I have the sqlabs ergowave 15cm 612. It’s by far the best saddle I’ve had for comfort and I’ve tried way too many. Normally I deal with numbness and pain. It’s not perfect but I tolerate it.
I find myself scooting back on the saddle as I’m sliding forward. Saddle is level. I’ve always had an issue feeling my sit bones and this is no different. I also get thigh rub and it drives me crazy. I don’t have track quads but I’m assuming it’s just my pedal patterning. I have marks on my inner thighs from the damn thing. Can I do anything about either? I ended up getting so annoyed with the rubbing, I tried the selle italia boost. It ended up just making me numb and it was so painful but really great leg clearance. Thoughts?
If you’re moving forward even though the saddle is level, it could also be that your reach is too long, and you’re subconsciously reducing it. Or because the saddle is too wide, and you move to where it’s narrower.
Are you sure it’s the right height? A lot of saddle issues can be resolved be lowering it a bit…
Never know right. I had a pro fit and have been back a few times. He fixed me alot considering I was a huge disaster. People explain a good fit and saddle as their bike is an extension of them. The saddle feels like a glove. That’s what holds me back. I get pain with all the saddles I’ve tried.
I’m going to try moving my saddle a bit forward since I’m sliding. And maybe assess the height.
I too had numbness etc. Decided to do some science. I measured my Sit bone width using the corrugated Cardbord, you can find lots of Youtube video’s, I sat on the coffee table and pulled myself down, feet of the ground and rotated back until sit bones felt and pulled down. I then got the right width of bones , then you add what is your riding position more upright you add 20mm to either side ( bones 110mm + 40mm = saddle width 150mm) If you ride on the drops then its 10mm to either side hence 130mm. The other part that plays into this is how flexible are you, i.e. if you are not too flexible then when you are on the saddle and you lean forward you rotate your hips and the sit bones rotate away from the saddle and loose contact. I Changed the width of my saddle and to a slight curve …That made the best change , no mid-perineum. I agree with lots of the above, Saddle height critical to stop you rotating side to side. Reach to stop you sliding forward. I am now on a Fizik Antares Large. Works for me.
It’s a 15cm. I am rubbing on the rails to the point I’ve taken the coating off both sides. I’ve seen a pro fitter and he’s increased my power and comfort but cant really figure out this problem. I don’t feel my sit bones on the saddle so that’s not an issue. Mild discomfort soft tissue. I appreciate the reply. It’s so hard trying to figure these things out. Maybe I have too high expectations
Did the bike fitter also measure the distance between your sitbones? 15cm is the largest model of the SQLab (I have the 612 Active in 13cm with 10.8ish cm sitbone distance).
Sliding forward and the inner thigh problems could also be an indicator that your saddle is too high. Might also be an idea to drop the seat 2cm and see what happens. It’s a wild guess and I guess your bike fitter has a better idea what you need than us here - since we haven’t seen you on the bike. Weird that the bike fitter can’t sort this problem out for you.
Totally understand the limitations with not being able to see me in the bike.
I slammed it forward this morning and made sure it was level riding it with only leggings. So far good comfort. Still leg rub but hoping that this means I’m onto something. Just not sure if I’ll lose power with it being 5mm more forward than what my fitter set it to.
Thanks for your insight. I’m glad you were able to find a resolution to your issues.
I tried a couple different things on a 100k ride. I adjusted forward and left seat height alone. Felt too much pressure on transition of leg and bits and the rub was awful.
Moved it back a bit and down a bit. Felt ok but then started to hurt again. Didn’t remedy the rub.
Tilted it up and it seemed way more comfortable, supportive and I felt power the last 40k of my ride. I finished the ride but could tell much about the rub since I was sore. I’m trying it tonight on the trainer.
If this doesn’t work then I may look into something that has a narrower transition but flat back profile.
Maybe fizik luce, ergon sport or something else I can find. I checked the scoop out but I don’t know about it.
An unanswered question: have you had your seat bones measured? Personally I would try to lower the saddle 2cm - 3cm and see where that takes you. I’d ignore if it feels like less power output. If the rubbing problem is gone you can always inch back up.
I have they are 125mm. I’m on a sqlabs 15cm saddle. I rub on the rails. I’ve rubbed all the cover off. The transition is too wide for me I think.
I need to find a saddle that is a flat back with a narrow transition I think.
I’ve tried so many saddles and the sqlab is the best one by far but definitely doesn’t have that feeling of the bike is an extension of me. That’s what always holds me back from longer rides. It’s not my legs or lungs
Good point about the sit bones and rotation. I never feel my sit bones. The only time I did was I tried a selle italia boost. But it was so painful it was a polar opposite extreme and my back killed me.
I tried lowering my saddle height by a decent amount 10mm Still pain, still rubbing, and I felt so bagged for power. It was mostly quad engagement also.
I’m going to try my old 143 specialized toupe. I haven’t tried that since I had my pro fit.if I’m not flexible can you suggest any saddles?
hard to say without seeing your position, but Selle SMP is worth a try if you’re having this much trouble. SMP saddles are a little different and takes a little trial and error to get setup right, but they tend to be narrower so maybe help with your rubbing
google Steve Hogg Selle SMP, Colby Pearce SMP, etc. they are expensive (even used, but that means good resale), although you can probably find a good demo program (I haven’t done that, but Colby Pearce’s website seems to have that option)
Hi
I caught you say sit bones 125mm, Using the saddle rules, actually means, if you mainly ride on the drops that’s 10mm per side hence 145mm saddle width. But you say you are not flexible you do not feel your sit bones.
This makes me think when you lean forward your pelvis is rotating forward and so your hips all rotate and so does all the all the bits connected, this moves more weight onto soft tissue hence the pain.
If you sit up more on the hoods, The rules sate you add 20mm to either side, hence 165mm width for you, this sound counter intuative for your thigh rub…
The question i have not seen you address is the quality of Shorts you use, I Use Assos short, they are expensive but compress all the bits the right amount and padding superb.
I Used all of the above info to go for a wider saddle myself, Fizik Antares large my sit bones were 111mm and i added the 40mm because of the hoods riding position. As you can see 152mm saddle for me is great absolutely no soft tissue rub or pain.
If you are even more inflexible, Fizik do a saddle Aliante large that is more curved.
I also got new shorts from Endura Pro , they come in a 3 different pad widths , i got the wide pad to go with the wide saddle… YIPPEE!!! But saying that the Assos S7 shorts i have feel great too.
See if your LBS will let you try a Fizik large Aliante. and Try with new shorts that fit well!
I’ve tried about 12 saddles for minimum a month to a year at a time.
I had the selle italia boost sp-01 that I tried. It was the first saddle where I felt my sit bones. But it was too much and it started to just hurt more and more. No leg rub but my sit bones were so painful and my back was killing me.
I’m tempted to try fizik, fabric or something that encourages a more forward position as I am thinking my pelvis isn’t flexible. Which is why I can’t feel my sit bones.
I’m just so bummed I don’t know what to do anymore. I’ve had the sqlab saddle since March. But the leg rub was too much and its just hurting my adductors and pressing where the transition to the back is.