So recently I’ve had some chafing on my butt cheeks from the widest spot of my saddle. I can’t figure out exactly when it started but I have only introduced two new things.
Being a new handlebar, a Zipp SL-70 Aero I 38cm (narrow is aero, you know) which may have a little shorter reach that my old specialized alu bars. When getting the new bars mounted I got a 5mm spacer inserted. So my new bars are also a little higher than the old setup.
Being muscle activation drills done before workouts to get my glutes firing. Since I discovered that the didn’t seem to be very active when I’m cycling.
So I like to believe that it’s because my ass got so active that it somehow needs more space and my saddle then is too wide. But seriously? Could that be the case? Or is it more reasonable to think that it’s because of a small variation in how I sit on the bike now?
I have a similar story. Been riding since October, and averaging 7hrs/week since November. I got a demo Specialized saddle to test and had it for 4-5 weeks while a new one was on back order with no issues (around Jan/Feb) and it seemed to fit great. Got the new saddle, and 2 weeks into it I started to notice discomfort. Since then, I’ve had 3 saddle sores on left and two on right (all but one in form of a blood blister) all in a row. The last one is finally almost healed, but it has been a frustrating 4-5 weeks to be sure considering another saddle, but with shops doing online orders only I am a bit hesitant.
Update: saddle ordered, delivery tomorrow. I’ll report back in a week or two after I’ve had a chance to ride it a bunch. Specialized offers a 30 day comfort guarantee, which is helpful but hopefully I won’t need.
I have in fact been doing activation drills and mobility work so I might also move at bit more freely on the bike. But never felt restrained by my mobility though. Since my post I actually feel it’s been better with the saddle issues. Now I’m actually trying to figure out if my saddle is too narrow when I’m not sitting so far back on it. For me the saddle game is a complete jungle both in terms of size and style. Have scheduled a bike fit in the near future and hope this might help figuring out the saddle issues.
Well, we’ve all probably had to do our own search to find the perfect saddle. I like to rotate my pelvis forward when making a seated effort or acceleration. I am not very flexible so this is how I get low and put out power. For that reason, a flat saddle does not work for me. The two that do are Selle Italia SLR and Specialized Romin. I marginally prefer the Romin as it has less padding. Chamois Butter every ride over a couple hours. Never have any issues anymore. Good luck in your search.
considering another saddle, but with shops doing online orders only I am a bit hesitant.