Saddle Post 3

Intro.

After learning that a couple of people were interested in reading my upcoming saddle post, it occurred to me that a tabular format might be more widely useful to others than my prior story-like posts (exhibits A (2015) and B (2018)).  To improve potential usefulness, I've included some detail about my size and how I was biking at the time.  Saddle fit is highly personal and also influenced by the quality of the bike fit, so take it all with those considerations.  Below the table are some pelvis graphics that attempt to explain where I think I feel pressure.  Some additional thoughts are included toward the end.

Saddles Tested.

Model and year of trial or purchase.  
A) Fizik Vitesse (2001), B) Sele Italia Gel or similar (2001),  
C) ISM Adamo Typhoon (2010), D) Fizik Vitesse Tri (2015), E) Cobb V Flow (2015),
F) Terry Liberator or similar (2010), G) Koobi 232T (2014), H) SMP Evolution (2015),
I) SMP T3 (2018), J) Cobb Plus (2018), K) Cobb Tenace (2018),
L) Specialized Power Expert (2015), M) Infinity L2 (2018).

Table entries 10-12, and 14-24 include cleat shimming from 4-6 mm to adjust for an 8 mm leg length discrepancy.  I recently purchased custom orthotics to go 
inside my cycling shoes.  In the event my saddle issues were impacted by arches collapsing during load (effectively cycling knee in, 
which I don't think was the case), that should no longer be an issue.

My Fits and Pressure Points.

Top Left) Cannondale SRxxx, Right) Trek Domane.
Middle Left) Giant TCR1 fit with aerobars, Center and Right) Cervelo PC2 (650 wheels).
Bottom Left and Right) Cannondale Slice.

Link to instructions used for sitbone measuring.  * No idea if this has relevance,
was measured while lying down and retracting abdomen.
Sitbone measurement was 123 mm on a Retul measuring device.

The above and below graphics are from SQ labs (linked here).  Don't know whether
their recommendations are generally accepted, but I found them interesting.

Graphic above: As I sit on my hands, feeling my

bone structure as I roll forward and back from

more aggressive to more upright positioning,

I think it is the area shown by the green dot on 

the left saddle that is engaging when it feels like

I'm on the saddle's intended sit location.  However

this always leads to over-contact with hamstrings,

adductors, and/or leg tendons.  When I sit where

the saddle is narrow enough to not hit those

undesired areas, it feels like my weight is overly-

supported in the red area and forward on the

above right saddle.

Graphic to right: As per the collage of my fit photos

and the SQ cartoon to the right, I'm biking in

the stretched position.  But I can't seem to find a 

saddle that doesn't feel too wide when I engage

the depicted part of my pelvis.

 

Closing Thoughts.

I get that it seems suspicious I've tried so many saddles and declare they don't work for me.  I get that many people's go to POV will be that my bike fit was poor (sometimes true), that I was using the saddle incorrectly (hard to say b/c that ISM model is very wide), or that I just need to harden up.  To those latter people, I respectfully offer several expletives.  Of course I haven't put the miles in that professional riders do, but I've ridden enough to know my delicate bits aren't going to "harden up".

So what gives?  It's true I'm on the shorter end of the spectrum, but I am not unusually small.  Is it just an unfortunate combo of smaller pelvis, outie, girthy legs, and chosen riding style?  Do riders in this group have to ride off the front on noseless saddles to find comfort with aggressive fits?  Do those saddles actually come narrow enough, or do they only fit at the average pelvis size as determined from men who are 5'8" & 160 lb (discussed here)?  Should we be consulting our gynecologists about pelvic shape?  Maybe my cleats should be shifted inward? 

Graphic source: Types of Female Pelvis, Shapes of Female Pelvis and Child Birth.
I wonder if these shapes impact how the front of the pubic bone may contact the
front of a bike saddle.  Do these hint to a need to shift cleats outward or inward?

It's nice that various manufacturers and some bike shops have put together guides to help riders find comfort on their saddles.  However I think it would be grand if a neutral platform would assemble a cross-manufacturer primer to help inform riders* - Slowtwitch, Women for Tri, BeginnerTriathlete?  

• Group saddles by shape (pear vs wedge, dead flat top surface vs having inflection points).  
• Explain how being stretched out on the bike or having a saddle too high might put more pressure in certain parts of the saddle.**   
• Talk about the interaction of fleshy tissue - be it sex organs or legs/butt - and saddle contact points.   

We all know it can be embarrassing and frustrating to have undercarriage pain, let alone when the rider is unsure how to describe it.  A basic understanding of what options may be available could really help, especially when shops can't offer a sampling of everything or don't want to spend time with newer riders.  Let's arm the users with some basic information so they have an idea of what to ask their bike shops for. 

* Comments based on the first couple pages from browser searches and not on what may be an abundance of info deeper in or on YouTube and the like.  (I tend to look for written info I can quickly scan vs video product reviews that can take forever to get to the desired point.)

** Here are some nice resources on how bike fit matters: a basic fit writeup for road bikes; this one is on bike sizing recommended before purchase; this one covers bike sizing issues for women.  None of these get into saddle issues though.