Street gel saddle more comfy than Fusion Freeride?

[saddlepunk]

I plan to ride a century on a 29er by the end of the summer. There are only two things that will prevent me from meeting this challenge - fitness and saddle pain. Fitness comes down to doing the conditioning work so it should take care of itself, saddle pain on the other hand is not just something you can get around by perseverence. I tend to suffer numbness and considerable pain after an hour in the saddle so how on earth am I to train for a 14 hour marathon?

Today I rode for four hours on my KH24 and I swapped the KH Fusion Freeride saddle for the KH Street Gel saddle that came as standard on my KH20. I found it much more comfortable - if comfortable is the right word. I wouldn't have been able to ride for four hours on the Fusion Freeride.

I have seen that Kris has brought out a new slim saddle - does anyone know what it's like and are any of the other street saddles - Impact Naomi for instance - that you'd recommend for distance riding?

[Alan Hogan]

I used to get really bad saddle sore until I bought some Chammois butter from UDC........... instant cooling relief!!!

[Milosboy]

I'd be interested to know this too. I'm wanting to ride a century on my 36er, and I'm sporting some 102mm cranks to help with the saddle soreness, but I'm wondering if any of the KH Saddles (or other brand) would be more comfortable than the standard Velo Gel Saddle that I have now. Currently, I can handle about an hour before I get numb and in pain, and if I want to do 100/10/1 I can't be getting off the saddle 10 minutes every hour to relieve saddle soreness.

[Rowan]

Originally Posted by saddlepunk

I plan to ride a century on a 29er by the end of the summer. There are only two things that will prevent me from meeting this challenge - fitness and saddle pain. Fitness comes down to doing the conditioning work so it should take care of itself, saddle pain on the other hand is not just something you can get around by perseverence. I tend to suffer numbness and considerable pain after an hour in the saddle so how on earth am I to train for a 14 hour marathon?

It is normal to suffer pain and numbness after an hour. That is when you get off and have a rest for a couple of minutes before continuing- you've got a long way to go. I've done several centuries including a couple on a 28" (a 29er with a narrow tire). I've done a bunch of long rides on 36" too and the saddle soreness is always there- no matter which seat. I quite like the Fusion freeride and Street gel, but they still hurt. For me it is a matter of overcoming the pain with endurance- and music seems to help. I'm not in a hurry to do another 28" century since 36" makes it a lot easier on saddle soreness.

Originally Posted by Milosboy

I'd be interested to know this too. I'm wanting to ride a century on my 36er, and I'm sporting some 102mm cranks to help with the saddle soreness, but I'm wondering if any of the KH Saddles (or other brand) would be more comfortable than the standard Velo Gel Saddle that I have now. Currently, I can handle about an hour before I get numb and in pain, and if I want to do 100/10/1 I can't be getting off the saddle 10 minutes every hour to relieve saddle soreness.

They might be a bit more comfy but only slightly. Those resting minutes are quite important for keeping your speed up I reckon. After a minute of rest you can be feeling much fresher even if it only lasts a few minutes. If you could figure out a way to ignore the pain and just keep riding for 8 hours straight it would make it faster but not easier. 102mm cranks is fairly short for a 36"- you wouldn't want to face too many steep hills with those.

If it doesn't kill you it will make you stronger. Give it a shot. The positive comments from bike riders can be helpful in distracting you from the uncomfortable pain of saddle soreness- they say "You're a legend", "You're a hero", or "I could never do that" and it somehow breathes life back into your legs to maintain a respectable pace for them.

Trousers or shorts with slim seams on them are as important as the seat. If are going to buy a seat for distance I reckon get the stiffener plate and KH T-bar, or Nimbus shadow handle (I use a combination of both KH base for better adjustability and Nimbus handle for extra length/width).

I sometimes wonder about bike seats for endurance- with better handlebars it might be feasable.

[johnfoss]

Any discussion of saddle comfort for distance riding has to have a couple of disclaimers:

• If you aren't wearing a good pair of bike shorts you're just hurting yourself
• Saddle comfort, in the end, is very personal. What works for others is not necessarily the most comfortable for you.
• Riding position is a factor. The "right" saddle is part of an equation that has to take into account your pelvic angle on there.

Start by getting a good quality pair of padded bike shorts. Don't go cheap! They are worn directly against the skin. Some people use various types of lubricant, but I have little experience with that. I have something called Body Glide, which is like a stick deodorant for your crotch. I used it in RTL and some other long rides, but it's hard for me to tell if it made a difference.

The right seat for an upright riding position is not the same as what you would want for a leaning-forward, aero position. I ride with the Nimbus Shadow handle, fully extended and curved down. All of that still gets me only somewhat "aero" but still changes the angle of my crotch on the seat. For MUni I like a thick, mooshy saddle. For road I'm still trying to decide between KH Fusion Freeride, and my older Nimbus Gel. The Freeride seems to irritate me because of the seams on either side, or perhaps its more squarish cross section. But the Nimbus Gel doesn't have that channel down the middle, which is probably helpful on long rides...

[saddlepunk]

Originally Posted by johnfoss

Start by getting a good quality pair of padded bike shorts. Don't go cheap!

I have just invested £175 ($300) in a pair of Assos cycle shorts - they arrive tomorrow and if all the glowing write-ups are true they'll be worth every penny.

[DavidHood]

Originally Posted by Alan Hogan

used to get really bad saddle sore until I bought some Chammois butter

+1 for Chamois butt'r singles in my CamelBak

Originally Posted by Rowan

102mm cranks is fairly short for a 36" wouldn't want to face too many steep hills

a nonstarter for the hills of Kentucky unless you are doing the flatter RiverWalk portion of our loop. I wear 137s but 150s feel so good I buy 165s

Originally Posted by johnfoss

If you aren't wearing a good pair of bike shorts you're just hurting yourself

Spent a bundle on my Louis Garneau CORSA bibs. Love em!

Originally Posted by GizmoDuck

new KH Slim saddle

That's what I am having installed on my new KH36G. My only other saddle experience has been with the Nimbus Gel (pretty good set up IMHO) on my Shadow on my Impulse so I'll let you know how it goes.