alicefoeller

"I just went through a bunch of saddles.

I pretty well liked the Selle Italia Flow I had on my old triathlon bike I sold. I didn’t LOVE it, but I didn’t think about it a ton. I got a new bike and the stock seat was one of those nose-less deals. I thought I would like it. I did like things about it, but after a several hour ride, or a few hour ride on the trainer (no sideways movement, no change in tile, no cornering) I really came to hate it.

I went to the bike shop and I tried one and just tried to concentrate on where my sit bones and pubic bone were aligned compared to the supportive parts of the saddle I was trying.

The first one, all of my bones felt like they fell inside of the cutout, like they dropped into a hole. So that was a no, and clarity that I needed something narrower.

I tried a narrower one, but I had an issue with the area where the sides of the seat flare out as they go back - the flare out was too wide or too far forward. The sides of the saddle in that area would rub uncomfortably against my inner thighs. Or that’s what I thought. I was thinking, well, why don’t I just move up on the nose more? Then I would not be hitting the sides. But I couldn’t figure out why that didn’t feel right to move up onto the nose more.

I saw this crazy saddle in the store that was entirely carbon fiber. No fabric or padding. It looked narrow and I asked to try it.

Me: I don’t think it works, you were right. But I would have wondered for the rest of my life, so thanks for putting it on.

Geoff, bike shop owner: Yeah, you aren’t able to rotate your hips forward.

Me: Yeah! I’m not! Why is that? Just because it hurts too much?

(Me trying to roll forward onto my pubic bone more)

(Me making faces)

Me: Yeah. I think it just hurts too much.

Geoff: Yep.

So then we knew I needed narrow, and I needed more padding in order to roll forward onto my pubic bone in the aero position. So then he asked more about the last saddle I had that I liked, and I showed him a pic. He came out of the back with a much more “cushy” saddle. Not big and wide and padded. Just a lot heavier and with gel padding. We put that on and it was a winner. I’m bummed that it weighs more, but if I can stay aero, that matters more."alicefoeller