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Saddle Sores - Ouch!

Really suffering with the aforementioned saddle sores at the moment.

I have a Fabric Line saddle and I'm thinking it might not be the correct piece of kit for me.  I'm getting sores right down there in the unmentionables, where my sit-bones meet the saddle.

Does anyone have any expericece of the Fabric Line?  I'm lightweight, skinny and wondering if it's actually a little wide for me.  The stock Felt seat that came with my bike gave me no such problems, depite appearing about as padded as a razor.

Other than that I'm wondering if my saddle is set too far forward/back?  I feel like I sit quite for forward on it whilst riding, but unsure if that's just normal?!!

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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10 comments

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Rapha Nadal | 6 years ago
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A few brands now do test saddles which you can take away & try - Fizik & Specialized spring to mind in this respect.  See if you can find a shop which accomodates a saddle trial and see what suits.  I went for a Specialized Romin after being able to try one and it's very comfortable.

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Goldfever4 | 6 years ago
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You know, I have struggled to get on with my fabric line saddle too. No sores or anything for me, just generally uncomfortable. I kept with it and decided it was fine after a while.

Then I bought a new bike that shipped with an antares saddle and holy jesus mary joseph and all of his carpenter friends it's so comfortable! Everyone is different and all that but this was a revelation for me. Fabric has been chucked off the other bike too now.

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BobbyG | 6 years ago
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Btw I ditched the Fabric Line and went for a Fizik Arione....problem solved  1

Also moved it slightly forward on the rails

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Popeye77 | 6 years ago
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Are you doing a lot of cycling all in one go? 

I find now I only get sore if I cycle too much without building up slowly. 

I cycle to work most days but recently have been incredibly lazy and trying to get back to cycling more regular. Currently if I do 3 days of cycling to work in a row, I start to get sore. But if I do 2, have a day off then do another 2, I'm ok. Personally, I just need to build up slowly to where I was before, then I'll be fine. 

I probably could do with a new bib though. 

Have you tried Kalf from Evans. I tried these the other day and were very comfy.....

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daturaman | 6 years ago
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I also have a Fabric line elite and I also suffer from chafing and saddle sores. I'm reluctant to blame the saddle as I love it, but I've pretty much had constant sores since switching to it. The discomfort is definitely most prominent on my more inferior bibs so I've been looking to get better ones (if only I had Sportful total comfort bibs for every day of the week).

The comments about saddle width are all very well, but I've tried saddles of differing widths and got sores on all of them, so it's not a panacea/magic bullet to get a saddle that matches your sit bones. I actually get sores more if I sit back on the saddle, for instance.

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BrokenBootneck | 6 years ago
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madcarew | 6 years ago
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Cleanliness is helpful (of shorts and skin). You may find that chammy / antichafe cream is useful too. Shaving the area might be helpful as well (but can make it worse). It's something that there's no definitive answer for, but all of the things mentioned (changing saddle position, shorts, vreames etc may help. Good luck finding the combination that relieves your discomfort  1

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CXR94Di2 | 6 years ago
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You should be placing most of your weight on your sit bones. Too wide or too narrow saddle could cause issues. Get your sit bones measured. You can do it yourself self with a piece of thick corrugated card, put it on a piece of wood on the steps in your house, so your knees are high position. After a few minutes the pelvic bones will leave dents in the card. Once you have the width measurements check out guides as to how much width is required. The fore and aft position is where you should be on the back part of the saddle for general riding. If you can't get the saddle far enough forward, then either the stem on the handlebar is too long or the frame is too big for the natural reach.

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dottigirl replied to CXR94Di2 | 6 years ago
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CXR94Di2 wrote:

You should be placing most of your weight on your sit bones. Too wide or too narrow saddle could cause issues. Get your sit bones measured. You can do it yourself self with a piece of thick corrugated card, put it on a piece of wood on the steps in your house, so your knees are high position. After a few minutes the pelvic bones will leave dents in the card. Once you have the width measurements check out guides as to how much width is required.

Was just about to post similar advice. This is pretty simple:

http://www.artscyclery.com/learningcenter/measuresitbonewidth.html

Just remember, saddle width isn't sit bone width - it's measured outside to outside, so you have to add 25-30mm. If you don't have cardboard, there are more methods here:

https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/9815/is-it-possible-to-meas...

If you just want to check the saddle you have, the dents in the cardboard need to line up with the middle of the squidgiest bit of each half of the saddle, if that makes sense?

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Simon E | 6 years ago
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Everyone's different so recommending one saddle over another isn't helpful. I haven't liked the stock saddle on any bike I've had but I was instantly comfortable on an old Specialized MTB saddle and also found the WTB Devo is fine. I tried the WTB Volt, which is very similar but apparently a bit narrower (i.e. between your sit bones, not the overall width). I didn't like it.

If you're perched on the nose that usually leads to perineal discomfort quite quickly. Have tried you moving the saddle forward on the rails? Check the angle too, somewhere near horizontal is best for most people. Can you try any other models?

Hygeine issues can contributes to saddle sores. Do you change your shorts often? And wash 'down there' with soap daily. I use Weleda nappy cream to help clear up any sore spots.

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