# Poll: How long did it take you to get used to the saddle?



## irish (Apr 8, 2004)

For new riders, how long did it take you to get used to riding on a saddle - ie, not feeling discomfort while riding?

A friend who's brand-new to cycling is complaining of pain while riding and afterwards around the buttocks, but has no other pain issues (no knee issues / hand numbness, etc.). Has gone on 6 rides lasting from 45 minutes to 90 minutes over the past 3 weeks.


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## ZoSoSwiM (Mar 7, 2008)

The soft tissue down in that region takes some time to toughen up. Good shorts and a saddle that fits you will negate much of the discomfort. Still.. it takes time. A week to a month is pretty normal I'm guessing. Best advice I can offer for anyone experiencing saddle soreness is to stand more often.

Wearing quality shorts that fit well and trying different saddles helps a ton.


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## Switchblade906 (Mar 4, 2012)

I try to stand at least 3 times every 30 minutes for about 10-15 seconds to releive some pressure down there.....


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

In your friends case, it _might not_ be an issue of getting used to the saddle. It might be acclimation to road riding/ getting used to having a portion of weight borne by the sit bones, the shorts/ bibs that he's wearing or (as has been mentioned), form on the bike. Too long of a ride (duration) too soon is yet another possibility.

Before starting to demo a bunch of saddles, I'd incrementally build riding time, incorporating some out of the saddle efforts and/ or occasionally positioning feet at the 3 and 9 position, 'standing' and coasting for a bit. Also try another brand of shorts/ bibs. Gotta have a few pairs on hand anyway. 

Things take time. Six rides in three weeks is just the beginning.


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## tystevens (Jul 10, 2008)

Takes longer than that, apparently. Also depends on a lot of factors.

For me, it really is an ongoing process -- I can tell how much I've been riding by how my rear feels a few hours after a ride! If I go a few weeks without a ride, or even go on a much longer ride than I've been doing (ie, doing 39 miles on Saturday when I haven't done more than about 20 in a single ride since November), I'll still get a little soreness. If I'm off the bike for several months like I was 2 years ago, it is soreness all over again.

Weight, saddle, personal preferences all seem to matter. My 135 lb brother seems immune to saddle soreness. He's never changed a saddle on his bikes, never had an issue. Heck, he can ride 15 miles in basketball shorts and be fine. My 240# body seems to struggle more with it. All part of the fun...

Good luck!


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## arginGEM (Mar 2, 2012)

I have been riding since December. I still have sit bone soreness. I have been measured and for a woman I have narrow sit bones. I got a non-woman saddle and I am finally feeling a difference. I think now I just have to "toughen" the sit bone area. I is nice to know that I am not the only one with sitting issues. Thanks for this thread.


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## bmach (Apr 13, 2011)

I never had a problem and did not wear bike shorts either.it is all about seat fit I think


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## xpc316e (Mar 12, 2012)

I suggest that you search for Steve Hogg and his bike fitting advice.

This guy has some very interesting things to say about saddles and seat bones. I have never had what I could describe as a comfortable saddle; my least uncomfortable seat is a well-worn Brooks B67 on my tandem. Afetr reading what he has to say on the subject I am going to try a Selle SMP.


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## EHietpas (Feb 9, 2012)

It depends if it fits your sit bones or not. If it doesn't then it will never get comfortable.


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## SolitaryRider (Oct 20, 2011)

I'm a noob, and don't even have cycling shorts...but either I have a tough chooch, or I got lucky with the seat that came with my bike, because I have had absolutely no issues- amazingly! 

I remember when I was a kid, if I'd go for a while without riding, and then get back in the saddle, my donkey would get sore as H-E-double-hockey-sticks.....so after not having been a bike in DECADES, when I got this bike, I said to myself "My bung is gonna be sore as heck for a while"....but it never happened! I can't believe it! Not a hint of discomfort/soreness/chafing......


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## Ibashii (Oct 23, 2002)

A couple thoughts:

1) Everyone's different!! Big news, right? In this case, some people can ride practically any saddle while others struggle for years to find a saddle/fit/chamois combination. It's not necessarily related to weight, cycling ability or anything else, although those can be factors.

2) Remember that most modern road saddles don't 'break in', in the traditional sense of the term; they tend to be made out of synthetic materials that don't start to give at all until the end of their lifespans. Unless you're a Brooks kind of person, it's you who has to adapt to the saddle and not the other way around.

3) Experience does more than just toughen the skin around the sit bones! It also makes you a stronger rider, which allows your feet to take on more of the load that your body exerts on the bike. It's all distributed between the seat, handlebars and pedals, and in most cases a stronger rider will stress out the first two less than a weaker one.

4) Trying saddles is important and some LBSs and even a few internet stores have great saddle exchange programs for this very purpose, but I think newer riders need to give their current seat a solid chance with a reasonable build-up of miles and effort, just to see if it's really the saddle that's the problem.

5) Low-end chamois are worse than no chamois, and no chamois is pretty bad. Decent riding gear--which can be had for decent prices--really jacks up the enjoyment level when you're getting started.

FWIW, I've managed to adapt to the saddle that came with all of my road bikes. Doesn't mean everyone should go that route, but the standard "first thing you've got to do is upgrade that POS saddle" is less true than commonly believed.


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## agrats84 (Mar 17, 2012)

I'm pulling the trigger on new Trek 1.1( my first) on Monday and most places I read about the 1.1 said the seat is terrible. I
How long / miles should I give it before deciding if it really does stink? I'm new at this and have only logged 10 mile rides on my mountain bike so this new setup will take some getting used to all around.


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## Hooben (Aug 22, 2004)

It's not an issue of time, it's an issue of rides and hours. I could say a month, but my month might consist of 500 miles. What is your month looking like? 
Easily my new saddle took about 100 miles to finally feel comfortable. Anything more than that and you definitely have the wrong saddle.
Keep in mind that no answer is going to be correct on this one. It's all opinion.


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## gorillaal (Aug 3, 2010)

I've ridden nearly 1,000 miles on 4 different saddles, and still cannot find one that is comfortable. My sit bones hurt to the point I cannot ride 2 consecutive days. Will keep trying saddles.


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

I've been riding for over forty years and I still haven't found a saddle that can take me over 50 miles without becoming a torture device.


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## DuviVr6 (Feb 9, 2012)

Well I can say I rode a Fizik Arione for 4 rides and it was killing my arse to the point I had to stand. So switched it out for a saddle with a different build its a ProLogo Kappa Pas and form ride 1 I am good to go!


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## c_h_i_n_a_m_a_n (Mar 3, 2012)

Sometimes your rear end was designed to fit a type of saddle unfortunately ... but it takes time to find out.


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## Ibashii (Oct 23, 2002)

A couple of manufacturers make a sit-bone measuring device, a generic seat with a thick layer of shape-holding gel that you sit on for two minutes and then try and match your sit-bones to an appropriate saddle based on the imprint left in the gel-sac-thingy.

It's far from being an exact science, but it can't _hurt_ to try...


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## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

Mapei said:


> I've been riding for over forty years and I still haven't found a saddle that can take me over 50 miles without becoming a torture device.


Tried any Selle SMPs yet?
(I'm sorry for preaching the gospel again.)


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## Trower (Apr 28, 2009)

Once I found a saddle that fit well, which was a selle italia turbo, it didn't take long at all. But untill I found a saddle that worked for me, it was never comfortable at all.....


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

I felt like Gulliver sitting on a Lilliputian toilet seat. Yes, it was okay for my tender parts, but it made my _legs_ numb. Tingly, too.


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## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

What SMP model made your legs go all numb and tingly?


(And you got rep for your avatar.)


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## CaliforniaRoll (Mar 18, 2012)

When I started biking a few months ago I couldn't ride for longer than 5 minutes on the stock saddle that came with the bike. I tried a bunch of saddles until I found one where I could ride for quite a while without discomfort, and it was one of those cheap cushiony seats that everyone said you should not use. After that I upgraded to a nicer bike and somehow the stock saddle was fine. I can ride for hours and not feel any discomfort. Perhaps my rear end finaly toughened up. Not sure but I can't be happier to know that I don't have to upgrade my saddle.


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

kbwh -- I can't remember the model, but I believe it was the first one released into the USA. Hrach, the owner of Velo Pasadena, happens to be the exact same size as I am and he invited me to try his wonderful new saddle (which was on a C-50, BTW). My legs went tingly and numb within about ten minutes...probably due to the way the narrow sides bit into my legs.. It also bothered me that the saddle seemed to demand that you stay in one position, something that I find akin to torture after a while.

Anyway, thanks for the rep. For a guy who's been on the site as long as I have (I started under a different name in 2001) my rep is almost embarrassingly small).


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## old_fuji (Mar 16, 2009)

I happened to get lucky and pull a nice Bontrager RaceLite out of a parts bin that fits me...Usually it takes me a few rides in the spring to get re-accustomed to it, but it works.

I tried a Fizik Arione at a trainer event, and that felt terrible...and my WTB saddle on my mountainbike is terrible for road riding, but excellent on the trail, because I shift my weight around a lot more on a mountainbike trail.


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## Ibashii (Oct 23, 2002)

Mapei said:


> kbwh -- I can't remember the model, but I believe it was the first one released into the USA. Hrach, the owner of Velo Pasadena, happens to be the exact same size as I am and he invited me to try his wonderful new saddle (which was on a C-50, BTW). My legs went tingly and numb within about ten minutes...probably due to the way the narrow sides bit into my legs.. It also bothered me that the saddle seemed to demand that you stay in one position, something that I find akin to torture after a while.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for the rep. For a guy who's been on the site as long as I have (I started under a different name in 2001) my rep is almost embarrassingly small).


Oh Mappy, do you have rep envy?? You're living proof that rep and general appreciation of a member on RBR are often unrelated...

I tried to help, but I haven't reached the repeating rep threshold, whatever that is...


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## ddimick (Aug 9, 2011)

xpc316e said:


> I suggest that you search for Steve Hogg and his bike fitting advice.
> 
> This guy has some very interesting things to say about saddles and seat bones. I have never had what I could describe as a comfortable saddle; my least uncomfortable seat is a well-worn Brooks B67 on my tandem. Afetr reading what he has to say on the subject I am going to try a Selle SMP.


I read Hogg's SMP article a while back and just last week put on a SMP Lite 209, which is replacing a Toupe. I need an endurance saddle, and the Toupe wasn't cutting it for me. Going to try and put 100 miles on the SMP this week, I'm hoping this is "the one" because I really want to like it.


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