Member Question: Bike Saddle Discomfort

author : FitWerx

comments : 2

I cannot get comfortable without the nose of the saddle being tilted down. I have tried many different seats and had two professional fittings, but still have excessive numbness and discomfort.

Question from sisu_guy
Question about seat angle: I cannot get comfortable without the nose of the saddle being tilted down. I have tried many, many, many different seats and had two professional fittings, but still have excessive numbness and discomfort from the nose of the saddle, especially in the aero position.  Any suggestions?

Answer

Thank you for your question. Tilting the saddle nose down excessively to relieve discomfort is an indication that either your position on the bike is not right or you’re riding the wrong saddle. When positioned properly your saddle should be close to level with your sit bones towards the back of the saddle for best support and optimal muscle utilization. An aero position requires your pelvis to rotate forward to a degree in order to maintain a more horizontal and aerodynamic torso position. When your pelvis rotates forward, your sit bones tend to lift slightly and more weight is moved to your soft tissue area in front of the sit bones.

Saddles with relief areas in the middle are often beneficial or necessary to reduce saddle pain and/or numbness that can be the result of too much pressure on your soft tissue. Everybody is built differently, and some saddles tend to work better than others for different riders. It’s often OK to tilt the nose of the saddle down 1 or 2 degrees to relieve some pressure from the front of the saddle. If you tilt the nose down more than that you risk sliding forward to the front of the saddle which can make matters worse.

If you’re currently in a position where you’re sitting on the back of the saddle and still get discomfort from the nose of the saddle, then I recommend looking into the ISM Racing or Selle SMP saddles. These saddles offer maximum soft tissue relief by doing away with the middle and front of the saddle. They work well for some riders, but not for everybody. If you’ve exhausted your saddle options, then raising your aerobars will allow your pelvis to rotate rearward and reduce pressure from the nose of the saddle. This is the last option we recommend since it affects your fit, but what good is an aero position when you’re too uncomfortable to ride in the aerobars?

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date: March 13, 2009