Hi everyone, I have been having bum problems and was wondering if anyone might have experience dealing with the same issues. My road bike fit/setup is perfectly comfortable for most riding - have done big days at moderate effort without any real issues at all. I don’t usually have any problems riding in the drops.
Lately I’ve been cutting laps on my local velodrome and I’ve noticed that I quickly develop numbness in my sitbones/lower butt area when riding seated in the drops at high effort for >a few minutes. No problems with the prawn/gooch, just in the sitbone area which contacts the saddle. It goes away pretty quickly if I chill out/stand up, but I can really feel the impaired blood flow. Moderate dull pain at those contact points if I get off the bike right after an effort and try to walk.
I’m kinda baffled, because I’ve always felt that most pressure-type pain goes away when pedaling hard because the legs are supporting most of the weight. I’ve tried adjusting my saddle angle/setback/height but to no avail. FWIW, I’m riding a SMP Dynamic with the giant cutout.
Any tips at all? I have no idea if it is a saddle issue or if it comes down to my fit and the way that I sit on biek/pedal. Maybe I just shouldn’t be riding that hard?
I’ve had this exact issue a while ago. Not on track, but doing hard efforts in the drops. Went a bit narrower in the saddle and tilted down a degree or two.
Problem went away immediately.
Edit:
Looking at the SMP dynamic I bet when you roll your pelvis forward that saddle is really just putting all the pressure in a couple small spots.
So maybe the answer isn’t “narrower” but rather flatter across so it’s not creating specific pressure points.
That sounds pretty plausible, the SMP is definitely kinda pointy/lacking in surface area cross ways. I also just remembered that I ride sans bibs, which doesn’t help with pressure distribution either. I might get ahold of a pair to try before I replace the saddle. Thanks!
You’re putting a lot more weight on your sitbones due to the added G-force of pulling through the corners. I’m guessing you’re not riding fixed? I would say the added pressure is less the saddle and more your body position.
any saddles other than the Superflow and Fizik with a full channel or cutout between the sit bones? getting more soft tissue pressure than I’m used to no matter how I rotate my pelvis. tried my old SLR gel flow instead of the WTB koda and it was maybe worse
I was having bloodflow troubles in my toes as well as getting quite a bit of soft tissue pain beginning this year. This was after riding on the same saddles for years. I’m not sure if it was a cumulative thing or just getting older.
I finally broke down and saw a fitter. I had been considering one of the new SLR Flow. He recommended the Ergon SR, and he gave me a loaner. My troubles pretty much went away. They’re about half the price of a Selle Italia, so I thought it was worth the gamble.
If I was you, I’d put swept back bars on my bike and ride everywhere in cutoff jeans on a b17 and never try very hard at riding bikes. My crotch never goes numb while riding on my local velodrome so I must be doing something right.
welp I had a brick of clay handy so I did a DIY sit bone measurement, turns out I’m about 135-140mm which explains why a lot of saddles feel real narrow.
tracking some eBay auctions for the wide fizik argo and the L3 superflows
interesting aside, I had felt that I was sitting directly on the cantle of my Selle Anatomica, turns out I was— they’re only 120mm clear at the widest point. so even though the saddle itself is almost 160mm, if your sit bone width is >100mm this may not be a good choice
Yeah, I noticed that, too. Even with their generous setback, it felt like my sit bones were directly over the cantle.
I went from B17 to Selle Anatomica to Ergon’s SMC3, SMC4 and now SMC Sport Gel (yes, gel). The SMC3 was probably my favorite, but after being diagnosed with chronic prostatitis and having a prostate biopsy, the SMC Sport Gel is probably a better choice.
One thing nice I noticed about Rivet is they show both the saddle width and max width between the frame. All the other leather saddle companies should do the same.
Unrelated, one thing odd I noticed is that the little tool kit that comes with a Rivet saddle is the exact same as the kit that came with the Lorry.
there are some superflows on REI outlet right now also. highly recommend measurement even diy because I would never have guessed as a not-large person that my bone spacing is that wide
