# new to road...sore butt



## deapee (May 7, 2014)

So when I first started riding mountain bikes, my seat totally didn't fit. It was 130mm and I had my sit bones measured to be 121mm.

I picked up a nice specialized seat that is 155mm and loved it.

I since got rid of the MTB and picked up a cyclocross/road bike and swapped the seat over...this was about 5 days ago.

It seemed to be working perfect but now that I've worked up to longer, 10 plus mile rides, and I'm using the drops, my but is really getting sore near the crease of my cheeks.

Now I did install it myself and accidentally ended up with a super slight downward tilt. I've since corrected this with a level to be perfectly straight.

It only really hurts when I'm in the drops and my body position is leaning forward more.

---

Any tips or just something I need to get used to?
Do you think that the 155 is too wide for 121mm sit bones? I know the geometry down there changes a lot when you lean forward because I can feel it changing if I sit on my hands.

I would be willing to try a wtb pure v ... I think they're about 148mm... But I'm pretty much out of money at this point lol.


----------



## LVbob (Mar 24, 2014)

I just bought a bike that came standard with a 143mm saddle. They measured my sit bones which were wider and swapped out the saddle for a 155mm. If your sit bones are narrower than the saddle, I can't imagine why they would put you on a wider saddle but I'm jsut a newbie so others may have a better idea.


----------



## deapee (May 7, 2014)

I think your seat is supposed to be about 30mm wider than your sit bones. I don't think yours are wider than 143.


----------



## deapee (May 7, 2014)

Well it looks like for 100 to 130mm sit bines specialized recommends a 143 for road bike or a 155 for more upright riding. I think I'm going to scrap my 155 for a 143 and see how that feels.


----------



## ProAc_Fan (Apr 30, 2014)

Okay this begs the obvious question who do you get to measure your sit bones? 

Mike


----------



## LVbob (Mar 24, 2014)

ProAc_Fan said:


> Okay this begs the obvious question who do you get to measure your sit bones?
> 
> Mike


Some dealers have an "ass-o-meter". but you can try this:
How to Measure Sit Bone Width For Bicycle Saddle Selection


----------



## deapee (May 7, 2014)

I had them measured three times at a specialized dealer...and did it myself with aluminum foil and a towel. They're 121mm.

They had a nice toupe for me to borrow in a 143, so I'm trying that out while I decide. The thing is I think I want a romin but now I don't know if I want a 143 or a 155 because specialized recommends a 143 toupe or a 155 romin for my sit bone size.


----------



## Duane Behrens (Nov 8, 2013)

deapee said:


> I had them measured three times at a specialized dealer...and did it myself with aluminum foil and a towel. They're 121mm.
> 
> They had a nice toupe for me to borrow in a 143, so I'm trying that out while I decide. The thing is I think I want a romin but now I don't know if I want a 143 or a 155 because specialized recommends a 143 toupe or a 155 romin for my sit bone size.


My wife's tender parts (not sit bones) hurt on long rides. We drove down to the bike shop without her bike. The shop measured my wife with their cushion tool. They said she needed a 143. We ordered it up and went home. On the way into the house, I paused in the garage and gave her existing seat a look. It was the identical brand and model to the one we'd just ordered - a 143! Oops. I called them up right away and changed the order to a 155. It came in a couple of weeks ago, I installed it and she's been on a couple of long rides. Her tender parts are MUCH happier now. YMMV.


----------



## deapee (May 7, 2014)

Yeah...well the guy explained my current seat is more of an upright seat.

I see that a lot of the people that ride a 143 toupe use a 155 romin. I'm 99% sure I'm going to go with a 155 romin and he said if I'm unhappy with it, he'll allow me to return it and get something else.

--

Funniest part is my wife's seat that came on her bike I could literally sit on all day long if I wanted to. I'm just not so sure that would be the best thing for a man to do...being women specific and all.


----------



## Jay Strongbow (May 8, 2010)

Do you get the sense the pain is from downward pressure or is it from rubbing/pedaling interfearence?
It would be weird if downward pressure pain happens in that area ONLY in the drops because generally there's less weight on that area compared to sitting more straight up (if I understand the area you're talking about correctly). And if it's downward pressure pain and not interfearence when pedaling it's unlikely the pain is from the saddle being too being too wide. Saddles can be too wide but not really with respect to downward pressure. The problems come from interfearence with your pedal stroke.


I take the crease of your butt cheaks to mean it's coming from the sit bone area? If I'm correct about that, that's actually not a bad sign. At least you know the pressure is going where it should and maybe you just need to give it some time. It's common for even a perfect saddle to cause sit bone pain for a new rider or an experienced rider going a distance well beyond what they are conditioned to do. What disputes this theory though is that the problem happens in the drops. If you just need to give it time and adapt I doubt that would be unique to the drops. Need to adaptation could be a factor though. 

Also, don't underestimate the role of your shorts and it's pad. It's not 'all' about the saddle.

Sorry, no real answer for you, just trying to provide clues and ideas. Good luck.


----------



## deapee (May 7, 2014)

I honestly feel like its pedaling interference. Its probably the shape of the seat or something.


----------



## deapee (May 7, 2014)

Well, I put about 10 miles on the 143mm toupe plus an hour long ride with my son at about 2 miles per hour and I have to say it felt great.

From reading so much over the past couple days, I decided to go with a 155 romin evo and it's on the bike now but I haven't tried it out yet, just for the fitting and adjustment. It felt pretty good while getting my seat height adjusted though.

If the 155 romin doesn't work out for me, I'll just get the 143 toupe and be done with it.

I'm going to go out for about an hour ride in a little bit here and will report back later tonight...it's 89.2 degrees out and feels like 80% humidity so this ought to be fun.


----------



## deapee (May 7, 2014)

Yeah the 155mm specialized romin evo comp gel is great. Fits perfect and more than that, it feels like it fits just right in any position I put myself in.

Only did about 10 miles, but I can just tell that this is the seat for me.


----------



## Duane Behrens (Nov 8, 2013)

deapee said:


> Yeah the 155mm specialized romin evo comp gel is great. Fits perfect and more than that, it feels like it fits just right in any position I put myself in.
> 
> Only did about 10 miles, but I can just tell that this is the seat for me.


I hope you'll still feel that way a couple of months from now! (And I think you will.)

I also have the Romin 155 on my Raleigh. It's a great saddle, so long as you use it as a perch rather than a chair. Get that 3-point support system going, and you've got it made. Best. DB


----------



## Guod (Jun 9, 2011)

A 155mm saddle is pretty wide. If you're comfortable, I suppose it works. Just try to make sure you aren't scooting forward to try and hit a more comfortable (and narrower) spot on the saddle.

That being said, shorts count for a large portion of the comfort equation as well, don't forget about those. And don't go cheap there for sure. 

Also, if you're getting a lot of pressure in the groinular region when you lower your upper body to get into a lower position (drops, resting your forearms on the bars), you're not flexible enough for that amount of drop. This doesn't mean you never will be, just that you need to work on it. Look into doing some stretches to increase hamstring and lower back flexibility. These stretches are critical for cycling as it will allow a more efficient position and help with injury prevention.

Anyway, best of luck sorting it all out! Remember though, fit is a constantly evolving thing. Don't neglect periodic re-evaluations.


----------



## Bigguyonbike (May 16, 2014)

I had a similar problem when I switched from a hybrid to a road bike. I got a fitting at my lbs and it helped a lot. My seat needed some adjustment. Also, I started out with a cheap pair of bike shorts. A friend convinced me to spend $100 on a pair of bibs. That helped a ton! Are you wearing good shorts? Sorry if that's a dumb question. Best of luck!


----------



## jef (May 22, 2014)

The pain is likely due to your body angle when riding. First, your hands should be on the hoods, not the drops. Observe other road cyclists and you will see that 95% of the time they ride on the hoods since it offers a more comfortable position, and better control of the steering, brakes and shifting. Because you are leaning forward more, you are likely sitting on the front half of your saddle, which is painful jusy thinking about. Scootch the saddle forward a tad or begin to ride on the hoods. I had a similar experience and another cyclist had to show me how much of a noob I was


----------



## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

Some thoughts on this post...



jef said:


> The pain is likely due to your body angle when riding. First, your hands should be on the hoods, not the drops. Observe other road cyclists and you will see that 95% of the time they ride on the hoods since it offers a more comfortable position, and better control of the steering, brakes and shifting.


Highly subjective. IMO/E the drops offer more steering control and are more comfortable in certain situations. Also, that's the beauty of a drop bar bike - that it affords us changeable positions based on conditions and physical requirements.



jef said:


> Because you are leaning forward more, you are likely sitting on the front half of your saddle, which is painful jusy thinking about. Scootch the saddle forward a tad or begin to ride on the hoods. I had a similar experience and another cyclist had to show me how much of a noob I was


We don't really know that the OP is scooting forward, but that aside, it's a fundamental of bike fit to utilize different stem lengths/ angles/ spacers to adjust reach/ drop, respectively. Saddle adjustments are made to meet a riders height/ KOPS (+/-) requirements, not reach.


----------



## tlg (May 11, 2011)

jef said:


> The pain is likely due to your body angle when riding. First, your hands should be on the hoods, not the drops. Observe other road cyclists and you will see that 95% of the time they ride on the hoods since it offers a more comfortable position, and better control of the steering, brakes and shifting.


Then why are the drops there? Guess they should get rid of them.

I ride my drops a lot. There is better control and braking. Watch the pro's descend hills and see they're in the drops. 

The reason 95% of the people on the road are on their hoods is because they have their handlebars too low. People want the "cool" slammed stem look. But then can never reach their drops comfortably. If your handlebars are adjusted right you should be plenty comfortable in your drops.


----------



## deapee (May 7, 2014)

Just to update, I've put about 120 miles on since I got the Romin Evo Comp Gel and it's like I don't know the seat is there.

I'm sure my 'technique' has improved and I've become lighter on my saddle when riding overall but it's night and day.

No doubt the problem was that my original saddle was A) too wide for road positioning, and B) was pretty much only too wide because of the shape of the saddle.

If I went with the Toupe I would have gotten a 143mm. But since the Romin is a lot more curved I went with the 155mm.


----------



## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

jef said:


> The pain is likely due to your body angle when riding. First, your hands should be on the hoods, not the drops. Observe other road cyclists and you will see that 95% of the time they ride on the hoods since it offers a more comfortable position, and better control of the steering, brakes and shifting. Because you are leaning forward more, you are likely sitting on the front half of your saddle, which is painful jusy thinking about. Scootch the saddle forward a tad or begin to ride on the hoods. I had a similar experience and another cyclist had to show me how much of a noob I was


You make some pretty outlandish statements. None of these suggestions make sense, including the one where he needs to move his saddle forward OR start riding on the hoods. With the saddle in its correct position as you ride, and depending on your effort and terrain, you can reach for whatever the flat bars, hoods or drops. 

I don't know about you, but when I'm descending, or even cruising at high speed, I have much more control of my bike by going into the drops and lowering my center of gravity. I'll amp up the blasphemy by stating that the pressure on my ass and hands is even less in the drops. Lastly, I should point out that I'm a fat semi-noob myself. 

I don't usually turn into capt'n dick and put the kaibosh on new guys' posts, but this is crazy wrong advice.


----------



## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

ProAc_Fan said:


> Okay this begs the obvious question who do you get to measure your sit bones?
> 
> Mike


One large warm apple pie.


----------

