Seat quandary

FST4RD

Senior Retro Guru
Well after suffering back pain for a long time on a bike I think I almost have it licked.
The one problem I have now is in bum :LOL:
I'm not sure if this can happen, but I'll ask anyway. The 2 sticky out bones in your bum that rest on the back of the seat, is it possible that if your seat is too narrow it can press on the inside of the bones, rather than the bones sitting on top comfortable, or perhaps even with the seat being too narrow, it's trying to push those 2 bones apart?
I've ridden narrow seats my whole life with no issues. But with my original back pain I swapped my spd's for flats (think my shoes were too narrow as I have very wide feet), and I dropped the seat an inch (high had been professionally fitted). It's stopped the pain in my back and now shifted to my bum
I'm wondering if I need a wider seat?
 
Yep that is possible - specialized try to sell a whole range of seats based on this.
My LBS had a couple of demo seats from SDG which helped with my last seat purchase. FWIW I now run an SDG Formula MTR Ti and its very comfy and not overly heavy (c 260gr)
 
As you sit more upright on a bicycle, there's less weight on your wrists, but more on your seat, so you generally want a wider saddle for a more upright riding position.

I have fitted leather saddles to the two bicycles I ride for the longest distances. Even the "racing" leather saddles are generally a little wider than the standard plastic racing saddles and generally flatter at the back and this seems to be the key for me.

I have a Brooks B17 Narrow: http://www.brooksengland.com/catalogue- ... 17+Narrow/ and a Spa Cycles Aire: http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php ... 0s204p2669.

They're both about 150mm wide, which is only 10 or 15mm wider than most men's sports saddles, but it seems to make a difference. Leather breaks in and becomes more comfortable as you ride it, but I found them both pretty comfy straight out of the box. The Brooks are softer to start with and quicker to break in, but I'm very impressed with the Spa Cycles saddle; it's very hard and is taking a lot longer to break in, but the shape obviously suits me as I find it comfortable despite this. I'm also very impressed with the quality of the Spa Cycles saddle, it's as good, if not better, than the brooks and I'd say the finish on the frame is definitely better than the Brooks.
 
Awesome, thanks guys, I thought this might be the case.
I'm kinda tall, but very very broad including my hips
Going to see my mate down at my local second hand bike shop to see what seats he has and borrow one to try out.
I'll look into the leather ones. I did have a Brooks many many years ago too.
 
The shape of the saddle makes a huge diffrence.
I fettlr my bikes by buying lightweight part for then. Two of the had selke carbon saddles that have a convex profile. This means the saddle pressses in between the sit bones one long ride on this left me nearly crippled and in agony. Got so baf during the ride that i had lost power to my legs but i finished the ride as it was for charidde.

I have since sold both saddles and replaced by specialised toupe .

These have very little substance along the centre meaning the sit bones rest on the saddle.
 
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