r/cycling • u/Boypax69 • 10h ago

Saddle help

I’ve been biking for 1 year 3 months now. Original first bike was an aluminum guru road bike. It had a selle italia saddle on it. Was giving me bum issues and I switched with a serfas saddle. Shit was ugly asf. But my god was it good. Had minimum back pain, I used to get left groin issues , or issues with my balls. It always hurt on the left side of my bum. With this seat no issues, I did multiple centuries and all was well. I bought a Scott addict this year and been having saddle sore issues on the left side. I tried SLR saddles, Sworks mirror saddles, I’ve tried bout 8 different saddles, issue is always the same. Groin or balls start killing me and it just gets uncomfortable to be on the seat. My bike is paired with enve 4.5s and aesthetically it’s a beautiful bike. That serfas seat is so big and granny looking, should I just switch back to it? Any saddles for performance with similar build to a serfas? I’m in need of help

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u/tutorcontrol 9h ago

saddles are an individual journey and more will cause problems than will fit.
If you found one that works, take the win. Also, never expect the saddle that comes with the bike to fit for more than the test ride.

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u/Boypax69 9h ago

One thing I never understood why with multiple saddles only one side would hurt, no groin pain in right, just always the left

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u/Budget_Ambassador_29 6h ago

Most common cause is the saddle is too high.

When saddle is too high it makes you shift to the side to the favored leg. Far too common bike fit / adjustment mistake.

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u/Boypax69 6h ago

Yea I’m not sure, I got bike fitted for the Scott but I just realized no matter what, the left side of my ass, or groin area, always either gets sore, numb, sores, only the left side as well. I tried about 8-9 different saddles. SLR, and the romin sworks was a decent saddle, but it’s like no matter what the groin gets super irritated. Where I can barely even sit on the saddle anymore, and it’s the only thing I can think about when riding

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u/Budget_Ambassador_29 2h ago

You're probably shifting to either side, probably the right side which can put more pressure to the left groin. The Serfas saddle could be masking the problem.

Worse case scenario, one leg is shorter or longer. It can happen.

Solution, set the correct saddle height for the shorter leg, not the longer one.

Usually when I'm finding correct saddle height. I set it too low and then progressive raise it until it's causing the least bit of issue and then finally reducing height by 1 cm or 10 mm. Another 10 mm if still causing issue.

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u/Budget_Ambassador_29 7h ago edited 7h ago

All my recent PBs were made in a wide, no-brand commuter saddle with cutout and all the foam and faux leather removed, leaving only the flexible plastic base and rails.

It looks a bit like a wide Brooks saddle with cutout and the most comfortable saddle I had by far. I can ride on it all day on unpadded shorts.

My power output on it is higher and can sustain it for longer than my road/race saddles. Ironic, isn't it?

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u/Boypax69 5h ago

Yea the serfas saddle I had was the best I used on the aluminum bike. I could literally ride it all day, no major discomfort. But my god was it the ugliest damn seat I’ve ever seen. It literally is like 4 inches in height 😭😭😭. A big plushy puffy granny seat. But boy was it comfortable.

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u/Budget_Ambassador_29 2h ago edited 2h ago

🤣My no-name saddle did look like a Serfas E-Gel Hybrid knockoff before I (violently) ripped off the foam and faux leather cover! Totally out of place on a road bike. Shows you the true meaning of the word ugly!

Incredibly, underneath all that very thick ugly foam and cover revealed a plastic base that resembles a broken-in Brooks B17 Carved Short saddle. Still wide but the minimalist, low profile plastic top on the rails looks much nicer on my gravel bike, most importantly, remained comfortable to use and improve my power output better than road/race saddles.

Not sure if the Serfas have the same plastic base as my knock off version. Don't get any ideas ripping apart yours! Unless you never intend to use it anymore. It should be easy to see underneath the saddle if the plastic base could become a good saddle top if you remove all the foam and layers and covers.

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u/bvbmke09 10h ago

Brooks. Get hammock for ur boys, not compression