I have just started riding for exercise and to work. I seem to have a problem with the seat on my bike. It creates soreness and irritation in some very sensitive areas. There are several types of seats on the market including the two section seat, as well as the ism and so-called healthy comfort saddles. Are there any out there who have any experience with these or any others? I want to keep riding but it is difficult when I have to take a break from it to heal up. Thanks
Well, I have to say that saddles are always a very personal thing. Comfy to one is pain to another.
To some degree, your body needs to get used to using a saddle so until that happens, everything will hurt.
The width of your "sit bones" is important. Get a saddle wide enough for that but no more. Saddle width is usually mentioned by ebay sellers.
Go find a rubber mat or foam pad to sit on that has "memory" in it and when you get up after a minute, measure in milimeters the width of the two deepest marks that your sit bones make. That's your saddle width. 153mm is popular.
Next thing is the center of the saddle. Get one with a dip in it. Male or female makes no difference, a center divide is crucial for both. The female saddles tend to have more of a center split but trust me when I say that males need this too.
Saddles are soft and hard. Most people wear padded cycling shorts. The more the padding in the shorts the harder the saddle and vice versa.
If you sink into the saddle too much, that's not good for blood circulation to private parts.
Another issue is how far or how long you plan on riding. A century saddle (100 mile ride) is way different than a neighborhood exercise saddle.
On a century ride or more, I prefer a Selle Anatomica leather saddle with zero padding.
On the office commuter bike I like a Brooks Team Pro leather that is a bit wider and stiffer but now is broken in to my sit bones. (leather tends to conform to the body after about 500 miles of use.)
On the mountain bike I have a padded saddle with a wide center section.
Specialty saddles like the Selle Anatomica or the Selle Italia or the carbons or the fizik's are for specialty riders and you will know them when you see them. If you are not a specialty rider, consider the three major points above. 1) correct width. 2) match the softness with your shorts. 3) center gap or depression.
Ok, so companies like Specialized have a return policy that you can use to change saddles if you ride them and don't like them (time limit, but its like 30 days I think). The Specialized BG or Body Geometry saddles are fun to ride for up to 30 miles and sometimes as much as a metric century (100 kilometers or 62 miles).
Ask the local bike store if they have some saddles to demo or if they have an exchange policy.
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