did last weekend.  Here’s hoping they have good weather a good rides.

Mrs. Noob’s birthday is coming up in less than two weeks.  It’s gotta include something bike related, like maybe a new bike?  She’s been spending less time on her bike lately, because of a new-found interest in horseback riding (and I’m not going to buy a horse).  Would one of these get her back on the skinny saddle?

The Trek FX 7.5.

Regarding my other saddle problem, that’s all cleared up with two days of rest.  I probably won’t ride Sunday in order to let the cold completely go away, but after that, I’ll be looking to get in the swing of things again.  In the meantime, knock off a few miles for me.

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Categories // Bikes, Rides, soreness Tags // cold, FX, Livestrong, saddle

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