Butt pain when cycling is a common thing, particularly for new cyclists or those that have recently changed saddles. A common response among the experienced and inexperienced alike is to assume that the problem is entirely the seat and to buy a new saddle that promises to take the pressure off the sore spots through some innovation in design or padding. This saddle design approach does seem to work well for a lot of poeple, but most times these news seats are a little heavier, and a little lesson in butt anatomy (ew!) can help.
First off, there are basically three key places in a person’s nether regions that bear pressure while cycling with a normal bicycle saddle. Two of them are what are commonly called the sitz bones (ischial tuberosities, technically). The sitz bones are a thickened protrusion from the bones at the bottom and back of the pelvis. Each of us has one to either side of our… well, our anus (bunghole is one nontechnical term).
These bones are basically built for bearing weight, and the distance between them varies from person to person depending on the width of the pelvis. Women tend to have a wider opening at the bottom of the pelvis than me, and so in women these bones are typically further apart than in a man of similar size and stature – and this is the reason why the wide part at the back of women’s bicycle saddles are wider. However, even within each sex, there can be enough variation in the distance between sitz bones to make some saddles more comfortable than others, and this is why some saddle manufacturers offer different widths, and you can find pressure pads you can set on in bicycle shops that measure the distance between your sitz bones for appropriate sizing. I suggest people use these to pick out a saddle that is the right width, if the following information proves not to be useful in alleviating saddle pain.
Here’s the thing. When we sit on out bicycles (recumbents aside), we are typically leaning forward to some extent, and when leaning forward, many people’s core will completely relax, allowing the pelvis to tip forward. When this happens, the point of highest pressure moves from the two sitz bones and the wider, flatter rear portion of the saddle, to the pubic bone, to the front of the pelvis, which then rests on the narrow extension to the front of the seat. If you are feeling pain (and or numbness) in front of your… well, anus (bunghole), but in the area of your genitalia, it may be due more to the way you are sitting on the saddle and how the saddle is adjusted than a fault of the saddle itself.
Here are my suggestions, before you throw a bill down for a new, heavier saddle with a lot of extra high-tech cushioning or special cutouts that may or may not be doing anything.
- Tuck your butt in a little (engage the abs a little bit) and learn how to sit on your sitz bone, even as you’re leaned forward. This should not be an inordinately difficult thing to do. If you have to exert an unreasonable amount of effort to do this, you may want to look at adjusting your saddle angle and/or position.
- Check yourself now and then throughout your ride, particularly if you notice discomfort or numbness developing in your perineum or pubic region, and readjust your position. You may need to scoot back a little on the seat and re-tuck your but a little to plant the sitz bones squarely on the wider part of the saddle.
- Let it ride a while. Give yourself a week or two to adjust to the saddle now that you’ve learned how to position your rear end on it properly. If you find that you slide forward a lot and tend to have to make corrections and obsess over your butt to keep your position, you may need to adjust your bike fit, including the reach (seat position and/or stem length) and/or the seat angle. Also, take a rest day between rides, or extra rest if you overdo it and end up with a very touchy tushy.
- Adjust your saddle (if needed) position and/or stem length and/or seat position. A seat that is slanted slightly forward may seem to raise the back of the seat up to hit your sitz bones a little better, but it also creates a ramp that will lead you to slide forward onto your pubic bone, so a level seat is generally a better option (there is no golden rule, however – you have to experiment and choose what what works for you). Even with a level seat, you may find yourself scooting forward, particularly if your bike geometry stretches your reach. In this case, you can adjust your fit a little so you are riding in a little less aggressive position. Some things you can try are include: a) a shorter stem, b) moving the saddle forward. If you choose the ladder, you may also need to re-adjust saddle height a small amount to account for any changes in distance from saddle to cranks. A third option, which may be combined with a shorter stem, is to flip the stem over so that the handlebars are raised slightly (not all stems are reversible like this), or to raise the stem/handlebars a little (requires sufficient steerer tube length for threadless/clamp-on stems).
- Give it 2-4 weeks during which you try all of the above, as needed, during which you start out just riding until you begin experiencing discomfort, and gradually increasing your mileage. By the end of this period, assuming you’ve been able to follow these instructions and do not have other issues to contend with, you should be able to ride indefinitely with improved form on your sitz bones.
A thing to remember is that it should not be strenuous to maintain good body position with the sitz bones firmly planted on your seat during a long ride. If you are on a road bike and ride hard down in the drops frequently, or on a tri bike, down on the aero bars, you needs may be a little different than those of the average recreational/fitness cyclist, but this information should still be helpful to you.
If you are exerting a lot of energy and effort to keep your weight primarily on your sitz bones, and begin to develop any additional pains or discomfort, just relax a little… Make sure you’re bike fit is working for you. If after following this procedure your saddle is still a pain in the butt at the same point in each ride, and you haven’t increased the distance you can ride comfortably, you can still change out your saddle. You are also free to adopt the philosophy that says you shouldn’t have to adjust to some darn bike seat, and just throw some money around to get a more comfortable one to start with. In that case, many people still find themselves in pain when they push their mileage up, and often still face an adjustment period during which the above method can help.
Riding comfort is all about you. Things have to work for you. Above all, you should be willing to experiment a litte and choose some options that work based on your experience. No golden rules, or silver bullets. Such things only work if you assume that all people are equal in every way, but it doesn’t take x-ray vision to see that we are not.
