# Does the seat bruising stop after a certain point?



## Lawngnome (Jul 17, 2010)

Hi all, I've searched to see if this topic came up before, and couldn't find it, If I just missed it, please point me in the right direction. I've just started riding this year, and I experience a certain bruising where my body interfaces with the seat. It usually takes a week to heal, but I'd like to ride more frequently than that. What can I do to make it go away quicker, or prevent it from happening in the first place? I'm sure there's got to be some way around this. I look forward to finding out what I can do to improve upon this situation. Thanks!


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## Gasp4Air (Jun 5, 2009)

You don't say exactly where it hurts. If it's between your sit bones, aka your _taint_ (taint what's in front, taint what's in back it just taint), the rear if your saddle may not be wide enough to catch your sit bones, and would result on too much pressure to the area in between.

If that's not it, your saddle angle may be off. In general, it should be fairly level.

If that's not it, it might be too high. Do your hips rock side to side when you pedal? If they do, try lowering your saddle a bit.

Finally, try a different saddle. And remember that really soft saddles are not really comfortable after 10 minutes of riding. A little padding is ok though.

I'm sure others will add other ideas. Good luck!


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## Lawngnome (Jul 17, 2010)

It's hurtin' in the taint. I've got the bike shorts and all, so I was hoping they might help resolve this issue. The seat is flat, and my hips don't rock when i pedal. I'm guessing I probably need to look for a different saddle, based on your analysis. I'm just using the one that came with the bike (first real mtb). I'm curious to hear what others have to say, but thanks for the info. Is is something I can 'immunize' my taint to?


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## basso4735 (Oct 7, 2007)

After a couple of weeks riding 3-4 times a week I do not get that pain anymore. How long have you been riding?


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## net wurker (Sep 13, 2007)

Shorts with a good chamois helps.

A good saddle that fits helps. Some shops have these squishy things you sit on, and then when you get up, they quickley measure the impression on the squishy thing and find the distance between your sitbones. Now you have a good baseline to start the search for the perfect saddle.

Most of all, you just need saddle time to acclimate that region to riding. It will get better. Start off with shorter rides, then start working your way up to longer rides.


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## Lawngnome (Jul 17, 2010)

I've ridden once a week for the past 3 - 4 weeks, I just need to ride through the pain?


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## trboxman (Jul 7, 2010)

You need to ride no less than 3 days a week for a few weeks to get used to the saddle again. Right now you're bruising, healing and bruising again...your body isn't adapting because it doesn't have to adapt.


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## Lawngnome (Jul 17, 2010)

Thanks trboxman, I'll follow your plan as soon as it stops raining every other day :/


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## itchmesir (Jul 27, 2009)

WTB Speed V... most comfortable saddle i have ever ridden... my WTB Rocket V is amazing as well... the "love channel" is a must.. also when i first started riding.. my ass was always sore... but then it got use to it.. and with getting the right height and angle.. a lot of things to conciser when riding comfortably


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## Frosti (Jun 15, 2009)

+1 for getting fitted to a saddle

was the best investment I did this year.

(specialized body geometry http://www.specialized.com/specs/spec.jsp?speccode=bodygeometrysaddles&tablewidth=400&cellwidth=350 )


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## MegaMustang (Sep 12, 2009)

Mo' saddle time.


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## perttime (Aug 26, 2005)

Ride more often but keep it short until you get used to being on a bike seat.


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## Straz85 (Mar 20, 2009)

Go to a shop and get fitted. My fiance was always complaining about her seat being uncomfortable after 3 or 4 miles. We went to the LBS, she got measures and her seat was too wide for her. She got the right size seat, the next time we rode, she did 8 miles with minimal discomfort.


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## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

Are you wearing underwear underneath your bike shorts?


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## tshulthise (Apr 23, 2010)

I didn't get any bruising or much pain when I started biking again. When I switched from a gel seat to a leather one I got a little sore the first few rides but not very bad. I recently switched from foam padded bike shorts to gel padded bike shorts. I can't even tell I've been on the saddle with the gel shorts. Dicks Sporting Goods had them on sale from $45 marked down to $25. I'm going to buy another pair I like them so much.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

Lawngnome said:


> It's hurtin' in the taint. <snip> Is is something I can 'immunize' my taint to?


Either the angle on your saddle is wrong, or it's just the wrong saddle.

If you can angle your hips up or down and get all your weight off your taint and onto your sit bones, the saddle may be okay. Try adjusting the angle so that your butt has the same relationship to it as what you found angling your hips. The idea is to have the saddle support your riding position, not the other way around. Sometimes finding the right angle is a little counter-intuitive - angling the tip down sometimes results in sliding forward and getting a wedgie, which is why some riders angle their tip up. Sometimes, angling the tip down works better. It really depends on you.

If you can't find a position with all your weight on your sit bones, get a new saddle. You can't get used to this over time. A correctly-fitted saddle won't put pressure anywhere but your sit bones. I like flat saddles, not saddles with weird grooves or that curve up at the back. But this is probably the single most personal item on the bike. Try to buy from a local shop with an exchange policy.


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## ThePhizz (May 25, 2009)

do you know the manufacture of the seat? And in addition, just as a side note, and perhaps not even something that needs to be said, but if you are going down a lot of hills and through rough terrain quickly, you want to make sure you aren't sitting while doing it, that would certainly jack up your taint almost no matter what seat you are using.


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## Gasp4Air (Jun 5, 2009)

ThePhizz said:


> do you know the manufacture of the seat? And in addition, just as a side note, and perhaps not even something that needs to be said, but if you are going down a lot of hills and through rough terrain quickly, you want to make sure you aren't sitting while doing it, that would certainly jack up your taint almost no matter what seat you are using.


Good point. When you encounter obstacles, you need to transfer at least some of your weight to the pedals to so your butt isn't absorbing all the shock. This can range from just a little to having your butt completely off the seat. Especially true if you're riding a hard tail.


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## 126driver (Apr 21, 2006)

Ah, saddle-soreness. Remember it well, was great when I finally got past that point. Then I quit riding for over a year, just now got back on the bike and the pain's there again. Not fun having to ride thru it, but, as long as the saddle is correct for you, it will get better with seat time.


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## helix66 (Jul 15, 2010)

Rather than open a new topic on pain I'll risk a post jack and ask about hip pain. I'm new to mountain biking and trying to a the vintage loaner working before trail riding and have been re-learning how to ride and have "old man hip syndrome"!


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## dan_o_00 (Jun 8, 2010)

I just started biking this year after not biking in at least 7 years. When I first started riding and would stand up, it felt like my ass was going to fall out. After riding maybe 3 or 4 times it's not so bad.


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## big0mike (Jun 11, 2010)

Lawngnome said:


> I'm guessing I probably need to look for a different saddle, based on your analysis. I'm just using the one that came with the bike (first real mtb).


Yeah, an aftermarket saddle would be a good upgrade...



net wurker said:


> Shorts with a good chamois helps.


I've found that maxi-pad shorts don't do anything for the pain...



net wurker said:


> Most of all, you just need saddle time to acclimate that region to riding. It will get better. Start off with shorter rides, then start working your way up to longer rides.


Exactly. A couple months ago I started riding again after probably 3 or 4 years of nothing. My @ss hurt for a while. After a couple weeks of riding every 2nd or 3rd day and you'll feel nothing and you can throw away the diapers.



ThePhizz said:


> ...if you are going down a lot of hills and through rough terrain quickly, you want to make sure you aren't sitting while doing it, that would certainly jack up your taint almost no matter what seat you are using.


That's why I like my Thudbuster  although apparently no one else uses one...  I don't sit over obstacles the entire ride. If I see a big rock, bump, or step down I'll get off the saddle.


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