tried a brand new saddle today on my trainer (fizik argo tempo). my old saddle was relatively comfortable but I wanted to get a saddle with a “cut out”. I rode for 90 minutes and had to stand frequently after 60 min because my “sit bones” were so damn sore. Should I cut my losses and just send the saddle back asap, or is that pretty normal when switching to something new, so I should withhold judgement for a few weeks…??
IMO you can’t judge a saddle in 90 mins. I switched saddles after a few years on a different one (went to a selle italia slr boost superflow from the same fizik argo you have) and felt pretty “violated” for at least the first couple of rides. After that I was noticeably less sore each ride thereafter and within a week or two it was clear I’d made the right move. That said the trainer is also a pretty unforgiving environment for testing a new saddle… I’d give it at least another few rides to see if things improve. If you were like me and trying to get away from numbness then you should probably already see if that area is improved regardless of sit bone discomfort
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I take it this is a different saddle model, and not just a new saddle?
If so, getting a new saddle model setup correctly - fore / aft, seat height, tilt - will probably take several rides, and could be a big part of the discomfort. If you have time, I would play around with these parameters before making a decision
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yup, very different…good advice
IMHO, humans are much more adaptable than the saddle makers give us credit for. Ride a few more times (many more times), and play with the adjustments a bunch – nose up, nose down, forward, backwards, etc. As others have noted, trainers are a tough environment for everyone’s posterior.
I think you’ll be just fine in a relatively short period.
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Love the optimism
I highly suggest riding it outside before making any final decision….we tend to sit on the bike differently indoors.
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I can do a century outside no problem on my saddle. Have the same saddle on my trainer and have to stand shift around and use chamois cream for anything over an hour on the trainer. The difference between the 2 (trainer vs. outside) is practically night and day.
Don’t make a decision based on an inside ride (put your old saddle back on, lol). Try it again in the real cycling world.
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Do you use the same bike indoors and out? If not, the comments about trying it outdoors don’t really apply.
I have a dedicated trainer bike, and I keep a wrench close by for the first few rides with new saddles or shoes. Don’t try to do the first adjustments during a workout, that’s just frustrating. Just do a ride or two that are focused on getting things right with height/fore/aft adjustments. A good starting reference point for me is to measure the distance from the center of my stem to the widest part of the saddle so I can put the new saddle approximately where the old one was. I then align my sitbones with the widest part of the saddle and then adjust the saddle fore/aft up/down. In addition to your sitbone comfort, pay attention to knee comfort and if you’re experiencing any numbness.
Once I have that all dialed in and think it’s right, I do a simple workout the next day to see how everything feels over a longer period (keeping the wrench close by). Note that you may get the saddle perfect for your butt, but then realize you’ve created knee problems and need to adjust your cleats a bit.
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I might have tried 5-6 different fizik Saddles 8 years ago and none fit me. Selle Italia gel superflow with cutout fit me perfect and had zeronissues from day 1.
Agree with others than trainer va road is much different. Ride outside before making a decision
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