Exercise bike seats are something that, while everyone knows about, not many people give them much more than a passing glance, let alone a second thought!
This carelessness is a mistake because the proper fitting, cushioning, and shaped bike seat is essential to a comfortable and efficient riding experience that’s soreness and pain-free!
So, here we will go over the significance of the exercise bike seat and its importance!
Why care about your exercise bike seat? Isn’t this an insignificant detail to sweat?
Actually, no! The right seat is one of the most important aspects of your exercise bike since it determines how smooth and enjoyable your riding experience will be, or it can do the opposite and make it painful, soreness inducing, and demotivating.
Common problems include things such as the seat not being the right shape for your butt, not enough cushioning or support, or the seat is angled too high or too low, causing back pain and putting more pressure on the lower body.
Suitable and fitted seats help absorb and reduce the strain and shock of the motions, helping you stay comfortable and pain-free!
Types of exercise bike seats
Indoor
The indoor bike seat is the type you commonly see perched atop spinner bikes and other related types of stationary bicycles, molded the most similar to regular bikes than the rest of this grouping, these seats are built to cushion and absorb shock.
It’s imperative to have these seats adjusted to just the right angle, however, to get their full benefits, as they need to be not too close or too far from the handlebars so that you have a comfortable lean and posture over them while riding.
Repeated adjustments of the seat’s angle can help you figure out what position feels the most natural and comfortable!
Recumbent
Recumbent bikes are well known for their low impact and very comfortable seated reclining position, making them amazing for people with back problems, and the seats of these bikes are no different.
The recumbent bike’s seat is pretty close to a traditional seat or chair almost, as it enables the rider to sit and lean comfortably while pedaling, giving them ample support and cushion all the way.
As always, proper riding form is essential to reap the most benefits, especially the comfort and ease of riding, but there is generally far less chance for user error and pain-related problems with this type of bike.
Basically, it’s the most novice or newbie foolproof, so the best choice for those wary beginners.
Upright
These bike seats are the standard for most exercise bikes, generally built like a more cushioned version of an outdoor bicycle, so they’re very comfy to ride for extended amounts of time.
A common issue to take note of, however, is the size and shape of the seat, as some can be too high or set at the improper angle so your thighs rub against the seat, which can cause irritation.
Another problem that can cause the thigh rubbing is the seat itself being too wide, so it’s important to gauge how it feels for you and if you might need to consider purchasing a different one.
What are exercise bike seats made out of, anyway?
Most seats have a hard plastic mold as a base and with an inner material that is often comprised of a thin layer of foam and can be combined with anything from leather, vinyl, rubber, canvas, and others.
A urethane-based spray adhesive or neoprene is generally used to bond all the materials together.
Tips for a more comfortable riding and workout experience
1. Exercise bike seat cushion covers
It’s not the end of the world if your bike seat seems to inherently just be simply uncomfortable to sit on for extended periods of time, as seat covers can be used to offer extra padding and help with a more smooth riding experience.
They come in many shapes and possible sizes in order to accommodate all seats and saddle types.
2. Wearing comfortable and cooling clothing for your cycling sessions
An often forgotten about aspect is the clothing you wear while riding on your exercise bike, as that can make a big difference in enjoyable you find the ride to be.
Nobody likes the feeling of clothes sticking to you from sweat, annoying and bothersome chafing, or any similar annoyance, which is why loose and cool clothing, in particular, bike shorts to wear specifically when you’re riding, can be very helpful and go a long way to keeping you comfortable.
Some spinning bike shorts or other indoor cycling shorts have added padding in the crotch area to prevent friction and chafing, as well as to wick away moisture, which is especially important for women, as to lessen bacterial growth.
Spinning or cycling jerseys also can be worn and be very helpful for wicking away sweat on the upper body and keeping you cool, they also have a zipper which makes them easy to take off at the end of each session.
Finally, there are cycling shoes or cleats that are made specifically for exercise bike riding, making gripping the pedals smoother and easier.
3. Adjust the exercise bike and seat’s position and angle
This is one of those obvious and simple fixes that make you feel stupid for overlooking them, but sometimes, it really is just as simple as adjusting your handlebars, seat position, or even the base it connects to’s angle differently than before.
Changing one or all of these features can make a whole world of difference, so it’s best to rule this out before trying anything more extensive.
4. Consider purchasing another seat
Sometimes the issue is simply the seat itself not working out rather than some form of user error.
This problem can be a result of it not being the right shape, size, or offering enough cushion and support for the individual, either way, there’s nothing wrong with experimenting on various seat types to find one that reduces or eliminates the soreness.
5. Make sure you’re not leaning excessively on the seat
One of the most common problems that can create soreness is very preventable as well, and it’s caused by leaning excessively far back or forwards on the bike seat.
This posture problem can create soreness in the butt because of the bones and muscles bearing too much of the body’s weight without proper cushioning and support.
6. Change up your riding position every so often!
Yet another one of those more “obvious” solutions, but still very important and essential to keep in mind!
Changing your position and checking if you are overly hunched over the handlebars or leaning too far can help a lot to keep the body from getting stiff and sore.
Varying your riding position every ten minutes or so can be a big help.
7. Give your body time to adjust to the new routine!
Soreness, stiffness, and any other unpleasantness that comes as a result of riding your exercise bike is more than likely just temporary, so it’s important to let your body adjust before throwing in the towel or feeling like you have to be stuck with a painful workout forever!
Generally, these issues resolve themselves with a few changes such as the ones mentioned previously and a little bit of time for you to adjust to your new routine.
Exercise bike seat discomfort: Tips and helpful tricks for women!
- Wear breathable and moisture-wicking fabric riding shorts as this will, in turn, prevent the moisture buildup that can cause bacterial growth and infections in and around the groin area.
- A painful and itchy problem, but thankfully preventable!
- Riding shorts or mountain biking shorts can also increase the grip and give better traction if friction and sliding around on the seat while riding is a problem.
- Many cyclists recommend not wearing underwear underneath your riding shorts to lessen possible chafing of the chamois pad and the seams of your underwear.
- This can also couple with sweat buildup, so it’s important to wash them as you would your undergarments after finishing.
- Showering after a heavy cycling session to rinse off the sweat and drying your body well can also go miles to preventing the beforementioned difficulties of moisture buildup and bacterial growth!
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