I love my new tri bike!... Ouch! Pt.2

gonnzo

So I'm getting used to the aero bars and positioning in my back and shoulders, but the saddle has become the limiting factor.  I just can't make it past 1 1/2 - 2 hours before I start squirming around and simply can't hold position.  After that, I need to sit up constantly or just keep my weight off the saddle entirely which wears out the legs real damn fast.

The saddle I've been on for the last 5 weeks is the stock saddle that comes with the Felt B16: pretty basic.  I tried 2 others from my collection of road saddles and they were worse.

Anybody have a suggestion for a good tri saddle for a clydesdale (5'10", 205#) new to Ironman distance?  [Not sure if it's relevant that I'm a heavier biker, but thought I'd throw that in there just in case]  I've been intrigued by the Adamo from the Cobb vs Adamo thread a few months ago, but thought I"d post the question here before wasting money on the wrong saddle. 

Thanks all!

gschlossnagle

I love my Adamo (I have the Breakaway). That said, I'd also take a hard look at saddle position and overall bike fit before you blame the saddle.

jburbatt

I have the Adamo road and have never looked back either. There are several online dealers that do a try before you buy option (trisports.com is the one I can think of off the top of my head) and I'm pretty sure you can return a Cobb saddle whenever. You'll find a lot of love for both here. The best thing you can do it to test a bunch out and see what works for you.

delesh

Yes, as the others have said, saddles are a very personal thing. Most people seem to be able to find comfort in either an Adamo or a Cobb. Try them both out where you can return them if they don't work. As George said, make sure you get the position correct. It took me a lot of time to get the height and especially the angle of my saddle just right.

Nate Parady

Chuck the stock saddle out the window right now...IMHO...I have a Cobb Saddle and like it
I also agree with George.
Rregardless of what saddle you use there iss going to be a major difference in comfort with any saddle based on how you have it positioned. Not a thing were you can just throw a new saddle on and your all set. I have mine tilted down a bit to take pressure off my "softer" parts. I had to take a an allen wrenche out with me for a ride to do some adjustments on the fly in order to find my good spot with the saddle. You may want to give this a try on your other road bike saddles.
At Lake Placid Rally a few weeks ago Another ENer with the same saddle as me was hurting pretty bad. Numb, sore..Me, with the same saddle had no issues. I'm sure this could be based on a number of factors but just goes to show you that its not all about the saddle. I also find that my ride is more comfortable in Tri shorts versus bike shorts. I think my Butt just fits better on the saddle without all that extra padding.

Bob Irwin

I really like my Cobb SHC 170. I don't know what saddles you've liked in the past. I've been riding fizik ariones of various sorts, and liked them pretty well. Had some numbness issues and saddle sores. Switched to the Cobb and everything is good. However, it is a narrow saddle with even less padding than a non tri arione. It took me a couple of hundred miles to get used to how hard it is. I'd get on the bike, and say to myself - "wow this thing is really hard - don't know if I'm going to keep it" - then 3-4 hours later I'd notice that I didn't have any of my prior issues. Went through this several times - now it's broken in well and works like a charm. Agree with what people said about riding in tri shorts as well. Tried it the first time for my first IM RR, and was amazed that so little padding worked so well for such a long ride. I'd always used DSS 400 mile shorts for IM rides - switching is at least 5 minutes free speed on race day. Good luck

gonnzo

Thanks for the tips everyone. I'd like to try them all, but couldn't figure out a way to do that without major $$$$.

@Jennifer - I hadn't expected online suppliers to do returns/exchanges without big restocking or shipping fees. Good to know I should look for that.

@George,David, Nate - I've tried constant minor and major adjustments to get to the point I'm at now. It is amazing how much difference a slight change makes! That's part of what makes me nervous to try new ones too - it will take a while before I get it tuned in to know if it's a good fit or not. Will I be past the point of reasonable return by then?

@Bob - So it can feel like hell at first but work long term?? I have the reverse problem now and probably wouldn't have stuck with one that started out rough. I'll have to keep that in mind.

@Bob, Nate - I'll give the tri shorts a try too. That reminds me of a running joke at work where my boss keeps challenging why we put the padding in the shorts and use hard seats. I don't really know the answer, so I just smile and say nothing...

I didn't hear any advice particular to clydesdales, maybe that just doesn't matter. Now it's off to find a good company that will let me try and return. Any favorites?

Thanks all!

gschlossnagle

I'd get a professional fit. ttbikefit.com, a local fitter. It makes a huge difference, you owe it to yourself to get a good fit.

John Withrow

I am (was) a Clyde. Was 6'-1" 215lbs (now 190lbs) and the Cobb V-Flow Max works great for me. I couldn't be on a Fizik Arione for more than 10 miles without numbness and pain... I did 145 miles in 9 hrs on my P3 a month ago and had no problems with my saddle. I actually have my saddle pointing up about 1 degree. I've found this keeps my weight more balanced instead of feeling like I was sliding forwards. Cobb also has a 180 day no hassle return policy so you'll have plenty of time to figure it out if you need it. It only took me 1 ride to know it was better for me... But it took about 3-4 rides of 25 miles each to get my sit bones broken in because that's where the pressure is on this slightly wider seat. FWIW, my wife is more like 115lbs and she uses the Cobb V-Flow Plus. I personally think the V-Flow Max  is better for us fat guys, um, I mean bigger guys!

GMAN 19030

I've been using the Adamo Race for three seasons now. I've tried a couple of other saddles like the TriTip and Cobb V-Flow Max. The TriTip was okay from a comfort standpoint but the numbness was a huge issue. The Cobb was instantly uncomfortable even with a professional fit. The Adamo, while not super comfy, works for me. I put a DeSoto bike pad on it for a little extra padding.

zildgen

Brain, I'm a clyde (260#) and I use the Fi'zi:k ARIONE TRI 2 WING FLEX. It works great for me but I would second George on getting a good fit and then as others have said try different saddles out. Do short hard rides and longer slow rides on them. I ride a B-12 same frame as the B-16 and was fine on the stock saddle for up to 2 hours. When I decided to change I went through 2 or 3 saddles that in he LBS felt good but on longer rides or hard rides left me hurtin. Saddles are a very individual thing. Good luck in your quest!!

brandonsaid

I'm 5'8" and 132 lbs but it turns out I got a fat ass. I tried all kinds of saddles (fizik, selle italia, specialized) but could never get comfortable. Someone recommended that I should get my sit bones measured and it turns out I fit best on a 155mm saddle and not a 130mm saddle. Picked up a Specialized Romin @ 155mm and its worked out great.

I believe most bikes come with a 130mm saddle because they are the lightest but not necessarily the best fit for everyone.

Lesson is that you might want to get your sit bones measured as part of the fitting process.

gonnzo

@Brandon - "get your sit bones measured" isn't something I've heard of before. Is that something you do for yourself?? [I'm laughing thinking of the guy with the tape measure... ] Good tip though for fitting the saddle to check your basic skeleton first. Question though: my road saddles fit well under the sit bones, but only when I sit up. When in the drops or on the tri bike I get no contact in that area, it's all forward. That seems to be where the Adamo's come into play, right? Getting to the sit bones even with the pelvis tilted forward?

@Dewey, John - thanks for the big guy perspective.

I think it's time to drop Todd another note and get his help on a fitting.

brandonsaid

I've never tried an Adamo so couldn't tell you if it works. If you look at the Specialized Romin it slopes up towards the back of the saddle which gets you to sit on bone. The key is to get the right seat angle where you are sitting on the saddle and not the nose. This requires an angle of about 84 degrees for me to sit on the saddle vs the nose.

Steve West

Todd of TTBikefit.com has a great video about fit and setup....
http://ttbikefit.com/shop.html#adamo

I bought the Breakaway from Todd and liked it. Then got the Cobb V-flow. I liked them both but have gone back to the Adamo.... seems more comfy after 6+ hours in aerobars

brandonsaid

Article in the Times...“There’s as much penis inside the body as outside,” Dr. Schrader told me. “When you sit on a regular bike saddle, you’re sitting on your penis.” Ouch!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/28/science/28tier.html?hpw

gonnzo

Posted By Brandon Shin on 28 Jun 2011 02:05 PM

Article in the Times...“There’s as much penis inside the body as outside,” Dr. Schrader told me. “When you sit on a regular bike saddle, you’re sitting on your penis.” Ouch!



http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/28/science/28tier.html?hpw

Ooh - sorry to say that rings true.  Ouch is right.