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Anatomic saddles...
Brian, Buck
check out the Allay saddles...the intro sequence on their websites says it all....
I've been using their "Sport" model, which fits the more upright riding position on the Enduro. Available at local shops.
Rgds, Hans
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"I thought of that while riding my bike."
Albert Einstein, on the theory of relativity.
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I was speaking to a dude during the race. He was saying it's all about the knicks you wear and not the saddle. He was saying that Assos are the best etc. Now I know they are meant to be good but I thought the Sugoi ones I wore were meant to be pretty reasonable?
Junkie has a similar pair. Do you think the NSCC Sugoi ones are really that bad?
Maybe that guy was BS'ing a bit as I'm sure the saddle plays some part.
My opinion is it is more saddle then the knicks. You need one that fits your sit bones and doesn't place pressure anywhere else. Those saddles on the X0, I found, actually are raised in the middle which I think caused me pain.
it has to be a combination of both. first get the best saddle for oneself, this can be hard as expensive doesn't gaurantee comfort as we all have different shaped backsides although, ive been told on many occasions that mine is the best ever seen!(and dont bring that photo up again, i was caught off guard and hadn't waxed!)
and its antibacterial properties stop any infections fron in grown hairs etc.
secondly, you MUST spend as much money as you can on a pair of good nicks, i do like assos but they are very expensive. i went in the shop near bondi a while back and looked at their top notch ones priced at over $400!!!!! thats enough to give you the shits, never mind a sore ass!
and last but not least, a good chamiox cream, again, assos do a good one but ive started using a product called bepanthen, its a non water based anti bacterial cream ive used on my tats in the past. you really need something non waterbased as it doesn't sweat away too soon and it leaves the old boys nice and greasy right to the end of the ride!!
Put me onto NZO tarmacs as I was about to buy the more expensive NZO MTB ones, I now own 3 pairs of them and you won't have seen me wear anything else for the last six months, they are the best I've used but I don't go beyond the $100 mark for knicks. The seat of course is very important and I haven't found the right one yet however I do ask more than most from their seat, I'm going to try the Fizik gobi on Jeff's recommendation, they do get great reviews and Fizik road seats are also renown for their comfort.
John.
Groover... I have a Gobi Ti - not quiet the same as the current model but close enough. You are welcome to borrow it for a test ride if you like. It's certainly softer than the SLR, but that said, I don't find the SLR that uncomfortable - once you settle in it's fine.
The saddle fit is definitely a shape thing rather than purely padding - the crosser came with a WTB saddle that is plenty soft but think both the SLR & Gobi on the MTBs are better. That said - I sat on the WTB for the best part of six and a half hours last Sunday so it's can't be that bad either.
Yes I too have used Bepanthen. I was first put onto it when my mum told me to take it on my week long trek along the Kokoda Trail. Sure did help with the chafing! I started it using it with my knicks after I made the mistake of doing the Angry Doctor without any cream. That was an even more painful experience than the Fling!
Paul also suggested the Fizik Gobi. I may give that a test run on Lozza's bike to see how that suits me before forking out the big bucks.
Or maybe I should just get faster so I spend less time in the saddle
Ben, I have a Gobi on both bikes, so if need be I can lend you one.
I sat on it on and off for 9 hours on the weekend with a $60 pair of nicks and all was good.
Also consider this;
1) You need to get the seat angle right so that when you are seated on the bike and the compression sags the seat is virtually parallel to th ground and supporting your pelvis.
2) You need to get your position on the bike sorted so you are not sitting too far forward on the seat.
3) You need to condition your ass to sit on a bike seat. Even the Gobi will be uncomfortable until you ass gets used to it.
Thanks for the offer on the Gobi Rob but I do fine on most seats after breaking them/me in for up to 6 hours it's just for the 24hrs I'm trying to get something better and to find that I need to own the seat and ride it a lot to see if it's worth a try. I thought I'd settled into an SLR nicely till I rode 265km one day and then 320km 4 days later, I still cringe when I see one, but for shorter rides they're fine.
John.
I've found the Fizik Aliante Sport to be the most comfy I've used so far, although I suspect it's more of a scummer device judging by the shape.
I
I've got a Fizik Plateau on my Jekyll that's not bad, and a Fizik Nisene Sport that came with the hardtail I recently bought that I haven't ridden yet. It seemed a bit hard in the wrong spots when I sat on it, but it will get a fair trial in a couple of weeks.
The Nisene will need to be good to beat the Aliante though. Interestingly it's flatter through the middle than either the Aliante or Plateau, so I suspect I may find we're just not right for each other if the article I read today in Mountain BIkng Australia is halfway accurate...
Well my specialized Alias (roadie saddle) fits me like a glove. I have it on my MTB and if im going for a long ride on the roadie it goes on there. It is a great saddle for me I just wish I had got the gel version for a little more comfort after the 6hr mark....
As Carlgroover said earlier NZO knicks treat me very well indeed, I just recently got the bib version of these and they are another step up again.
As for chamis cream I use Elmore Oil, olive oil base with Eucalyptus and Tea Tree as the anti-bactrial agents in it. It works wonders.
Are the bomb!
I use a few other brands for short rides, but for the longer rides, they are my first choice...
I have the bib & brace kind, although I'm sure the knick shorts would have the same padding. There maybe more movement with the shorts, but that would probably be the case for any short vs bib & brace brand.
I think it's definitely more about the saddle than the knicks... I used to race with just lycra shorts i.e. no padding. Shape & positioning of the saddle are key to preventing sore nether regions as it is very much a personal thing...
Luckily I haven't needed chamois cream as of yet, so I can't comment on that department.
As far as saddles go, I mainly use the Selle Italia SLR (for both road & MTB) and occasionally the Fizik Gobi for MTB.
Thanks for the advice. I will definitely shop around for a new saddle in the next few months. Definitely before the next enduro which would be the Dirtworks I guess.
I had a look at some Specialized saddles last night and I like how they come in different widths to suit different people. They tell me they have some contraption to measure your bone width too which sounds like a good idea. Weight for the Rival SL was reasonable too at under 250g.
The Fizik Gobi XM and Aliante XM also seem to get good reviews so I may take up your offer to try one sometime this summer Paul.
May well have to go through a few before finding the right one!
Ben,
As it happens I also have a Specialized saddle sitting around at home (130mm wide for people with wider pelvic bones).
Well never thought I had wide hips until today!
Went into Supreme Cycles after my helmet breaking crash to get a new lid and also used their assometer
Turns out I have sit bones 12-13cm apart so I don't think that 130mm wide saddle will suit me. Even the Gobi will not be quite wide enough. He said I would need the 143mm wide saddles.
Turramurra Cycles confirmed the same thing with their bum measuring device. They recommended the Fizik Aliante XM I was looking at before.
??
Bernd
Not as interesting as you may imagine Bernd.
It was just a foam pad which just rebounds slowly so they can see where your bones press down.