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CYCLESEVEN (saddles for ladies): "Sit bone pain… It's a pain in the ***"

Sit bone pain… It's a pain in the ***

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Saddle Review. The RIDO R2 Saddle

Current saddles one each on my road bikes: Brooks Finesse – Ladies

My current saddles both look beautiful. I have an ebony black one on Enid, and a stunning honey one on Hettie, Hettie's saddle gleams when I polish it. I use tan boot polish with rubbing alcohol added, and the shine is something you can use as a mirror. I love it! The saddle's colour really helps to make Hettie look like a bicycle babe. Brooks saddles add a touch of classic class and helps to make both bicycles look stunningly beautiful when they are showing off, posing against against a wall. But, one can't see ones saddle when one is on tha bike after all, and comfort is becoming a real issue.

Symptoms of sit bone pain:

Often its the perineum region where problems occur. Not for me, na my pain was literally in the bum, in the sit bones themselves. Not caused by rubbing or irritation, but I assume by pressure.

The pain was like this... No pain at all until I get towards the end of a ride of about 62-70 miles long, then I suppose due to muscle tiredness, I feel a sort of muscular slippage, over the sit bones, which happened very quickly and sends me upwards in pain out of the saddle smart like. The pain lasts several minutes, my sit bones feel bruised and sore, immediately that this slippage is felt, something like an electric shock sensation runs down my leg. It always occurs over the right sit bone only and into the right leg. Initally I just get on with it....and ride by bicycle very gingerly for the remaining ride, holding my self on the pedals when a bump or lump on the road is cycled over. I had one incident of this while riding on the Lands End to John O Groats ride, but on that ride we didn't have long long days of cycling, and it was easy to rest when on a shorter milage day.

Ever since I returned from LEJOG, as soon as I tried to up the distance the pain would return. To the point, it was putting me off cycling that far. I already wear good quality shorts/longs and clothing I don't think was the problem. Irritating, as I want to up my distances for Audax UK. In 2012 I want to up from 100km rides to more frequent 200km rides and this wasnt looking too promising.

I have ridden with Brooks saddles ever since I got into cycling (from 2007), and its hard to think that now they were no longer suitable, I have not had to break in the Finesse saddles, they were comfortable from the start for my usual cycle rides. Especially, as I LOVE their old fashioned retro style and sadly its important to me... but discomfort as I have discovered, is far MORE important to sort out. But for me, Brooks is no longer possible for the long long rides I intend to get into.

Looked for hours and hours on line checking out models of saddles, reviews and read the CTC forum incase some thing would turn up.... And it has.

I have ended up with one of these: http://www.rido-cyclesaddles.com/sensational-new-r2-c100064.html

Rido saddles.

For now I am using the RT2 model. Its not very beautiful... Placed side by side the Finesse wins every single time. But in the comfort stakes.... ie the IMPORTANT stakes the RIDO wins hands down.

I have ridden 4 x 100km Audax rides on this saddle now, and not only this, but I can cycle to the shops or work (distances of 12 miles) in jeans, cycle in leggings – non padded, and I can cycle my much longer distances and not even think once about my bum! (but I do help myself by wearing proper cycling clothing on these days). Things I have found improved by using this saddle. NO MORE SIT BONE PAIN. This is worth SO much to me! I am not 100% sure, BUt I do think my acceleration seems to have improved?? ANd, I have noticed that I spend less time rising out of the saddle when a small bump or shallow pothole appears, now I can simply sit and ride over it. IN fact, my cycle rides have more brain function on enjoying my ride, the views, thinking of the coming hills and no more am I unconsciously rising out of the saddle to prevent a whack when the bike hits a bump.

I am so impressed, I tried their new posh saddle. But no, it was FAR too narrow for me, and I have posted it back to replace it with another RIDO R2 for the mountain bike and for Hettie so all my cycles are fitted out with them.

What it lacks in style and grace it certainly improves on extreme comfort. To me, this has to count for something.

I am so pleased to have found this saddle, and another thing, its not a highly expensive item either, in fact very affordable. 5 x RIDO saddles = 1 X Finesse (or thereabouts).

Posted by Mary on October 19th, 2011.

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http://cycleseven.org/sit-bone-pain-its-a-pain-in-the