I’m looking for suggestions on saddles. I’ve tried Profile Design, Adamo, Selle SMP. They’ve all left me with a sore perineum sometimes even after I finish riding. What works for you?
Well, when we have saddle discomfort we often do what seems like the logical thing and attribute the problem to saddle choice, figuring some magic saddle will make it better.
At best, saddle choice is only 33% of the total saddle comfort equation I would suggest. Saddle comfort is an amalgam of several factors including bike fit, acclimation, what shorts you are using and how you are using them. All these things contribute toward saddle tolerance. I like the term “saddle tolerance” better than saddle comfort since even the most experienced riders with excellent bike fit and position and the best cycling clothes along with regular use of chamois cream still have saddle discomfort.
I wrote this a few years ago and the principles still hold true. Take a look, I hope you find it useful:
http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/features/saddlecomfort.shtml
actually i just bought a second SMP evo for my regular road bike
to replace a SI Signo Gel Flow.
how’s your position? are you willing to submit a picture for a classic
“how’s my position thread”?
in your case i’d also ask for someone to take video of you from
behind to see whether you’re perfectly centered in your saddle.
occasionally, i find that i have shifted to the right and am no
longer in the sweet spot(probably a leg length discrepancy for me.)
Once I find a camera I’ll snap a picture. I’m been riding for a few years now and I’ve been on saddles that feel great from the first time I sat on them. The Profile Design I had for a little over 7 months before I tried another. The Adamo just over 2 months and the Selle SMP for a few weeks now. I followed the directions included with the saddle and I’ll have a buddy take a look while I ride later this week. I’m not sure if the Selle SMP is best for a tri bike. Maybe someone who has one on their tri bike can offer some suggestions on how to acclimate to it.
Perhaps more importantly, what kind of cycling shorst are you using? Do you use chamois cream? Do your shorts fit snug enough?
Shorts fit fine. I wear either Desoto or Zoot shorts, I where tri shorts so there isn’t much padding. I don’t use chamois cream because I don’t use them during races. So what I wear during training mimics what I’ll wear during a race.
Hey Tom, I’ve got a quick question since I’ve also kind of have the same problem.
How exactly does chamois cream help? I would assume it helps prevent friction and rubbing, but I don’t see how it would help with pressure and soreness.
I’ve never used the stuff, but I always see people recommending it on here to prevent saddle problems.
Thanks.
They knock down friction, but they are also antibacterial, which helps knock down the propensity for boils caused by infected, clogged pores. They’re not failsafe, but if you get one good boil that takes a month to go away and have nothing but four and five-hour rides in your future, you’ll invest in chamois cream and never question or look back. I can’t recall, but I recall one big name guy pulling out of I think the Tour due to saddle sores. With as much heat as is generated there, the festering ain’t good… which leads to the next item: always good to get out of your chamois soon after a ride. I’m always grossed out when I am at breakfast with my wife along the coast, and people roll in and sit down to breakfast in their bike kit. Ew.
-Jay
Once I find a camera I’ll snap a picture. I’m been riding for a few years now and I’ve been on saddles that feel great from the first time I sat on them. The Profile Design I had for a little over 7 months before I tried another. The Adamo just over 2 months and the Selle SMP for a few weeks now. I followed the directions included with the saddle and I’ll have a buddy take a look while I ride later this week. I’m not sure if the Selle SMP is best for a tri bike. Maybe someone who has one on their tri bike can offer some suggestions on how to acclimate to it.
i was kind of forced to go to the ‘open’ designs on recommendation
of my urologist. i was lucky to find an SMP for $100 on RBR.
i’m currently using the SMP evolution on a QR Caliente - it is very
similar to the SI Flite TT i was using on my road bike. i found it
comfortable right away. the stock QR branded saddle was definitely
not good for me. according to some people, there is a very narrow
range of positions on the SMP where you will find happiness; i have
found that i am comfortable nearly anywhere on the SMP. as for
my position, i am very steep, almost near the back of the rails,
(2/3 to 3/4 of the way back on the rails) and i’m using the QR
shuttle which is a replacement head for the seatpost that moves you
even more forward than normal. i need to get someone to take a
picture of me on my bike, i’m due for some ridicule when i post
my “critique-my-position” thread.