Saddles for Long-Distance Riding

Selle An-Atomica Titanico

My butt hurts.

To put it bluntly that is the challenge I am having right now as I increase the distance of my long rides. I’ve never really had this problem before, but now it’s getting to me.

Racing vs Randonneuring

The biggest difference between these two is the speed and the time on the bike.

Racing is faster paced and only lasts, at the maximum, a few hours. Randonneuring stretches many hours or even days and is done at a much slower speed.

The pressure on the pedals and standing for speed keeps bum-to-seat time to a minimum. The downward push on the pedals also gives an upward push away from the saddle, relieving pressure on all the sensitive bits.

Randonneuring is almost all in the saddle. Hard bursts are not recommended, and neither is standing for greater speed. So the body’s full weight is planted on the seat all the time.

This creates new pressure on the sitting bones and the other bits around there.

My Pain

On longer rides, in fact rides of over three hours, the greater pain for me is the pain of sitting on the seat for so long.

This is a major problem.

Going longer and harder is getting easier through changing techniques and methods, but the saddle soreness is not.

And my current seat is not going to cut it.

Super-Comfy Seats

So I’m looking for seats.

The Brooks B17 and the Selle An-atomica both came up in this discussion on comfortable bike seats and this review of the Selle An-atomica. But this mention on the daily randonneur got me looking at the Selle An-atomica.

Selle An-atomica Titanico

The Selle An-atomica site has a long schpiel about how it has been designed for absolute comfort. And it looks quite convincing.

The seat is called the Titanico and the model designed for heavier folks (over 82kg) is the Clydesdale version. It offers extra material to cope with the extra load.

It features the Second Skin Watershed Leather which is leather that doesn’t need to be constantly treated. I’ve never owned a leather saddle, but I’m guessing they need treatment to keep the leather from going soggy in the rain.

They also have this video of it in action (not the prettiest sight, but shows a lot)

So I think I’m sold and this will quite possibly be the first thing I buy for my bike as an upgrade.

But…

The Price

A local shop offers it for NTD5200 (US$150) which is nearly one third of the price I paid for my whole bike.

I was planning on getting a second-hand STRIDA for some commuting for a bit less than that, but I think I’ll scrap that idea as the seat should make a huge difference on my rides. That difference is far more valuable to me than the commuting advantage as I do most of my travel by public transport anyway.

So, time to start saving, although I’m choking a bit it should be a great investment and, like my other expensive purchases in the past, pay for itself through sheer longevity.

When I get it I’ll report back on how much of a difference it makes, although anything would beat out my current saddle I’m watching for the long ride comfort.

Have you got a favorite seat? And why do you like it?

The Challenge

I enjoy riding.

I’ve always enjoyed riding a lot. Being out alone with my thoughts, with the challenges of the ride, the scenery and the people I pass. It all adds together for the most satisfying sport I’ve ever done; that I’ll ever do.

Long distance riding lets me take in the scenery and landscapes, moving from my neighborhood, out through the city and into the more rural areas until there are no houses or people left.

This is where I have peace.

Being out in the quiet darkness of the early morning on the road with absolutely no traffic, the bright, orange sun rising over the horizon, just my legs turning over in that rhythmic, rolling pattern.

Heaven.

And I mostly get that, and the variations and contrast of different scenery, when I ride a long way. But I’ve never taken that on as a challenge directly.

Until now.

Brevets

There is a race known as a brevet, which is 1200km long, and based on a ride that originally went from Paris-Brest-Paris. It’s easier now with better roads, but the concept lives on. Ride a damn long way as quick as possible.

This is not a tour. The difference is that overall speed does factor in here, and although the going is relatively slow compared to most road racing, the slower speed is mostly because of the huge endurance needed to simply complete the race. No 100km for the day then take a break; rests are likely and still on the clock.

The Challenge

Ride around Taiwan in under 72 hours. The distance is about 1200km, so with two 6 hour sleeps, that’s 60 hours of pure riding at 20km/h average to make it under that time.

I’ll have to sacrifice sleep, massive amounts of time and energy, change my eating habits and daily habits to make it. The training will start first, and will be part of the platform for testing foods, diet and other training.

The training will culminate with 600km training rides and finally the 1200km round country ride.

A New Focus

Compared to previous long rides. I know I can’t do this at the moment. I have only tackled up to 200km in a single day before, but I knew I could make it. This time I have to train myself to make it, and I’ve had no single, major target before.

I won’t be able to do this alone. Although I’m riding on my own, the motivation and help from others will make this more likely to succeed.

This blog is a platform for recording and tracking all of those efforts.

Make sure to check the sidebars for updates from all my other places online.