# Getting frustrated with taint pain after trying things and buying another saddle!!



## edesros168 (Jan 1, 2008)

OK here is the deal, I bought a roadie about a month ago and have put about 200 or so miles on it. I have the 07 tarmac expert and it came with the Team Toupe saddle. Well after giving it about 150 miles I tried seat adjustments, chamois butter, different shorts and nothing seems to help the pain! I was even fitted by the shop when I bought it. Same thing all the time after about 15 miles I get a very irratating burn/rub pain in the taint area. I talked to a few LBS's and figured I would try the gel version of my saddle. Well after 2 20 mile rides it is just as bad..maybe worse!!! I love road riding but this pain is making going for 20+ mile rides unenjoyable....any ideas greatly appreaciated.


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## seeborough (Feb 3, 2004)

Trial and error. We've all been there. 

Sometimes you get lucky and find the right saddle early in the process. My 7th try was a Specialized Pro Ti. All my bikes now have one. Good luck...


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

So do you have a lot of saddle time on an mtb? Or are you kinda new to riding? If you have a good mtb saddle, duplicate that (and position, to the extent you can). If you're new to riding, well there's a toughening up period.


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## Tequila Joe (May 30, 2004)

Tilt the nose of the saddle down a bit.


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## danl1 (Jul 23, 2005)

edesros168 said:


> OK here is the deal, I bought a roadie about a month ago and have put about 200 or so miles on it. I have the 07 tarmac expert and it came with the Team Toupe saddle. Well after giving it about 150 miles I tried seat adjustments, chamois butter, different shorts and nothing seems to help the pain! I was even fitted by the shop when I bought it. Same thing all the time after about 15 miles I get a very irratating burn/rub pain in the taint area. I talked to a few LBS's and figured I would try the gel version of my saddle. Well after 2 20 mile rides it is just as bad..maybe worse!!! I love road riding but this pain is making going for 20+ mile rides unenjoyable....any ideas greatly appreaciated.


On of the sometimes surprising adjustments is to move the saddle nose up a bit. 

If you are having taint pain, it's because there's too much pressure there. Moving the nose up helps get the sit bones to stay perched back on the wide part of the saddle, keeping the taint off the narrow nose of the saddle. Perhaps you've already tried this - just a suggestion. Nose down is a bad idea for a variety of reasons. If it's below dead level, something is going to hurt unnecessarily - either your taint, or your shoulder's and hands, trying to keep you pushed back up. 

Maybe a saddle slightly wider in the rear will help you perch higher and protect the taint?

Also, stay away from the gel saddles for your problem. Gel simply gives you more to sink into - usually increasing the pressure on soft tissues. Gel makes more sense for sit bone discomfort, but still often causes more trouble than in helps. 

Others will disagree, saddles being an individual thing, but I tend to have more 'taint pressure with cutout saddles. They decrease the surface area to support you, increasing the pressure on the remaining bits.

The last word I have: Aliante.


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## edesros168 (Jan 1, 2008)

Let me ask you all how you level the saddle. I have a small level what si the best way to level it so I have a starting point. Also where do you all run it nose up a bit by the level or does the bubble in the level perfectly center?


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## edesros168 (Jan 1, 2008)

I've been riding a lot for about 7 months now. I started back in July 07. So yes I am new but I cant think that there is a 7 month break in time for this. Mounatin biking doesnt hurt AS much but the pain is still there. I dont ride for over 1.5 hours ona MTB and 1/3 of the time you are standing or at least hovering. I assume thats why I am really getting pain now on the road bike. How long does it take to build up tolerancesdown there anyway? I remember when I first started my sit bones killed for about 2-3 weeks but then it went away.


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## Tequila Joe (May 30, 2004)

This is what I would consider fairly level but with nose slightly down.


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## lechat67 (Sep 28, 2007)

i would disregard the fittings and play around with fore and aft adjustments to get your weight on your ass and not the taint. taints aren't designed to support weight. also make 
sure that your seatpost isn't too high.


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## rmsmith (Feb 15, 2007)

Try a Brooks B17 leather saddle


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## bike_guy (Mar 26, 2002)

See if your LBS offers any type of loaner saddle program or borrow from friends, that way you are not stuck buying several different models. It all comes down to which saddle fits YOUR anatomy. About 3 years ago I had to go through the same thing. My favorite saddle model of about 10 years was no longer being produced and I was down to my last one. I went through about 5 saddles before I finally found what works for anatomy. I ended up with a Selle Italia SLR. Although they don't seem to last very long about 1.5 seasons, it is very comfortable and fits me.


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## C-40 (Feb 4, 2004)

*saddle angle..*

It sounds like you are not sitting on you sit bones. As others have suggested, the saddle angle may need to changed. The problem, is most bikes come with crappy single bolt post that have serrations for adjustment. One position may tilt the nose too high and the next serration down is too low, so it's impossible to get the right angle. Try a good 2-bolt post like an FSA K-force (avialable in three setbacks), an ITM MIllenium (about 25mm setback or a Thomson (only made in 0 and 15mm setbacks).

Setting the saddle angle can be tricky, particularly if the saddle is curved, like my Fizik Gobi. It one took me one ride to get it right, by feel, then I put a small torpedo level on the tail, held it level, then measured the distance from the level to the nose with a scale. On this model, the tail is kicked up, so the nose ended up about 1cm below the tail. Remember that the bike has to be sitting on a level floor any time a level is used as a measuring tool. Otherwise, the readings from it are worthless.

Part of your problem probably is being new to the sport. It actually can take many months, maybe even a couple of years to get fully used to long hours in the saddle.


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## danl1 (Jul 23, 2005)

Agree with C-40 that even something as simple as 'level' can be tricky on something as shapely as a saddle.

I use an Fizik Aliante, somewhat similar to the Gobi. They have a V-shaped notch in the back. I've found that if I level between the bottom of that notch and the nose of the saddle, I have what 'feels' pretty close to level to me. By eye, that looks nose-up, because the Aliante is designed with a fair amount of fore-aft curvature. Setting the nose level so that the curvature looks like some sort of backstop is definitely not the course to comfort. I don't have experience with the Toupe line, but it appears from pictures to have some of that concavity. The 'notch' trick clearly won't work, but putting a level along the nose section won't work either. 

Place a pencil across the saddle about where the sit bones should land - somewhere just behind the back of the cutout, I'd guess. Place another up on the nose, just before it begins to fall away. Put the level on the top of them, and see what it looks like. That's more-or-less what level should look like for that saddle.

In any case, it's not a rigid compliance to a bubble that will get you comfortable. Put your bike in a trainer and add a block under the front wheel so it's the same height as the rear. Pedal normally for a bit, then try to 'hover' your hands without touching the bars. You'll know quickly how level your saddle is. I should note that this will also give you a response if your saddle is too far forward / aft, so this assumes you've already got that worked out correctly. If you don't have the fore / aft positioning worked out (or aren't sure; KOPS isn't the final answer here), get that handled first.


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## team_sheepshead (Jan 17, 2003)

I believe Specialized Toupe saddles come in two widths. Per this article, Specialized techs are supposed to measure your sit bones to put you on the proper saddle. They should have done this before you rode the bike home. Have your bike techs been through Specialized's Body Geometry training? http://www.roadcyclinguk.com/news/article/mps/UAN/954/v/1/sp/

Other than that, try a new saddle. Dozens of riders I know swear by the Fizik Aireone and Aliante. Forget gel shorts and saddles. The gel just squishes away from pressure points, leaving you with less padding than you'd get with standard foam.


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## Sprocket - Matt (Sep 13, 2005)

Pretty LiteSpeed BTW!


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## Bry03cobra (Oct 31, 2006)

is this on the road or on a trainer??? It cold here in NJ only rides Im doing now are on the trainer. I have a prob with pain/numbness there if I spend more than 45 min on the trainer. It was explained to me that while on a trainer a person will tend to put more pressure on the saddle than outside. Also with the bike locked in, less movement. 

If your riding outside, ignore my above statement.


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

At the top of this page, competitive cyclist is running an ad for a saddle demo program where they ship you 11 saddles you get to keep for a week. May be just the thing for ya. 

Otherwise I'd suspect the bike shop fit job. Ultimately we all learn to do our own "fitting" thru trial and error, and understanding what makes what hurt. 

If your taint's hurtin, it means you should sit more on your sit bones. That could be tilt, could be fore-aft, could even be saddle height. Think it through, take careful measurements (write 'em down) and make small adjustments.


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## 95624 (Oct 23, 2007)

The answer for me was gel shorts. I bought a Insport pair on sale from Nashbar and found relief right away. They feel like you need a diaper change when you put them on, but seem fine on the saddle. I like being able to change to regular padding when the cushioning is no longer needed. I have used them on a gel saddle, but that got a little squishy. If I had bruising, I think I would use gel shorts on a gel seat. For broken skin, I have found Neosporin, or similar, works great after drying from a shower.


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## pherret (Dec 25, 2001)

To measure the angle of a seat I put a clipboard on top of the saddle and use a angle protractor. When you have 11 bikes and use the same saddle, it takes the guess work out of it and puts a numerical value instead of looking at a bubble. It can also be purchased at Home Depot/Lowes in either their hardware aisle or in the pipe bending aisle. I also use it to setup my handlebars and shifters to be identical. I also take a reading of the top tube before I setup my parts so I know if I am on level ground or add that into my calculations. 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Johnson-Level-T...actor-NEW_W0QQitemZ160196003564QQcmdZViewItem



Besides the tilt of the saddle, when you ride are you moving forward or back on the saddle alot? If you tend to move forward because you aren't accustomed to being as stretched out on a road bike you might want to move your saddle forward till you gain more flexibility so your using your sit bone instead of your soft tissue.


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## benInMA (Jan 22, 2004)

I would take a long hard look at the fitting.. maybe look for a better fitter. It is going to be tough starting out unless someone good helps you.. internet will not work.

Sometimes underlying fit issues cause the saddle to be uncomfortable no matter what you do... 

There are a # of people who will recommend tilting the saddle up but you will never hear any of the top fitters, doctors, etc.. ever recommend that unless you have a deformity in your back. You should not need to tilt the saddle up, if you do something else is definitely wrong with your fit. Minus some other medical condition tilting the saddle back causes other issues, easy to hurt your back, power drops off, and if you try to get aero say hello to numbness... which most people think is even worse then taint pain & saddle sores.

Two big things that can cause "taint" pain..

1) Saddle too high, hips rock back and forth dragging skin back and forth across the saddle with each pedal stroke.

2) Leg length discrepancy that has not been corrected. If you have this as you pedal your short leg will slowly pull your butt off the saddle to the short side. This will greatly contribute to pain & saddle sores and no saddle will feel right. It's very easy to think this is something else... but those same saddles will suddenly feel great if you get it corrected.

Once you get those variables right most saddles that are the correct width & hardness will work and you only need to agonize over saddle selection if you want to ride monster mileage.. (like 200+ miles in a day rather then in a week or month)

When the saddle is in the right X/Y position you should be able to level it or even point it down a little and not feel like you're sliding forward. And when it's pointed down slightly (0.5 degrees has been recommended to me more then once) you will have the least pressure on soft tissues and the least chance of getting numb if you ride in the drops a long time.


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