New S40: riding on the trainer vs on the road - seat issue?

[cpml123]

Hi all,

I got a new S40 back in November. I rode in in the neighborhood for about an hour before the perpetual rain started. It has been on a trainer since then. I have been tweaking the setup on the trainer. The main issue now is the seat. I have the stock seat with Ventisit comfort. While the seat is comfortable, I do find that after 45 min or so, both sides of my butt get numb. In addition, after I get off the bike from the trainer, my toes go numb/tingling for a few minutes, which I am suspecting is related to my butt getting numb. Nerves or blood vessels must be pressed or something. Here is what I have tried:

1. Put about one inch of towels between the seat and Ventisit to decrease the seat angle a little.
2. Put a towel on my back to prop up the lower back better.
3. Take Ventist off and replace it with a yoga mat cut to shape

None of them seem to work that well. My questions are...

1. Would a Thor seat make a difference or I should try to reinstall stock seat with less angle to spread out the weight more along my back?
2. For the folks who have a trainer, is there a lot of difference in riding outside than on the trainer? I am asking because I am wondering if I should just wait until I can get to ride the bike outside and see if that changes the seat issue. I am guessing my body will move around more to try to balance the bike rather than being a static position on the trainer?

Thank you.

Michael

 

[mzweili]

+1 wait
I'm used to ride my Silvio 2 on rollers, that is not as static as a trainer. It requires some concentration to stay on the rollers and coasting is not possible. Riding on the road is very different.

 

[n316rv]

Not sure of your size, but I'm 6'-1", 225 lbs. I had similar issue with S40 seat after about an hour or so on the road. I found extending the seat bottom as far forward as the slots would allow (and putting a small rubber bumper on the underside of seat to keep it from rubbing the frame) has helped.
Alan

 

[cpml123]

I am 5 11, 172 lb. Extending the seat bottom and placing a rubber bumper sounds easy enough. Will give that a try. Otherwise, will wait and see how the seat feels when I start riding on the road. Thanks all.
Michael

 

[LarryOz]

I have not had this problem on my Vendetta on a trainer (up to 6 hours non-stop), so I suspect your issue has a little to do with the seat angle which does force more weight onto your rear end.
Riding outdoor may help alleviate this as you tend to move around a little more when outside.
Just for "fun" and if you are able: build a 6-8" platform to put the front up higher (so your seat angle is more reclined) and see if you still have the problem.

 

[cpml123]

That's another interesting and low cost idea. Will give that a try this week. Thanks.
Michael

 

[LarryOz]

Something else also just occurred to me:
Your BB could be either too far or too close causing you to inadvertently be positioning yourself on the seat at just the "wrong" place.
If you can have someone take a short video of from the side pedaling and post it to us to have a look - that might also yield some benefits.

 

[jond]

Yes definitely wait. Differences are manifest and I suspect particular to individual.

Time spent in the saddle helps too. It’s amazing what you can get acclimated to just look at the crazies on dfs lol.

Hot foot issues . I get them with cycling sandals over three hours. But cycling shoes carbon stiff sole I generally don’t . Try pulling cleat position to most rearward ( heel ) position.

 

[jond]

I reckon the primary difference to riding on road compared to trainer is the variable inputs and upper body involvement. That means the old posterior gets a bit more of an active shake n bake on. And well if you hit a pothole repair or not you get a free spine alignment and vision check along with a hyper flexed knee and butt thud massage no elbow can equal.

Plus it’s “nice scenic and sunny outside “ quipped Jon to Larry