I just did the Hadrian's wall cycleway (disappointingly very little wall) and the worst discomfort is in the posterior from rubbing. A good chamois cream is a must. I use a thick gel saddle with a wide sitting area to guard against low back pain.
The Pro Race seat post is incredible, I can't praise it highly enough. But having used the Pro stem for a couple of years now I think I'm qualified to say there is a better alternative. The Redshift does offer an improvement over a traditional stem - but only when riding on the hoods. Some people complain about the change in geometry with the single pivot but I've never noticed that. What does bother me is that it gives little to no suspension in the drops or on the flats. I've upgraded to the Vecnum Frequence dual pivot stem and it gives the same level of suspension wherever your hands are on the bars. The quirky look isn't for everyone but I personally like the styling of it.
Default saddle on my 2nd hand GT Grade gravel bike had a very shallow cut-out, and the ‘numb Big Jim and the twins’ problem started within 20 mins on a ride. Replaced with a fairly budget saddle with a more pronounced cut-out and a similar shape to the one on my hybrid. A couple of rides for my arse muscles to reconfigure and the problem was gone. All your tips very valid, but for me the saddle is the key component and the first thing to consider.
Good advice. I too find acnarrower saddle eliminates numbness and no channel cutout reduces saddle sores. And oddly I have wider hips and a hockey players butt. Lol
I use flat pedals because I like to constantly move my feet around ,I also use the Kinekt seat post as I can adjust it on the go .The cane creek is pretty good for just gravel .
Do you have problems with saddle comfort when moving to the aero bars? I love the aero position, but can't find a good compromise for saddle height/reach/angle, so end up only using them for very short periods. So happy that I have added a Redshift seat post - less convinced about the stem suspension.
I double wrap my bars but that's more because I have large hands than because of the cushioning. I'm also a big fan of flat pedals, sneakers, and "civilian" clothes.
I spent ages and £££s finding the right saddle when I was doing loads of miles. Best tip i got was ti sit on some foil and measure the distance between the "sit bones" and use that to work out the width of your ass/saddle. You may be thin but have wide sit bones. I ended up with Brooks saddles but the Swift type rather than the obvious wider ones.
