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Advice needed

Hi All
I'm an amateur road cyclist. 39 and overweight. Cycling and dieting to lose weight. I am commuting to work daily and since the start of the year I have done 15 weekend rides. Started with 10 miles and this Saturday just gone I have done my first 60miles.
First 30 mile ride caused some backside pain, I had to keep adjusting. 2nd 30 miles wasn't that bad, still not comfortable but better. During the 60 mile ride backside was hurting and my testes went numb. Now I know that my weight plays big part here, but what shall I do. Just because I wasn't comfortable on the ride means my saddle is wrong? Or carry on and as I get fitter and my form improves I'll find that it was me all along and the saddle is fine. How long have you dealt with any saddle issues before you changed it? And did you get the results you wanted?
Thank you for your time.
Best
M

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16 comments

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HeadDown | 10 months ago
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Quick point I'd add: some (many?) bike shops will offer 'try before you buy' with a new saddle. It might be that they are tied to only one or two brands and put you through the fitting system it stipulates, but chances are high you'll come out with something half decent.

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IanMSpencer | 10 months ago
5 likes

Firstly, get a saddle with a trough or hole down the middle. Most recent saddles copy this design and numb willies should be entirely avoidable.

Soreness on long rides while overweight is partly unavoidable but a good cycling posture helps. In the end you are crushing soft tissue between your seatbones and the seat, so when you are not used to it, it's going to be a bit tender but that goes with time. Resist adding padding and soft seats/covers. Extra padding simply deforms under weight and tends to crush your tender parts (whether male or female). A decent pair shorts with a good pad is essential, but I couldn't recommend a brand because different brands seem to fit different bodyu shapes better than others. You don't need to spend big money, DHB may be quite suitable for example. However, if the seams fall in the wrong place you can get some nasty chaffing and not much you can do but change to a different brand of shorts.

Saddles do come in differnt widths, generally a narrow fit for racing snakes and a wider fit for those built for comfort, not for speed. A decent bike shop should be able to estimate a suitable width (and no doubt there are online resources for saddle fit estimates).

 A road bike encourages a forward angle - I'm not one for a slammed stem, but something along the lines of a 45 degree forward angle to share the weight onto your arms - it also helps immensly with jarring - upright posture sends shocks up your spine - hence why hybrid bikes often offer a sprung seatpost.

In the first instance, I'm reluctant to recommend professional bike fits. A lot of their data is based on performance and the posture you want for semi-competitive cycling is different from an endurance, or even social cycling fit.

Final point is that tyres and frame have a big impact on bike comfort. Modern thinking is to run fatter tyres at lower pressure. If you've dusted off your old road bike and are running 23's and 110psi you want to think about fitting a larger tyre (frame may limit you there, so check before investing) and run your tyres softer. If you are carrying excess weight with inner-tubed tyres you need to work your way down gently as you risk snake bit punctures from potholes with softer tyres, but consider say 90 front 95 rear then try knocking another 5psi off if you aren't running on the rims through bumps. If you've bought a high performance bike, they can be rigid and unforgiving, longer distances are more suited to a sportive/endurance frame, something with a bit of give and is more forgiving.

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hawkinspeter replied to IanMSpencer | 10 months ago
2 likes

IanMSpencer wrote:

Saddles do come in differnt widths, generally a narrow fit for racing snakes and a wider fit for those built for comfort, not for speed. A decent bike shop should be able to estimate a suitable width (and no doubt there are online resources for saddle fit estimates).

The width of the saddle should ideally match with the width of your seatbones - there's not really any connection to your build. An easy way to measure the width of your sitbones is to get a fresh piece of cardboard (i.e. not compressed) and put that on a flat bench. Sit on the carboard with a similar lean to how you'd ride a bike and then afterwards, the indentations should be obvious in the cardboard.

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Mackowski replied to hawkinspeter | 10 months ago
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Thanks. Great idea, will definitely do that. Just need to order something big to get large enough piece of cardboard lol.
Thank you

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hawkinspeter replied to Mackowski | 10 months ago
1 like

Mackowski wrote:

Thanks. Great idea, will definitely do that. Just need to order something big to get large enough piece of cardboard lol. Thank you

Also, playing with the saddle tilt is well worth a shot. I have my saddle tilted forwards about 2° but as I have my handlebars low, I tend to get numbness in my hands instead - it takes some experimentation to get things sorted and you'll likely find that your flexibility will increase as you get used to a cycling position.

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Mackowski replied to IanMSpencer | 10 months ago
0 likes

Thanks for your reply.
I have Trek Domane AL5 2022 which is endurance, also Bontrager Verse Comp saddle which has a while through the middle. I will invest in better shorts as mine are only cheap ones, also already been through the wash plenty of times so I am sure the pad is worn out. I run 28's with 100psi so will look into that. Originally bike came with 32's but decided to go with Schwalbe marathon plus from my old hybrid bike as regular punctures got really boring really quick. Will try to get some wider tyres as the state of the majority of the roads are in is appalling and I am sure this is contributing to my issues.
Thanks again

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chrisonabike replied to Mackowski | 10 months ago
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I'm sure the other excellent advice here will have you sitting comfortably pretty soon after a bit of experimentation...

...but - if you're already willing to put Schwalbe marathons on AND you like doing distances there is another approach.  It's the nuclear option (only - a very comfy nuclear option) but one I take more often on longer rides now:

https://www.kinetics-online.co.uk/recumbents/hpvelotechnik/speedmachine/

Certainly better for my neck, wrists / arms and undercarriage.  There are a couple of caveats on comfort.   You can get numbness in feet and/ or a different part of your buttocks while getting used to riding these things, depending on geometry ("hot foot" / "recumbent butt").  You can't change position much while riding.

Of course turning to the dark side will mean that even TT cyclists and triathletes look down on you (depending on height of your recumbent)...

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OnYerBike | 10 months ago
3 likes

I would say numbess should be entirely avoidable for anyone, with a suitable saddle and correct fit. It can be hard to diagnose/help over the internet so I would suggest seeing a local bike fitter, but for the saddle you want one that means you weight is being taken by your seatbones and the immediate vicinity, with no pressure on your perineum. Some bike shops/fitters have a range of saddles you can try; some have fancy machines that measure your sitbones to recommend a suitable saddle. Failing that, rather than buying new it might be prudent to buy saddles 2nd hand from eBay - if it doesn't suit you, you can sell it on (hopefully at no/minimal loss), and if you like it you can keep it or buy the same one new. 

A suitable fit and saddle will also certainly help general backside discomfort. So too would a good quality and well fitting pair of cycling shorts. However, I would caution that your body does take time to adapt too, and so a degree of discomfort may persist while your body adjusts. Indeed, even experienced cyclists often find that if they do an unusually long ride for them, they have some discomfort. 

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Mackowski replied to OnYerBike | 10 months ago
0 likes

Thank you for your reply. I will start with the tilt and upgrade my cheap padded shorts before looking for the new saddle. I will also improve with time I am sure, as even with the pain and numbness I am loving every second out on the road. Thanks

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Rendel Harris | 10 months ago
2 likes

Look at your saddle height, position (front to back, nearer or further away from the bars) and angle. Sounds from what you say as if your saddle is probably not tilted far enough forwards, that's definitely something that could cause all the issues you mention. There are masses of articles and videos available on YouTube to help you get it perfect for you, try that first before you think of buying a new one.

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quiff replied to Rendel Harris | 10 months ago
2 likes

Another vote for playing with the angle. My weight yo-yos and, when I'm at the heavier end of the scale, I can get a bit numb. I find tilting the nose down a little makes a bit more space for the soft bits. 

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Mackowski replied to quiff | 10 months ago
1 like

Thank you. Tilt slightly adjusted. Commute to work is only 4 miles but hopefully will be able to feel the improvement.

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Mackowski replied to Rendel Harris | 10 months ago
1 like

Thank you. I will definitely start with the tilt.

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Rendel Harris replied to Mackowski | 10 months ago
1 like

Mackowski wrote:

Thank you. I will definitely start with the tilt.

Good luck, let us know how you get on!

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kinderje | 10 months ago
1 like

It might not be your saddle. Are you sure your bike fits you, saddle height, cleat positioning and handlebar height could all be factors. I know some will say spend on a bike fit but fitting videos from GCN, Road.cc etc should get you in the right area. If you're already there try a bike shop to see if they do tester saddles. Good luck!

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Mackowski replied to kinderje | 10 months ago
0 likes

Thank you for your reply. Before I've ordered it I went to the local bike shop and tried different bike sizes.
One I went with I felt comfortable with. I have used guides on the Internet to set everything up and in general I am happy with it. At the beginning my hands were going numb, but that improved with time as I was gripping the handlebars too hard, bum pain improved on the shorter rides. Its mainly numb testes that made me question my set-up. I also understand strong core which I lack will help with holding the correct form and improve my bum/testes situation.
Thanks for your advice I will use next couple of weeks to tweak things a little and if no improvement I will head over to the bike shop.

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