Home› General Training Discussions

Advice Needed - Saddles

Todd BrayTodd Bray
in General Training Discussions

I'm sure there is a thread on saddles but I get an error message when I search the gear forum for "saddles."

Anyway, I need some advice on saddles. I'm having some pretty severe leg irritation from my tri bike saddle. I'm currently using an Adamo Road and after two longish rides this weekend I'm nursing (and this is no joke) five saddle sores this morning. 

Could this be a function of bike fit? Is it the saddle itself? I always use chamois creme and clean cycling shorts for my long outdoor rides.

Any advice on how to chose or what you like (works for you) would be greatly appreciated.

I know TriSports has a demo program and am curious how to best choose a saddle? I'm trying to increase my outdoor work and have get to get this figured out. Thanks!

 

Comments

  • Paul CurtinPaul Curtin
    Hi Todd - I just went through a similar issue. My new bike came with a Prologo Tgale TiRox saddle, and I knew from the first test ride that it wouldn't work. So the bike shop swapped it with an Adamo Prologue, which initially felt much better. However, that saddle is too wide for me - my legs were getting very irritated. I tried clamping the saddle rails together but was still getting sores. I went back to my old saddle from 2013 - a Cobb Plus - that solved the problem.

    See if your LBS will let you test a bunch of saddles in the shop. When I got fitted I tested about five different saddles - they had a bike-fit machine that made it easy to swap them out. It only took about 3 minutes on each saddle to know whether it was right. Definitely check out Cobb.
  • Mark MaurerMark Maurer
    2X on the Cobb saddles. They also have a 180 day try out phase so you can return it if it doesn't work for you.
  • Paul CurtinPaul Curtin
    Cobb has a seat selector guide: http://www.cobbcycling.com/saddles/seat-selector-guide/

    If it's not convenient to use your LBS, I'd just buy 2 or 3 saddles directly from Cobb; test them out; return the ones that you didn't like

    Also, regarding bike fit ... that could also be a factor. If you haven't been fitted in a while, it's well worth the investment to do that again. Get the right saddle first though.
  • Phil MillsPhil Mills
    I had the same saddle sore issue, in 2014 while riding the Adamo Road. I clamped the rails together for a narrower fit with no success/relief. After reading a post by Al T., on the Adamo saddles, and how he now rides the Attack model, I gave this model a go.

    Compared to the Road model, the Attack is narrower in width, and it also has less padding on the "forks." While less padding may not sound like a positive thing, it makes all the difference. The extra padding on the Road saddle allowed for side to side movement, which I believe caused my sores.

    I have trained for two seasons with the Attack saddle, and have not had one saddle sore. I am using the same bibs and chamois cream I used in 2014. My longest ride on the Attack was 7.5 hours wearing a DeSoto tribib. Hope that helps.
  • Coach RichCoach Rich
    Note that Trisports, our sponsor, also has a demo saddle program. I did this for my GF and her saddle, paying I think $50 for her to demo a Cobb and then I think nearly 100% of that was applied to the cost of the new saddle I got for her.

    That said, I ride on the nose of my current Cobb saddle and am willing to explore noseless saddles...but I don't want to deal with the wide issues that seem to be consistent with the Adamo. What other options are available out there?
  • moetai@gmail.commoetai@gmail.com
    Me like the Specialized Sitero, sold my 2 adamos for this.
    Loved it so much I bought a second one. Not the cheapest but worth every $ IMO.
  • Al TruscottAl Truscott

    I swear by my Sitero for my road bike, and the Adamo Attack (its got some crazy alpha-numeric name now) on the TT. Three years of chafe-free riding, as long I remember to rub Aquaphor in the right places. Here's a link to the dissertation I wrote on saddles that Phil mentioned:

    http://bikrutz.org/triblog/?p=1478

  • William JenksWilliam Jenks
    And don't forget the big benefit of bib shorts relative to regular ones if you are not yet wearing them. Ideally, all friction is between the shorts and the saddle, not between you and the shorts. Cream is there to kind of glue you to the short as much as lube any friction. the bib shorts are just that much more stable and therefore have that much less friction, leading to fewer saddle sores, all other things being equal.
  • thekidduxcthekidduxc
    I just ordered my Specialized Sitero Pro! I am in dire need of a new saddle. Will let you know how it goes.
Sign In or Register to comment.