I have have been riding Sufferfest/Systm for about 10 weeks now. Feeling better and dropped a few excess pounds, which is good.
However, I am having significant issues with a sore butt, even after just 2 hours. I have ridden multiple century rides with no problems. I even swapped out the saddle that came with the Kickr bike for one identical to my road bike. Not much help.
I know saddles are highly personal but is the ride on a stationary bike that different than being out on the road. Is there a saddle or saddle style that works better on a stationary bike?
I tried loads of saddles in the run up to my Knighthood ride. None of my regular saddles worked out (at all!) so I reverted to the original fat ass gym saddle that came with my Wattbike. Been using it since 2013 with no issues and itās still going strongā¦ kinda. Goes well with my shredded chamois and I reckon itās got at least another 8 years in it
As above, lack of movement on a stationary bike is probably whatās doing it. I swapped out the saddle that came on my Kickr bike too as it is 125mm which is too narrow for me, that helped a bit but not enough. Then got a rocker plate which has helped a lot, although I still get a bit of discomfort over 2 hours itās a lot better than it was. I also try to stand every now and then if the session Iām on doesnāt call for it.
I have tried to stand but when in ERG mode it is almost impossible for me to do that. Because the software adjusts the force to keep the watts steady, the pedals just bottom out under my weight. When I do Level mode I can increase the resistance WAY above what the ride calls for just to stand for a brief time. So I will be pedaling much slower than suggested at much higher watts.
I also use erg almost all of the time. If you need to stand just drop your cadence. It is really hard when the resistance is too low, like +10% below FTP, but if you work your core it is achievable. A bit like standing sprints in old skool spin sessions!
I found using a softer saddle to what you normally use worksā¦ in my mind it gives the subtle movements youād experience out on the road you still need to move about as you would IRL but it feels good also takes away some
Of the vibrations of using a static trainer
I went and got a rocker plater, I donāt see any reason why companies couldnāt make these at a nice affordable price for the consumer or if you had the skill to build one yourself as what your trying to do is replicate that outside movement as sitting in the same position on your saddle for over 60 mins can be to say the least uncomfortable so the more backwards/forwards movement you can get the better.
I have never heard of a rocker plater, so thanks for that. I am a DIY kinda guy so I think I will build one. Obvious question - does it help you in reducing saddle soreness?
Hi @Critmark what Iāve noticed is that because the rocker plate is moving even just a few inches back and forth it gives you that movement on the saddle so that your sitting bones arenāt stuck on the same part of the saddle for long periods of time. Iāve certainly noticed that for longer rides over 1 hour Iām not as sore as what I was before I got it. Like I say even a little bit of movement back and forth can have such a difference.
Yes, Rocker plates are awesome.
I built myself one early this year with fore and aft movement as well as side to side. It greatly alleviates saddle soreness because the bike moves around underneath you more like outdoors* so youāre not constantly putting pressure on the same points.
Fore-aft also helps the bike move even more and shows you how smooth your pedal stroke is.
ā*More like outdoorsā - One thing people will notice is that, without direct interaction, out of the saddle rocking can move in the opposite direction to outdoor riding. Something people often do to start out with is to have the pressure of the balls (most people use balls) used as springs too high, so the bike ābouncesā back towards upright rather than rocks. Lower pressure is good and combine that with forcing the off-side of the bike down as you get out of the saddle, you can make a rocker rock āproperlyā
Thereās a Facebook group on the subject which is a really good resource and includes build guides and component lists: Rocker page Facebook group
(I built a slightly customised version based on the We Ride South design)
Practice standing in level mode using Elements of Style. Skip the spinning part and just do the standing practice part until you have the up and down portions as best you can. You might want to add in Single Leg drills as well as many folks havenāt forged the switch to using their calve muscles to do the pull back automatically when the pedal transitions through the four to six oāclock movement and you ābottom outā at that point.
I have my trainer bike set up pretty much identical to my outside bike - identical saddle, angle etc. Iām pedantic about chamois cream for all but recovery rides and I ensure I stand regularly at varying cadences - inspired by Contador who would train standing for 20 mins + at a high-ish (for standing) cadence. Itās now much easier for me to stand at cadences of 85 to 90 for a few minutes. Bumās better for it too!
) are very far from decent.