Why is your saddle so uncomfortable?

[@happyharry7331]

From watching bikefit, I realised my saddle was to high, my frame is too big, my cranks are too long, my cleats are in the wrong place, my stem is too long, and my bars are too wide, then I realised at 76 I had been gradually shrinking 😊

[@Paul-of2yq]

That’s brilliant 😊

[@KevinSpinks-x2w]

LOL Genius.

[@PP-cm4re]

😂

[@ScottBaker1]

if I won the lottery, I wouldn't tell anyone....but there would be signs....me at airport flying over the pond for a bike fit with James.

[@GregGrude]

I’ve actually had the exact same thoughts

[@lancecrawley9542]

💯

[@Cyclingbluenoser]

Me too!

[@DennisWurster]

HARD SAME

[@RicardoRocha-lg1xo]

Same here… I keep hoping for a paid business trip that I could piggy back on

[@lauratimmins2177]

Great video! I'm a 65 year old gal riding road bikes since I was 11. I know the body has with aging but I'm still strong and work on flexibilty regularly but my height has reduced by an inch. I had a bike fit 17 years ago with my Trek Madone. I used a Fitz saddle which was the best solution at the time after trying different saddles. I've been riding my new Specialized Creo 2 Expert e-assist bike with a general fit for six months. Mostly comfortable except for a bit of upper back soreness after longer rides. For me the Specialized Comp saddle with the cut out and it being slightly flatter at the back is very comfortable so I picked up one for our tandem bike. I used this saddle on a 7-week 8 country tandem bike trip. Comfy the whole time!!! I've set up an bike fit appointment for the Creo 2 to improve my bike experience! Biking is awesome but as James mentioned it's not natural for humans to sit on a bike with feet fixed spinning their legs around like mad! Lol

[@josedelatorre7560]

You deserve this channel to explode! always great videos!

[@Bikefitjames]

Thank you!

[@lauratimmins2177]

Great info. I had a bike fit 17 years ago with my Trek Madone. I used. Fitz saddle wh

[@ruudn]

I've always had saddle pain, and a bike fit with the recommended saddle didn't take that away. I then got an ERGON SMC Core Men MTB Saddle in the largest size available. It looks a bit big (because it is), but no more pain in the butt (and no pain in the groin area either). Not even after driving it 100s of km this week.

[@BostilCensurado]

There is no magic bike fit that will solve this if you dont weight 50kgs like the starving professional bicycle jockeys, everyone will go on a shopping spree for saddles until they find the one that works for them. The best starting point is the widest and biggest cut out and a medium ammount of foam(not eva, not gel) in my experience.

[@richiejames928]

SLR boost gravel edition. gods own answer to the bicycle saddle. fashioned it with his own hands iv heard. finest chair on the market.

[@mattwhitson2257]

Can you do a video on the G8 and correct set up please.

[@denis_roy_7]

Merci!

[@Bikefitjames]

Thank you!

[@RobertFHarrison]

I'm one of those hard to fit folks with a really long inseam for my height (185cm tall, 95cm inseam). And...we don't really have any IBFI fitters here. Your videos have been beneficial, though I suspect you'd have me one frame size down on my Trek Checkpoint Gravel bike from 58 to 56. No matter, I've been tweaking. My saddle height is below what I'm used to riding by a cm. I've flipped the steam to raise the bars and shorten the reach (no numbness now). Best of all, I swapped the saddle from the Bontrager it came with (140mm) to a Selle Flow S3 at 130mm. I'm not forced to the front of the saddle by the width and feel firmly planted at the rear. If I'm ever in your neighborhood, you can bet I'll be visiting!

[@Cade_Media]

because it has stinging nettles on sair

[@StacyODell]

guys -- hook your friend up with a lav mic

[@Bikefitjames]

😂😂😂 ah shoot! I’d have never noticed - good job I have you as the worlds second best bike fitter on hand

[@zbigniewnykiel]

James thanks for showing SLR Boost. Perfect saddle!!!

[@dereinzigwahreRichi]

Something really practical to improve your posture can be to get your saddle nose up a bit. It forces you to sit in the back more AND gets your back straight because otherwise your (Wo)man parts get pinched by the now higher nose. Helped me a lot and is a quick fix worth trying!

[@edithmaverickfolger4014]

I got the G8 inserts for me, for bicycling, and for a friend with flat feet. So far I haven't had sleepy feet on the bike, and initially the inserts are working as well or better than other inserts for my friend's flat feet.

[@bengt_axle]

Often overlooked is the degree of anterior pelvic rotation. Some riders naturally rotate their pelvis more (because of reduced lumbar flexibility) than others. This affects what the optimal rise in the rear of the saddle should be. A saddle that rises up, will hold the pelvis in an anterior rotation, which will put can put more pressure on the pubic rami, but at the same time, offer greater stability, especially when climbing up a hill in a seated position. The best example of this type of saddle is an SMP Dynamic, while the opposite would be the completely flat Fizik Arione shown in this video. Which is better? Hard to say. Some people may like the feeling of being locked into a position by a saddle with a lot of saggital curvature, while others may get greater comfort from being able to relieve pressure by rocking the pelvis back and forth and sliding forwards and backwards, depending on the grade of the road and their pedaling effort.

[@we1rd92]

Just adding ONE washer to my pedals has made my saddle problems so much better. I can't believe that q-factor isn't talked about more or there aren't more ways to extend it with different pedals.

[@billyshakespeare17]

Have struggled with saddle friction/sores for years. Heard James mention stance a few months ago on Cade's podcast. I installed a pair of 21 MM pedal extenders. They are game changers, no, life altering in saddle soreness relief.

[@benjaminhunt283]

Even though I've had you sort me out(sounds very wrong, sorry). I still love watching your videos. Great stuff mate.

[@peterdedes2460]

while saddle discomfort isn't something I cope with, I found it useful to review and consequently alter my stance. Thanks for getting me to think about my position again. Haven't done much about position since I stopped racing 25 years ago.

[@john-draftanimal]

I've heard the opposite of changing multiple things vs one at at time. Being a scientist, I tend to prefer the latter with most things but this time getting back on the bike after a long time off due to injury, I've had to reset or re-zero everything and start over, I see how its all interconnected, so I can see your point. On saddle height I went through the exercise discussed in one of 'Neil's bikefit' very good methodical vids of starting low and gradually lifting a couple of mm at a time until I feel I lose control/strength of the bottom of the peddle stroke and bring it back down just a bit. There I saw my right side go off first (had a hip replacement in 2002). That got rid of right knee pain, crotch pain, some finger numbness, and some of left foot pain/numbness. Pulling the cleat back a bit seems to have fixed the foot pain. Obviously I had been sitting asymmetrically as you mention.

[@isiscasalduc]

Yeah. For the last year I kept making changes one at a time desperately trying to isolate the problem. Turns out that’s rarely a good approach as it will most likely lead to incorrect assumptions. Just went to a fit with saddle mapping, they did a bunch of minor adjustments but all at once. Improvement of 80% of my saddle issues. I had done all those same adjustments but each one on their own and of course got all sorts of wrong assumptions and couldn’t get even close to this level of comfort. The last part of the equation that I’m hoping gets me to total comfort is that I had been accidentally riding on 172.5 cranks and I’m a 5’6 female. So yeah…. that most likely explains why I kept getting BAD issues on my groin on both sides. It’s a long story but I got the frameset when there was nothing available in the early pandemic days. We decided to swap all components from another bike because we could not get parts. We totally overlooked that those cranks are massive for me. 😅

[@timothydog76]

From the thumbnail I was fully expecting James to do this entire video in Gollum's voice :D

[@iansingleton]

Hey James could you please do a video on setting up cleats properly? I don't mean just "road" clipless cleats but SPD too. After watching a clip of you talking about Q factor I decided to get some pedal extenders. What a massive comfort benefit! Brilliant! I always wondered why riding my Hardtail MTB felt more comfortable than my road bike! Wider bottom bracket! Wider Q factor! I changed from clip less to SPD because I thought the extra movement would sort some knee discomfort out. Using the extenders helped. VI've since tried to set up some clipless shoes for the turbo trainer and the cleats won't go far enough back! Have I got something wrong? My SPDs are level with the knuckle of my little toe, they feel fine. No discomfort. Thanks for any help. I'm planning on booking a bike fit with you guys before buying a new bike next year. 👍

[@edmundhodgson2572]

I was climbing over a field gate last week, reminded me of the Arione had for one ride.

[@kevinlyon9501]

Very happy with the SLR boost saddle though need to go back to James to finish the fit

[@ellipticalsoul]

If you're new to road cycling, the saddles with a pressure relief channel look strange and you might think they are uncomfortable but it really is worth giving one a shot. I got a Selle Italia Boost fairly inexpensively off ebay and wouldn't go back to a flat one now.

[@fredderf6208]

Great to see you’re doing your own channel! Very informative.

[@KanagawaCycling]

Love the channel. My shoes are comfy as a direct result of a slot you did on Cade, so thank you. I’m thinking you could maybe splash out on a clip on cordless mic? It’s a little too dustbin like at times and you have an engaging voice :-) cheers .

[@michaelconway8352]

I found my ideal saddle in a San Marco Aspide. With a narrow width, it was like night and day compared to other brands I'd failed with. San Marco recommends that the fore/aft position be set up using their biomechanical reference point. In other words, where the saddle width measures 70mm, that should disect through the centre of the seat post. So I gave that a go and hey presto, my sit bones were fully supported with it set level. I set my cleats as far inboard as I could to widen my Q factor. Gone were the left sided saddle sores and I found my knees tracked more or less straight on the pedal stroke. I can ride in the drops for long periods without discomfort. There's little movement in the saddle as it seems to cradle you whatever position you ride. As an aside, a biomechanical assessment identified that I had a noticeable weakness in my right glute. Specific exercises to strengthen it not only improved my walking gait, but made a big difference in balancing out percieved power in the saddle.

[@cb465]

I'd be interested to know where you went for a biomechanical assesment. This I think would be very useful for before going for a bike fit!

[@michaelconway8352]

I live in the North East of England. I had an unrelated issue ( bone spur on the first metatarsal of my left big toe) aggravated by stubbing it.. This became inflamed and painful. NHS meant a 2 year waiting list to assess it.. Nurse recommended The Westoe Practice in South Shields. So I went there. Motion capture threw up a weak right glute. In short, I was launching off on my left foot while walking. So wear and tear played a part. By strengthening the glute, my right foot tracked straight and as a positive consequence, my cleat position straightened up. My knees tracked evenly and there was zero chance of heel rub on the crank.

[@GuybrushThreepwood79]

Great video. Loving the new channel. Especially the full fit videos. I'm going to book a fit in the near future. What would you (or anyone with experience of a bike fit) say is a reasonable amount to budget in addition to the fit for any new equipment that might be needed as a result of the fit?

[@adiyo011]

Glad to finally find this channel after seeing you elsewhere. Hope to see you making more content!

[@owensnicholas]

Every time I see you do a video on saddles, I hope to hear your opinion on Brooks. They don't make any sense to me. Thank you as always for your content. You've helped me loads. I'm way more comfortable on my bike because of your advice.

[@jayromasanta8072]

He already covered these in the bike fitters hated items video by cade media

[@owensnicholas]

@@jayromasanta8072 I'll look that up. Not sure how I missed that. Thanks.

[@DanTuber]

I went up a size in saddle and now get far less (if not almost none) saddle sores. Previous saddle was constant sores. Same brand, same style, no other changes.

[@FarOut-n6b]

Some people go to church, some people go to the football but not me, I sit at home and wait for Bike Fit James to bless us with some insights. I might start a petition to see if we can get him a knighthood.

[@nickpatten5263]

Good idea. I do the same, he’s definitely the bike fit guru.

[@andrewmcalister3462]

Sir Bike Fit?

[@bretbender2992]

Maybe start a religion where it's fundamental that people are meant to sit on small hard pieces of foam!

[@norbert4571]

3:56 still riding an Arione 🙈. And, yes, it's painful

[@billkallas1762]

I've never needed a saddle with a cut-out. For the last 30 years, I've used the SI Flite (model 1990). Before that, I'd use the SM Rolls, and before that, going back to the mid 80's, the SI Turbo. As for Pedals, I started out racing in the 80's with toe clips, with double straps. When I finally changed to clipless, in the late 80's, I've always been on Look Delta pedals with Black (fixed) cleats.

[@ДмитрийЧапыгин-к9ч]

James, thanks for the content! I watch your channel with pleasure even despite the fact that I don’t need a bike fit anymore (you solved my issues once). Please comment on Redshift new drop handlebars with a very high rise (50 and 70 mil versions). Could someone use them to increase stack? And please comment their excessive widths. Thanks:)

[@gregor9921]

I used to sit on the nose and got numbness after long rides because it 'felt like I could pedal better', got an SQLab one now and because of the different contact point style all issues are gone

[@CatManDoSocial]

Excellent as always. Thanks for doing them and please keep them coming!

[@Blitzer00979]

Another underlooked cause of saddle discomfort is actually when the rider is sitting too upright. Don't be afraid to experiment with dropping the handlebars a little or increasing stem length.

[@alastairwright77]

Yes, a lot of these bike fit videos talk about shortening reach and raising bars, but I've often found the opposite more helpful. Plus, saddles had no cutouts for 100+ years and most people were perfectly happy and comfortable; maybe if they didn't make them like an unpadded thin strip of plastic it might be better...

[@bradsburgess4806]

I'm saving up for,a fit,with James.😎

[@MrJaroslavf]

Hi James, could you record a video on how to properly set up G8 insoles?

[@Bikefitjames]

Funny you should say that! Keep your eyes peeled sir. 👀

[@HallieLynch-jj8nh]

I would love to sign up for you to do a bike fit for me. I have not had luck with bike fits in Tennessee. How can a book an appointment?

[@Bikefitjames]

@@HallieLynch-jj8nh we’d love to have you! Check the links in the description of the video or on the channels page

[@paulflory3532]

Agree with you about orthotic inserts. But why not go the whole way and use custom moulded orthotic inserts? I have horrible hammertoes and fallen arches so was using custom orthotics in my regular shoes with good results. So I had a set of orthotics made for my cycling shoes. Cycling ones differ in that they don't have heel lifts, so I leave them in my cycling shoes. Your podiatrist or PT makes moulds of your feet and ships them to the orthotic manufacturer together with the liners that came with the shoes as a template. Total comfort.

[@roberthealey6820]

Thanks James 👍

[@jjohnseph]

Any Suggestions for wide sitbones measured at 152mm, measured on Retul equipment, post professionial bikefit on OE saddle, just want better comfort , tiny fit upgrade, have Right side Hemiplegia, CP.. major Consideration on fit

[@better.better]

with a little bit of thinking I've come to the conclusion that my bars are too low making my reach too long. my saddle height seems correct based on my pedal reach, and I don't have any knee pain, but my butt keeps sliding forward on the saddle and I need to keep scootching back. However, if I sit more upright with only my finger-tips touching the bar, I don't slide forward. also, I think I would benefit from a wider stance (Q-factor), same thing: when I consider what I'm actually feeling while pedaling it just feels like my feet are too close together, like all of my weight is being supported by the wrong parts of my feet, which would also mean the rotational motion of my legs through the pedal stroke is not efficient. using the Crank Bros egg beaters helps, because there's more pedal float to allow my feet to compensate. I'm thinking of trying the down-hill version which is supposed to be wider

[@rakulex]

I can now confidently say that James saved my butt!

[@grahamriley8124]

Can we have some education for beginners on head and seat angles, and perhaps explaining what differences stack height vs reach has for example do you pick a bike with slightly longer reach but a larger stack height? Or go for the shorter reach but far less stack height?

[@ebaysnipa]

were these tests performed with padded shorts on? thanks

[@Taz86]

Ironically, I just wore out a Selle Italia SLR Boost endurance saddle like the one on the bike in this video. I couldn't figure out why my ass and balls were killing me even with double my normal amount of chamois cream, why my knees were hurting, and why my power was shit. I knew it wasn't a fit issue because I had a Guru fit done a couple years back and haven't had any issues since then. Turned out the gel in the saddle flattened out so much that it was actually 5mm lower than what my fit called for. Replaced the saddle with the 3D printed SLR Boost Superflow, problem solved. My power's back up, my cadence is higher, and my average speed is higher. All this while still recovering from a crash that cost me pretty much the entire summer, put weight on me, and cost me leg muscle.

[@BrawndoDrinker]

Fun fact, it can be the saddle. I switched to a specific Ergon saddle and now ride without a chamois, no change in bike setup. To be fair to James, I have only been riding mt bikes for 41 years so maybe I am a novice. 🤣 Look at a flat saddle (at the wide part) vs one that has a peak at the center, you'll see the reason why so many saddles are not shaped like the pressure mappings.

[@cb465]

I bought an Ergon Sr comp saddle last year (wide fit) and it's been amazing. first time I've not even thought about the saddle being there

[@madplanet3351]

Excessive bodyweight won't help either. Insert within the shorts can give mixed results too.

[@jamesbarker7145]

Would be interesting to see pressure mapping of clipless v flats. I think almost all of my saddle discomfort is due to an overly hairy arse.

[@ffrranklin]

good info!

[@starlitshadows]

Played around a lot with my position over the last year. I've shortened the reach quite a bit. But basically with saddle tilt and height there is a point where both start to cause perennial discomfort. Tilt there is a sweetspot at about 1.5 down for me. Seat height there is a point where I start to gravitate towards the front of the saddle. I ride about a mm under that. Nice when you start feeling like you are sitting on an actual saddle not some pointy torture device. 😂 I want one of those SLR boost saddles though. My saddle is 11 yrs old and seems too flexible.

[@bhatch]

I have my saddle pretty well dialed on my road/gravel bike, but I also have an e-commuter (Turbo Como) that I'm struggling to find a good saddle on. The position is entirely upright, so I'm not sitting on my pubic bone, so my Antares or Boost SLR saddles don't seem to work well, but I don't love the gigantic wide seat that the bike came with either. Do you have any recommendations for what makes sense on an upright commuter bike?

[@huskiesparty]

@Bikefit James - here's a question I would be interested to hear your thoughts. Just over 4 years ago I got a professional bike fitment for a CF bike that has a D-shaped aero seatpost that also has a setback. Coming out of that fitment I have a 90mm stem on the bike and have been pleased with the comfort of my riding position on that bike. Since then I have acquired some more bikes, and several that use a regular round seatpost. Those seatposts are commonly available with or without setback. So in theory I should be able to use a seatpost without setback, and just use a longer stem. But is it that simple? Using a seatpost without setback would move my hip joint forward and in a different position relative to the BB and/or pedals. Is this worth consideration, or am I overthinking it?

[@stephensmith2820]

YES IT IS!

[@dariusganea6321]

I have a 144mm Selle Italia Well Gel... For me, who has 13 cm between the bones, it is not comfortable at all. I've tried to adjust it a few times and I still don't feel right on this one...next I'll look for something from WTB Silverado...

[@slavnyan1152]

I'm watching Cade Media's video with you, and I wonder what fitting mashine/trainer is that you are using?

[@Damien-xg8lb]

Only thing I took from this video is that James is quite brave not pixelating the name of his client (who it appears from a quick google is a solicitor!)

[@panzerveps]

When I bought my current bike (6 years ago) the first thing I did was to do a basic bike fit in the garage, then swapped the saddle for one in the correct colour and a width that's more suited for my bum. Went to a pro bike fitter and she had 0 adjustments to do, but recommended the insoles. Since then I've only adjusted the saddle angle slightly.

[@joystation1]

What colour is most comfortable 😄 ?

[@toria-j]

Labial sensitivity causing saddle discomfort can also be a symptom of perimenopause. My previously agreeable saddle/bike/shorts combo became unresolvedly horrendous and limited my cycling for some time.

[@CatManDoSocial]

James, what is your opinion about saddles like the SQLab “Active” series that build in side to side movement as you pedal. Gimmick? Helpful? Harmful? It depends? Thanks!

[@Veterans2009]

Every 7 km I got off my bike to stop the numbness in my left feet and gentel area as well. Gosh, my saddle is Flite Italia and I am riding a brompton T line and my set bone is 145, and the coach who sized me said I can only ride flat saddle caz of my set bone

[@fleurdelispens]

Question: how should you adjust the saddle position to account for a change in stance? I'm going to a 13mm narrower q-factor because that's what my body wants, and other than playing with my cleat location, I don't know how to adjust things

[@ebaysnipa]

to start with are racing 3D printed saddles for example designed to be worn with padded with shorts?

[@romanpramuka2703]

I've tried many different saddles, long, short, narrow, wide, hard, soft. Flat ones are the worst. I've ended up with the Selle SMP, the most comfortable, at least for me.

[@lafamillecarrington]

Bike fits seem to be mainly for road cyclists. Is s fit useful for a recreational rider using flat pedals and flat bars?

[@projectcycling]

It should be nice to watch a video about the most complicated body to fit: long legs and arms but short torso..how, generally speaking, to fit a body like that, if it's better to go up or low in size etc... very difficult body type expecially because the 90% of the bikes have long reach and short stack

[@Daywork11]

I wish you were located in Myrtle beach SC.

[@Bikefitjames]

Me too!

[@abhimawa1]

Lately, some saddles seem to have too stiff of shells, in conjunction with the current trend of ‘efficient’ pedaling.

[@stephenhaley2k3]

Out of curiosity, how much impact would you say poor fitting / worn bib shorts have on saddle discomfort?

[@lisashiela9137]

Coming back after almost a year of not riding, my saddle angle felt horrendous. I adjusted it countless times over the next few weeks, only to eventually end up back in the original position that I started from and haven't touched it since. After all that, I'm now wondering if it was just that new substance that my psychiatrist prescribed.

[@Gramkan]

It was the saddle for me, slr boost was horrific, sq labs is unbelievable

[@isiscasalduc]

This probably doesn’t apply to 99.9% people out there but the culprit of years long groin torture on both sides was a too large crank size. I’m a 5’6 female on a size 50 bike which is perfect for me but had been riding on 172.5 cranks 😢. It was on accident and we didn’t even notice until a few weeks ago. On accident because I started riding again in the early days of the pandemic and there were no bikes and no parts. When I finally found my current framset in a correct size for me, there were no parts to build the bike. So we got all the parts from a 54 bike we had bought thinking it was smaller and build my bike with that. Totally forgot that the cranks were massive for me. Man, have I suffered these past years and not in a good way lol. No one checked the cranks because since the bikes come built already these days no one even thought of the possibility of massive cranks on a tiny, size 50 bike. 😅

[@bluemystic7501]

Nice Speedy!

[@reecedawson6113]

What do you think of custom 3D printed saddles

[@ricardogee7434]

I would love to get a bike fit but they cost so much money

[@nosredna937]

They are worth every penny (as long as you go to a reputable fitter - like James).

[@Cycle.every.day.]

You can fit yourself in this day and age , hundreds of youtube videos , watching all James' stuff alone will give you the knowledge to fit yourself.

[@gnorts828]

I'm really struggling to understand you due to the accent when it comes to details. At 2:40, did you suggest increase width between feet? I only hear "increasing stars" but that doesn't make sense to me, no? Auto generated subtitles also struggle to understand you.

[@TerryNutkins3]

Increasing "Stance" but he's a southerner so he pronounces A's as Ar's 😄

[@UsaqMadiq]

Those Shimano SPD-SLE pedals are not easy to find.

[@jonathanzappala]

Can you address the fact the long axel is your best seller because people already have a regular axel pedal? Or have you thought of that and have a reason what I said isn’t the case?

[@branbroken]

Presume if the person fitted with the regular pedal axel they wouldn't be buying one at all. The fact lots are buying the long pedal axel means they have found a more comfortable fit with it.

[@lelwil2]

That was a great video.

[@SoilworkZA01]

Any thoughts on the SQlab saddles?

[@whatwouldjacobdo]

I love my 614 ergowave 2.1

[@TomAngur]

I'm using a 612 and am very happy with it.

[@401farmer]

What saddle would recommend for 900k ultra race on mtb.

[@Bryanchappell3188]

Bike manufacturers try to simplify their bike fit sizes way too much. Looking at you Canyon.

[@WHALEx3]

I’d like to see James give a bike fit to himself, he has interesting proportions.

[@davekashuba4730]

An Arione would fit him perfectly.

[@carlosflanders518]

@@davekashuba4730 Yes. Needs to fit the Arione properly.

[@2neanderthal602]

How about flat pedals and a saddle you don't need to wear padded pants for?

[@dh7314]

Lovely stuff

[@randygravel2057]

My cycling shoes are Nike Metcons.

[@izabela-56751]

whenever James pulls the Arione off the shelf, you know a terrible saddle example is coming!

[@carlosflanders518]

Only the most popular saddle of the last 15 years

[@Silidons91]

Do you not like Selle SMP saddles?

[@highfived]

I am in pain when cycling tried so saddles I have no idea why then other times I am fine I am so confused. No pain in other parts of my body

[@BartoszRybacki0]

Very good video. But for me it was actually the saddle ;) It was too narrow. Just imagine a saddle going in between the bones to crush all the soft tissue.

[@TC-hl1ws]

No matter how I adjust my position I always move to the nose of the saddle when I pushing the watts. I accept this and stopped trying to convince myself that this is wrong.

[@Anonymous-f6o]

Easy like and sub bruv!

[@themaestro7922]

No, no, no, no and no, respectively, in that order. Selle SMP is the answer!

[@paulflory3532]

When I went for a fit ca 2016, a bare carbon Selle SMP was on the fitting fixture. I was horrified by the shape but figured I wouldn't be on it long. It was so astonishingly comfortable that I got one and used it for several years. Then decided 5mm of padding would be wise, switched to an SMP Dynamic and put the carbon one on my trainer (no bumpy roads!). So comfy I don't even think about the saddle during rides, which is a goal. Flat saddles baffle me. Your bum isn't straight, wouldn't you want an anatomically designed saddle to match the landscape Down There? We don't force our heads into square helmets, our heads are oval. Even more baffling, people seem fine with cutouts and lateral curvature on flat saddles. It's a strange world. This experience with SMP has got me thinking about handlebars, been eyeing Coefficient bars. The SMP's are touchy about mounting angle and they make a dizzying array of models. For those worried about their perineum, they have huge cutouts. At least in the US, for a modest fee they will send you your choice of 3 models to test for a few weeks, after which you return the red & yellow test ones and they apply the fee towards purchase of an SMP.

[@maverick6631]

Best designed saddle ever made.

[@themaestro7922]

@@paulflory3532 it's astonishing how it saves your ass. The only real question is how much padding you want and what width you want. And there's a chart on the SMP website comparing every model so you can quickly figure it out. I know that the Avant works for me and the lite 209 doesn't cuz the latter is just a tad narrower

[@paulflory3532]

@@themaestro7922 For my test, I got Forma (no padding), Dynamic (5mm), and Drakon (10mm), all the same shape as the bare carbon I had been using. The added padding on the Drakon narrows the cutout a little.

[@MotorSagla-k5f]

The higher the power on the pedals the lower is the load on the saddle. Nobody talks about!

[@krazy1z]

I just wish we had real bike fit people here local to me. Most people will take your money, tell you your saddle is too low and send you on your way.

[@JamesBrown-qt2yr]

Another top vid! One question though, which belief system is it that we were meant to sit on our genitals on hard pieces of foam!? 😂😂. Thanks for getting vid!

[@JosefMarc]

"Fit first, buy later." Alternatively, buy a lot of bikes and saddles and stuff, ride while it hurts where it hurts the most, then eventually get a bike fit, and maybe you can sell the other bikes.