My gooch is sore - need a new bike seat

[Roy]

So I ride my bike for about 2 miles a day with my dog. I ride slowly and pretty upright. lately I have been pretty sore from sitting on the seat. I bought a new seat and while it's more comfortable, it's not really any better.

Any of my biking DGRers have any tips?

[Dogma]

Brand/model of your existing seats?
Is it your 'sitbones' that get sore, or your 'taint region?
Are you heavy for your height or average?
Been riding long or just starting out?
Are you wearing bike shorts, athletic shorts, or plain old cargo shorts?
Do you stand up at all when you ride or sit the whole time?
Single speed bike or multi speed?
Do you pay any attention to your pedaling cadence (pedal RPMs)?
How is your seat angle (seat level, nose down, or nose up)?
How is your seat height (leg should be close to straight if you put your heel on pedal at bottom of pedal stroke, although there's a mathematical formula for it if you want to get it even more accurate)?

[Roy]

Wow, did you just rattle that off? Thanks Dogma.

Brand/model of your existing seats?Schwinn seat, formerly Giant stock seat.
Is it your 'sitbones' that get sore, or your 'taint region? mostly taint/gooch/choad
Are you heavy for your height or average? I'm 5'10" 180lbs. I'm a little heavy for my frame.
Been riding long or just starting out? Long time rider, but I have been riding with my dog for over a year
Are you wearing bike shorts, athletic shorts, or plain old cargo shorts? Cargo or basketball type. Not bike shorts.
Do you stand up at all when you ride or sit the whole time? Sit mostly, usually one handed
Single speed bike or multi speed? Multi, 21 I think
Do you pay any attention to your pedaling cadence (pedal RPMs)? No, it's mostly the dogs pace
How is your seat angle (seat level, nose down, or nose up)? Front slightly up
How is your seat height (leg should be close to straight if you put your heel on pedal at bottom of pedal stroke, although there's a mathematical formula for it if you want to get it even more accurate)? Full length stride

[marmoset]

It soounds like one of two things:
1. Seat nose might be too high. Maybe you could try lowering it in small increments.

2. Your seat is not the appropriate width. Sit on a step and feel where your sit bones are. Measure this length. The meaty part of your saddle (at the rear of the saddle) should be approximately the same width. If your sit bones are on the downward slope of the saddle the seat could be wedging itself up into your crotch and getting more contact with your soft tissues than you'd like.

Most people's first reaction to soreness is to buy a big cushy seat. A well designed and properly fitted but lightly padded saddle is much more comfortable and allow for more performance than a cheap saddle with tons of padding.

If you don't mind a long break in period and you don't mind doing the maintenance then a leather Brooks or Brooks-like saddle might be a fantastic solution to your problem.

EDIT: A smooth cadence will reducing bouncing and therefore impacts. Focus on smooth. In disc golf smooth is far. In cycling smooth is fast.

Bike shorts might help but they are not necessary. I don't usually wear them for anything under 30 miles. Many other people swear by them and never ride without. I will say that cheap bike shorts are worthless. If you are going to try a pair then get something at least halfway decent.

[Thatdirtykid]

The first rides of the season always hurt my rear. You get back into it. Adjustment is key though. Can you post a pic of your ride and a pic with you sitting on it? ( I think we probably use our bikes differently. I currently do not have a car and put 100+ miles on the bike a week )

[Dogma]

Wow, did you just rattle that off? Thanks Dogma.

Yeah. I was a bike mechanic for about 15 years, so I've had this conversation a few times.

Change your the angle of your seat a little. Try level, or a little nose down. This will help the taint, but will have the unfortunate effect of shifting weight to your arms/hands which may not be acceptable. Experiment a little. Small adjustments can have a significant effect. Report back.

I've had very good success with seats with cutouts like this one, but try the angle adjustment first. Since you sit mostly upright, a lot of the traditional models/advice may not apply well.

[marmoset]

I forgot to mention that your saddle might be too far away from your handlebars or you might be sitting too far forward on the saddle. If you find yourself sitting on the nose of the saddle then try to figure out if that's really the position your body naturally wants to default to or if you are just sitting too far forward.

[uNicedmeMan]

I know that ~$75 for a saddle is pretty steep and
I know that alot of people complain about Brooks saddles being uncomfy
but
My Brooks is now and has always been comfy as shit. It also allows you to use less bike specific clothing as its hard and slick and doesn't cause as much friction on the crab plank.

Now if I could only find a way to combat the ass chaff I get from a humid round of dg...anyone?

[Dogma]

I forgot to mention that your saddle might be too far away from your handlebars or you might be sitting too far forward on the saddle. If you find yourself sitting on the nose of the saddle then try to figure out if that's really the position your body naturally wants to default to or if you are just sitting too far forward.

Excellent suggestion
.

I know that ~$75 for a saddle is pretty steep and
I know that alot of people complain about Brooks saddles being uncomfy
but
My Brooks is now and has always been comfy as shit. It also allows you to use less bike specific clothing as its hard and slick and doesn't cause as much friction on the crab plank.

I personally think Brooks saddles are a mixed bag. They definitely have a cult following, and for some people they can be a godsend. But they work best with a traditional (leaning forward) riding position, since the idea is to straddle them. If you are an upright/casual rider then you sit on your saddle more like a chair rather than straddling it. The Brooks isn't so good for that. The traditional position is more efficient, and once you get used to it it has more possibilities for comfort, but certain bikes and/or riding styles just don't lend themselves to it.

[uNicedmeMan]

Now if I could only find a way to combat the ass chaff I get from a humid round of dg...anyone?

I'ma grab some of this on the way home today, anyone tried it before?

[Thatdirtykid]

Brooks definitely need a little work. I got one of mine used, it was already pretty nice. Keep your eye out for deals. One of my LBS recently had a box of take off saddles for 10-20$ I got one that was a take off from a 4500$ specialized road bike. The guy said the previous owner wanted titanium rails, the chro-mo was not light enough for him. They are not going to be making any difference on my steel bike.

[Dogma]

I'ma grab some of this on the way home today, anyone tried it before?

I know a lot of people who use it for distance running. Works great to eliminate discomfort from skin against skin friction (inner thighs, etc). They claim they can't live without it.

If you need something specific for biking, this works well.

[Roy]

All great advice, Thanks. I will take a calculated look at how I sit and I'm shaped and report back.

As for chaffing while discing, I slap on some cheap body powder. It helps and the menthol/cool feeling is nice.