Saddles: How long do you...

I just bought a Cobb and I honestly haven't ridden it enough to know if I love it yet or not. But what was really interesting to me was...

My wife bought me the saddle originally, she got it in white. I wanted the black one to match the bike better. I had a race in three weeks so I rode the white one for three weeks and raced it. I loved that saddle from the get go, no numbness, felt awesome. I did the race then sent the white saddle back to Cobb to get a black one.

I put the black saddle one, went for a ride and almost broke my man parts for good. I have never been in so much pain on a bike before. Same saddle, but hurt like heck. It has been 4-5 rides since then and I still haven't got this black saddle to feel quite as good as the white saddle did.

So I guess that taught me that it is mostly about saddle position and not the saddle design. My old saddle was comfy it just made me go numb where I didn't want to. This Cobb saddle fixed the numbness but the overall comfort is going to depend on me getting the saddle in the correct "sweet spot".

Too many choices, giving me a headache.

Yes, I know it is about fit and have had 3 different fits, all came highly recommended.

I have tried 6 or 7 saddles. How long I had them on my bike varied by how much they hurt. I know some love the Adamo and really wanted to give it a good shot but after 2-3 weeks the pain never got better and was unbearable. I did most of a sprint out of the saddle. I tried the Cobb for over a year because people say 'it's not the saddle' Now I am in a Serfas saddle I have had 4 or 5 months. I wouldn't say I am happy or comfortable but it is the least horrible. It is great for rides up to 30 but after that I'm pretty miserable.

ETA: I don't think all women need women specific saddles and some men's saddles work great for women. However, after having 5 kids I can tell you I need something special that apparently isn't being made yet.

Very good responses and insights. Thank you- I appreciate this. This shapes what I write about (and how).

It's interesting to see the responoses on the poll also. I hope we can collect some more responses there- a few things seem to be trending.

Thank you very much guys- interesting and helpful.

The stock saddle that came on my Cannondale was flat-out painful. We are not talking good pain, HTFU pain, or pain that goes away with breaking in or toughening up. It was simply anatomically not fitted to my body. Instead of perching up on my sit bones, the saddle was between them pushing outward. And I did get numb boy parts any ride more than 20 miles (which unfortunately meant most times I ride).

Got a Selle Italia, much better. I still get saddle pain after unusually long rides (when I go say 50% over my usual distance or more). But I don't get the numb wedding tackle thing any more, no matter how long I ride. And the pain I get is more consistent with "kind of sore; I need more long rides" than "this thing is trying to pry my pelvis apart."

FYI, my Cannondale is in the low-mid range; a notch or two up from entry level. I don't see anything about the saddle that looks cheap or wrong; I'm convinced it is just the wrong shape for me.

This is my first year riding and I've put over 1200 miles on my stock saddle without issues until I hit about 40+ miles and I start to get a little sore.  At this point I'm just wondering if its just a position issue as opposed to a saddle issue.

Key question: over 14% of respondents (18 votes) chose "Saddle comfort is entirely individual". This being the statistic within the context of this poll:

1. Are discussions on good saddle comfort practices of little practical use?

2. Is it best to let people try different saddles until they find the right one?

3. On a triathlon bike, do your "sit bones" touch the saddle?

Good lord, tom. :p

Here's my answers:

How long? It depends. (Some you can tell right away. Others, it takes a few weeks to "break in.")

I'm not sure what you mean by saddle comfort is determined by saddle choice, unless you are saying, "you can be comfy on any saddle" or "you have to choose the right saddle for maximum comfort" (or somewhere in between). In which case, I don't think you can be comfortable on ALL saddles, but i think the potential comfort level for each saddle falls on a continuum.

As for where I sit: depends on the bike and the saddle. The only bike I am on my sit bones for is my MTB.

I am a woman, and not overweight.

And I HAVE had a saddle that was "that bad" before. So much so that the doc at my Annual Exam thought I needed to be reported to Social Servcies as a domestic case. It took me forever to explain to her that, no, really...it happened on a bike ride.

I have tried pretty much every saddle that someone mentions on the forum.  Adamo, Cobb Vflow, bunch of Fizik saddles, and Profile.  I have not found one that is perfect for me  All of them make me sore after a few hours in the saddle.  I will read a post on the forum about this saddle or that saddle finally solved all the posters pain.  Will buy and give it a try.   Some are better than others.  Some will be good for awhile.

Right now I am riding a Cobb Vflow plus on race bike and Vflow max on training bike.  I like the Vflow plus better.  I was using two different Adamo saddles for a while but they started really hurting the side of my leg even when using zip ties to make thinner.

Two years ago I used the Profile Stryke for almost the entire season and it was not too bad.  Even was using on the trainer, which is the real test.  Been thinking about going back but have been too lazy to change.

For me, I have come to the conclusion that I will always be somewhat sore and just need to suck it up.

I think that a saddle should be comfortable from the get go.....thats how you know that you have found the right one.

When I bought my P2, the stock Fizik Arione mashed my parts up BADLY within 45 minutes. No way was I going to "get used " to it. My LBS swapped it out for a Selle Italia SLK which was instantly comfortable. 

When I bought my R3 I had them put on the same saddle, the SLK. Imagine my surprise when it felt not wonderful but awful. I then realized that they had mistakenly given me the men's version . Swapped it out for the "lady" version and ahhhhhhh...........

It wasn't until I stopped buying the cheap bibs that I stopped having saddle issues.  A good quality pair of bibs/shorts solved all my saddle issues. 

I'm on my third saddle. I'm SO picky because I'm so sensitive with what I'm feeling. If I feel a hair on my arms, it drives me batty until I remove it. Other people doesn't seem to bother them for that type of thing.  Currently, my saddle (SI Diva), is great, but I think the fit is a little off, and still need to be broken in. The one thing that does bother me from the Diva is the nose - there's a small bump on both sides....and I can feel it every time I pedal. I'm not 100% sure if it's just a little twisted to the left (I don't feel it on my right leg, only left). I will put in one more week of riding this, and if I still have issues, I'll return it and get the SI Lady. 

This is a stupid question, but, for those of who don't sit on their "sit bones". how the heck are you sitting on the saddle?!  FWIW - I'm on a road bike, semi-aggressive fit...not sure if that makes a difference. 

However, I found that I scoot myself to the nose area the other day, it wasn't that bad, but not something I could do for a long ride.   

I'm on the si diva on my tri bike.  LOVE it.  Hated the fizik arione tri2.  The fizik almost ruined my tri bike experience for me.  I use the terry liberator on my roadie.  I tried the terry on my tri bike, but to my surprise I didn't like that either!  I'm working with a tech who used to be a tech for olympic tri teams.

So I guess it's not only individual specific, but fit specific.  I have a more aggressive fit on my tri bike, but not by a whole lot.

"Saddle comfort is entirely individual"

I'm seeing a lot of answers gravitate toward this response: 38 votes, 14.96% so far.

That being the case, would it be correct to interpret that people are largely resistant or unaccepting of a mindset where fitness, weight, fit and acclimation over a year are more significant and beneficial than trying a number of saddles to find one that is optimal?

What would people rather have?

1. A wide range of saddles to try for a sub 30-day trial period.

-OR-

2. A set of resources to facilitate acclimation (bike fit, better shorts, time on the bike, etc.).

1. Yes, discussions are helpful. It is particularly helpful when people provide physical description, eg height, weight, fitness, as that is all part of the equation.

2. For me, it's all about fit and pelvic stability. There are saddles I couldn't sit on when my fit was off, and bike form was sloppy.

3. I ride a tri bike. To be honest, I'm still unclear how a tri bike can be ridden in an aero position with sit bones touching the saddle. Even after looking at anatomical drawings, I still don't get it. I'm rolled forward and (perhaps improperly so), it seems that it is the length of my crotch that is supporting the weight on the saddle.

TriBee and DanielG, I think you may be the "Outliers" that are sitting out of the "middle 85%" of the triathlon consumership.

I grabbed this post from this forum about a week ago and circulated it around the industry. I think this reflects the rank n' file, middle 85% of attitudes about saddle comfort (everything after this was e-mailed out):

"From a female contributor on the Beginner Triathlete user participant forum:

 'You need a new saddle.  The one you have is wrong for your anatomy and no amount of 'tweaking' is going to change that.  You should not have that much pressure and burning only 4-5 miles into a ride.  This is not a matter of 'toughening' up the sit bones - this is fragile soft-tissue...

Which saddle is best for you is extremely personal.  Many LBS's have demo programs, so that might be an option.  Terry has tons of different saddles with a 30-day trial period (I think it's 30 days).  Some online shops have even longer trial periods.

Another great resource (and I'm assuming that you are a woman) is to go here and read the 'most hated' and 'favorite' saddle threads - chock full of information....

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/forumdisplay.php?f=72'

If you don't take the time to follow the link to the teamestrogen.com website, you will miss a long list of user experiences with a wide range of saddles that covers a spectrum from recommendation to condemnation."

I would rather have number 1. The ability to try until you find what works.

I still believe that the right saddle will feel good immediately. My experiences with the wrong saddle were not helped by fit, since the exact same bike fit with the correct saddle felt fine. 

Nor were they helped by shorts: again with the wrong saddle it was torture no matter how thick the chamois and how much butter I applied. Conversely with the right ( right for me that is) saddle I can ride in tri shorts with a teeny chamois and no lube and all is well.

As for time spent on the bike? Well.......I was never really willing to give it much time. Riding whilst in pain does not thrill me.