advice for new uni rider on saddle comfort?

Unicycles and Equipment
1

Another thread about damage got me thinking about this subject. Well, maybe it was the pain.

I am new at this so these might seem like dumb questions but…

I have a KH velo saddle. While learning to ride I have been concentrating on keeping my weight on the saddle, not the pedals. This causes severe discomfort despite quality cycling shorts and careful placement when mounting, and having the saddle all the way forward. I have come to the conclusion that you guys must be doing something to prevent or minimize this agony.

Has anyone done mods to the Velo saddle? I was looking at airseat covers and the DIY Myata gel/airseat conversion. Anyone willing to share their experience with fixing a Velo would be most appreciated.

Has anyone tried suspensories and do they work with uni saddles? They look good to me but I have never even seen one in person.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks,

noodle

2

Not to put it in a mean way, but you just gotta suck it up. Eventually you’ll get used to it; thats what I did.

I was gonna say wear biker shorts, but you ARE, so I’m all confused.

-Joe

3

Yeah, I figured that it does take some getting used to. Once the nerves die I should be fine.:slight_smile:

I am a firm believer that anything purchased can be modified to be better. Everything I own is covered with home-stitching, Dremel marks, and duct tape. Hey, I could just duct tape myself! Well, maybe not! :astonished:

Just looking for opinions and experiences before I rip into the saddle.

noodle

4

Re: advice for new uni rider on saddle comfort?

This is the correct way to learn. Naturally it puts more weight onto the soft tissues, so you must be doing it right! First of all, with time your body will get used to it. There is no replacement for the natural adjustments the body makes to new activities and frictions.

But some bodies fit unicycle seats better than others. I remember a friend of mine who learned on one of my old unicycles then bought his own. He became a very solid rider, but always had trouble with any extended amount of riding.

I think he was particularly well equipped in the reproduction department, which can be a drawback in unicycling. Also, some people find one seat much more comfortable than another, and this is not universal. Our crotches are not all the same.

CONGRATULATIONS!!! I think you are the first person I’ve ever seen here on the newsgroup to ask about saddle soreness after investing in some cycling shorts! Most either don’t know about them or seem to be hoping to avoid the whole lycra spandex thing.

You, on the other hand, seem to be doing everything right. Your seat is at the optimum angle to take weight off the forward part of the crotch, and you have what is, for me, the most comfortable foam saddle ever made.

It’s important to move your “equipment” out of the way for riding, which usually means pulling things forward. I’m sure you have thought of this as well. Hopefully, some more saddle time will see your body getting more used to it, so you can get more enjoyment out of riding.

The Kris Holm/Velo saddle is not well suited to modification, due to the way the cover is stapled on. Since it’s so new on the market, there hasn’t been much reported in the way of people doing conversions. Because those seats are so nice, you might even want to keep it as-is and get a separate seat to convert to Air. The Miyatas are best for this. Otherwise, you’ll probably have to use a Roach or other replacement cover, of a type that laces underneath because you can’t clip it back on.

Not sure if you’re talking about undergarments, or suspension seat posts. For undergarments, I haven’t heard of any that are widely used. Certainly the tratitional athletic supporter, as it’s called in the US, is not good for unicycling, at least not the one I tried many years ago. You end up sitting on the straps!

Suspension seat posts work, but will not make a big difference in saddle soreness. Especially if you’re riding on smooth ground.

Good luck,

5

Thanks John! :slight_smile: From reading your other posts I figured you would know something about this.

I think I just may be built differently. If it was just soreness or chafing I would just forget it, but it’s a sick sort of crushing pain that is obviously doing harm (not on the goodies, just behind them.) After uni practice it hurts to pee! No matter what I do, my weight is focused on that silver dollar sized point just between everything, right on the narrow part of the saddle.

I do love the spandex though! All my friends give me hell when I wear it when we go boating. They make remarks about my panties or whether I like girls or not. I’m not the one with diaper rash at the end of the day though!

Suspensories are a kind of underwear that hold stuff up and out. Kind of like a little hammock. Not like a jock strap or traditional supporter. They are used for sports and after operations and injuries. I found them online at

They look like they might help some.

noodle

6

Re: advice for new uni rider on saddle comfort?

On Mon, 27 Jan 2003 16:47:33 -0600, noodle
<noodle.hxsdy@timelimit.unicyclist.com> wrote:

>I have a KH velo saddle.
>causes severe discomfort
I ride a KH velo saddle as well. Before that, my ‘stock’ seat was a
Semcycle Deluxe. I found the comfort in the area where your weight is,
is better in the KH. But since you ‘sink into’ the saddle quite a bit
(twice as much as the Sem), there is more pressure on the twin boys.
That was at first uncomfortable but somehow I got used to it (have had
the saddle for maybe 3 months). From your follow-up post I now
understand that it is not your balls being in discomfort but slightly
behind them. That is different from me but the cause may be the same.

>Has anyone tried suspensories and do they work with uni saddles?
Not personally but maybe a year or more ago someone in the newsgroup
wrote positively about his experience with one. It never caught on
though, or at least people didn’t write about it.

Klaas Bil

As long as the forum<->newsgroup link is only 50% reliable
I may post on both platforms. Sorry for any inconvenience.
No corrections planned for a future stats page.

7

I’m a know-it-all.

I have had the painful peeing thing, but not since my first years of riding. I still think some of this will imrpove over time, but it sounds like you need to take additional action.

I think what you need is to get your weight off that spot. A square cross-section seat will be better than a round one, but the square ones, like the Miyata, aren’t that comfortable. I think what you should work on is an air seat, using a relatively skinny tube and some kind of spacer in the middle, to create a two-ridge effect. The idea is to support your sit bones and lighten up on the center area.

Also, a flatter curve from front to rear might help. This can probably be done on most seats by adding some extra foam under the original foam, to build it up in the middle.

Yeah, I was going to say take them on a long bike or unicycle ride with you. If they’re truly many though, they’ll just suck it up and suffer. But you’ll know…

Those might be useful. Just make sure any straps aren’t going under your pressure points.

8 
                                                                                                                                                                                                I know of the exact pain you speak of, I went through the same thing.  Some things I did to alleviate the problem down there, I ran the saddle a degree to one side to keep the pressure off that area, practiced free mounting every few minutes to give the area time to releave, and lifted my weight off the saddle for a few seconds.  I don't get that pain down there anymore.  I have been learning on a Miyata saddle and just received my KH/Velo.  The KH/Velo is a much more comfortable saddle but I can't thigh grab it like the Miyata.
9

Yes, I too went throught thr exact same thing. It has nothing to do with you, just your not used to it yet. When I first started riding, i experienced the same pain. I dont beleive your body actually gets used to it, it just adapts to it. Im assuming t he velo seat is your first?

Let us know if any change

Scott

10

A suspensory doesn’t have leg straps, just a waistband and a pouch. I’ve worn one before under my cycling shorts - it does help pull your testicles forward and keeps them off the saddle somewhat. It holds them a little more snugly against your body than lycra shorts can, and the lack of movement makes for a little less pain and friction for your balls. And it doesn’t add any straps or other fabric at your sit point. (Also: a suspensory pouch does not enclose the penis, so as an added benefit your bulge will not be diminished! heh heh)

A suspensory will not address the problem of pressure directly on the sit point (perineum), though. Maybe you could try one of the split-design bike saddles that have been designed to address this issue? Serfas is one brand. I dont know if any are made for unicycles or if a Serfas bike saddle could be modified.

11

I have kh velo and I can remember that I felt bad after each ride at the beggining :slight_smile: after some time I used to it but still cannot ride more then 20 minutes in the seat with comfort. The velo was just perfect in the first 15 minutes after that time i could not find the right position. Now I coverted the miyata seat to air and it’s much more better. Standard miyata was much worse that kh. It was like sitting on the wood. :slight_smile: but it’s of course my opinion. My opinon is don’t expect revolution. all your weight is on the seat it has to hurts. but you may make it easier. :slight_smile: I think in three ways

  1. change the seat angle of the kh(rail adapter)
  2. try air seat conversion
  3. stay with trial or muni not commuting

best regards

12

I might get a pair of cycling shorts but I will wear them under my regular pants or shorts. That whole spandex scene is just not me at 51 years of age. All I can think of are those spandex wearing rock bands in the 1980’s. GAK

Steve

13

I made a simple, but very nice to ride, air seat out of one of the cheap, old style foam saddles where the cover is held on by the seat bolts, rather than glued on.

Just took out all the foam and stuck a 20" inner tube (shaped with a bit of duct tape) in, then drilled a hole at the back part of the seat base to let the valve stick out.

It’s important to put very little air in, so it’s soft.

I remember also that someone here posted how they’d made an airseat by making a cover, then installing the tube into that, so they didn’t have to alter the actual seat at all (ie it all just went on top of the original, intact, seat).

So you could try that intially just to find out if it helps with the pain; if it does then make a more permanent solution.

Several people have said that, to some extent, it’s a matter of getting used to it- a good tip may be to spend this time finding some steepish terrain and riding that; going up and down steep hills is one of the times that it’s good form to be putting more weight on the pedals, this means less saddle troubles.

I find that, even with an airseat, if I ride several consequtive days of rides that last 1-2 hrs, I’ll get sore (particularly before I discovered cycling shorts).

I then find that practicing steep terrain makes a real difference, and as soon as I get to a flat bit the soreness kicks in again.

Lastly, and possibly not relevant to you as you seen certain that this isn’t a problem concerning what are known in Taoist circles as ‘the Dragons Pearls’, but I’ll mention it anyway as it’s one of the most useful unicycling tips. Prior to the mount, as you postion the seat, put it too far back between your legs, and then sweep it forward- this gets sensitive tackle well out of the way before you jump on and weight goes onto the saddle.

14

It might be just me, but I had a Velo saddle and found it very uncomfortable indeed, compared to my Miyata and my Viscounts. The Velo is not identical to the KH, and I couldn’t comment on the latter.

To reduce saddle soreness:
Cycle shorts under cycle longs.
Talcum powder to absorb sweat and stop sticking.
Pedal faster. (Shorter cranks do appear to help, perhaps because they reduce the movement and friction?)
Occasionally support your weight with your hand on the front of the saddle, or on the handle.
Take regular breaks.
Get used to it. Brass players have sore lips, string players have sore fingers, swimmers smell of chlorine and get ear infections, fencers have little green bruises all over them, unicyclists have aches in the nether regions. That’s the way it is. Boring people sit in front of the TV and sustain few injuries, but develop medical problems instead.