Pain is an obvious sign that something is wrong. And I think that's one reason why it's easy to tell when a saddle ISN'T a fit. But what feels right can be so subjective.
Obviously Riv and Grant are big proponents of Brooks. I've had several Brooks saddles, and not every one feels the same. I've had B17s that were stiff as a board despite many years and miles of riding, and then more recently the B68 that I got with my Appaloosa that felt broken in from the first ride. With saddles, like anything else on a bike, YMMV. Despite the variety of experiences I've had with Brooks saddles, I've felt they were all comfortable in their own way. The key for me has been finding the positioning that works for a particular saddle on a particular bike. Moving it little by little to find the sweet spot. If I feel myself sliding up the nose as I pedal, I consider tilting the nose upward a little. If my knees feel out of plumb with my cranks, I shift it forward or aft a hair to find a position that works better. It's kind of like dialing in tire pressure. Just keep fiddling with it until you find what works for you and the kind of riding you do. Any kind of pain, especially lingering pain (like ongoing numbness post-ride or a persistent nerve twinge, for example) is an indication that the saddle or its positioning isn't working for you. Normal pain that's derived from effort, howeve, is to be expected with any saddle. Riding a bike is never a pain-free activity in that sense. Using your muscles, putting pressure on your wrists, feet, and sit bones is going to cause some discomfort. One thing that helped me a ton is realizing that no bike rider (pro, enthusiast, or regular fella like me) is ever riding for any significant distance without changing up their posture. Moving around on the bike is normal. Shifting weight, pedaling while standing, moving hand positions--all these things can affect how a saddle feels for me. Especially, like you say, when the distance is over 20 miles or more. Butt toughness also tends to build up for me over the season. I'm always a little sore after not riding for a while. If I've been riding a lot lately, I can do more miles without a sore tush. Don't know if any of that helps at all, but hopefully it gives you something to think about. I'm curious about others' experiences. On Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at 1:28:42 PM UTC-7 George Schick wrote: > Oh boy. There are so many variables that go into good saddle fit and > comfort that I'm not sure where to begin. One has to do with the type of > shorts (or other garbs) which you wear to ride. Many on this blog have > talked about the thinner the padding in their shorts the more comfy the > ride. Then again, there is the matter of riding position. If you are > riding in a more upright position on a bike with bars that reach way back > you will likely put more pressure and possibly friction on your groin area > causing discomfort. There are those who seem to like riding that way - > kinda like a rolling leg press machine, putting lots and lots of pressure > on the pedals with every stroke in a very high gear, maybe that's how they > get by with it - but that's not normative with everyone. And, of course, > there's always the usually undiscussed issue of just how sensitive those > lower bones (ischial tuberosity tissues}, and other skin and muscle > tissues play a part. > > On Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at 3:00:24 PM UTC-5 Emily Guise wrote: > >> Hello folks, I come to the group with a dilemma. I've never had a saddle >> that I could ride for longer than 20 miles comfortably. I've always ended >> up with sore sit bones, numb soft tissue, or both. This has really limited >> my ability to go on longer trips and after my five day ride on the C&O >> canal trail last Sept, it was more apparent than ever I need to find a >> saddle that won't hurt. >> >> I've tried dozens of saddles over the last 15 years- leather, plastic, >> cutouts, no cutouts, wide, medium, softer, harder, you name it. :( Most of >> the saddles that have stayed on my bikes for longer than a month have a >> central cut out, are on the wider side, and plastic. They're good for >> around town, but that's it. I've never had my sit bones measured. >> >> It occurred to me recently that because I've never had a truly >> comfortable long-distance saddle, I have no idea how one feels. So I >> figured I'd ask the group. How did The One saddle feel for you? Did it >> "disappear"? Was it love at first sit? Did it need to be adjusted a lot >> before finding the ideal position? Is there a certain amount of miles you >> ride before it becomes uncomfortable? >> >> I'd love to hear the group's collective wisdom so I know what to look for >> in the next saddle I try out. Thanks! >> >> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/a4e2c78a-e30a-47ac-b4e0-d154a6a26a37n%40googlegroups.com.
