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Got Saddle Issues?
The “ladies” saddle to end soreness, chafing, red raw stinging and all that lovely stuff!
My name is Jess Douglas.
I am 43 years old, have given birth in the normal way (need I say more?), have a backside not too generous but the hip bones are sufficiently childbearing.
But more importantly I am a woman that rides bikes, a lot and have done so all my life.
What is the number one issue for women riding bikes, besides comfortable fitting cycling attire?
The Saddle!
It is so important that some people who enjoy the idea of riding bikes do not pursue it due to the pain that comes with saddle soreness.
Some revert to bigger is better, plush and lush, lounge chairs and fluffy woollen seat covers with the hope that something that looks and feels like comfort will infact give a pain free ride.
What I know to be true is that the more fabric you have on your bum, the more ‘stuffing’ you have between your soft bits and the actual structure of the saddle, the more chafing and moving around occurs potentially leaving you in even more discomfort from that in which you were attempting to avoid.
So listen in for I am sure I will have your approval once I tell you that I have possibly spent over $2000 in various saddles, working out what fits me.
I am confident that you too have had rides where you fidget worse than a preschooler needing to go to the toilet, but it's not about a nature break, it's trying to get comfortable and relieve pressure on soft bits.
Or maybe you have finished your ride, and by now it's just numb anyway, but you head off to the toilet and the first hit of urine stings just as bad as childbirth! And that's not even shower time yet when you try to get a bit of hygiene maintenance done and all hurt breaks loose!
Then we have saddle sores, pus filled boils, pressure sores, red raw bits that just won't heal.
Sometimes it's not just the saddle that needs attention, it's also the fit of the knicks and the chamois, but ultimately a saddle that fits you well, will alleviate a lot of these problems listed above.
Start with your base!
The amount of time spent on a sitting on your saddle and pedalling a bike is huge and it is your power station. If you cannot place your backside comfortably and evenly on your saddle you are missing out on power and performance. Not to mention lack of concentration and lack of enjoyment.
So the perfect saddle for you should support your ischial bones also known as your sitting bones. The greatest error to occur is to get a saddle too narrow or rounded or just not actually allowing these sitting bones to plant securely in place so that you can pedal efficiently.
Which leads to another variable, the type of rider you are.
Do you sit upright? Do you like an aggressive forward position? Are you more neutral?
Infact, there is a plethora of information out there, and all the saddle manufacturers have great systems to help you choose the one for you.
If you nail the right saddle for you on your first go, you are pretty lucky, it’s a rare occurrence.
My clincher has nothing to do with a sales pitch, or technical details for I have offered many visuals and information on this article.
No, the clincher is, one day early this year I got a new Liv Envie road bike with one of the new Liv Contact SLR forward saddles that was standard out of the box. It was heaven to ride on this saddle from the very first minute right until the last. Instantly I was on the phone chatting to my mates at Giant head office making sure I could fit ALL of my bikes out with this saddle.
Since sorting out this new saddle frenzy I have ridden 1 x 24hr road ride with no issues whatsoever, just nothing but pure comfort the entire time.
I have also done a 400km, 28hr mountain bike ride with this sacred saddle and I have more glowing reports from down there!
Oh there was a 100 mile mountain bike race thrown in the mix and many hours and kilometers of training.
I thought I had found good saddles before until I got my backside and bits on this one.
Yes I am sponsored by Liv and yes I love their products, but here’s the caveat, I have always been supported to find my own saddle so long as the brand does not conflict.
It gives me great pleasure to really really 100% support this brand in all facets of my bike.
The saddle?
Liv Contact SLR - forward. But that’s just what suits me, there are other styles and price ranges from around $50 rrp up to around $200.
Check out my pics, find your local Giant dealer on this link:https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-au/dealers/
If you are unhappy with your current saddle then you have nothing to lose, just check it out.
You just might ride better, smile more and have more comfort right where it really matters!