[Texan-n-Fla]

Obviously, many of us (myself included) use padded shorts when riding. However, every time I go to Walmart or another big box store, I spot some sort of padded saddle cover. I don't expect one to hold up to my daily 22 mile commute, but does anyone have any experience using one for just running around town? There have been many times when heading to the post office or the bar that I wish I could have done so without padded shorts.

What's the consensus? Keep in mind, we're talking about casual road riding, nothing serious in any way.

 

[evasive]

A good chamois pad isn't all that thick, and quality saddles don't have that much padding. They aren't intended to be pillows, but rather provide some comfort, support, and prevent chafing. Those big gel pads are basically for people who haven't gotten their butts used to a saddle and don't know any better. All that material is just going to squish up into your soft tissue and restrict circulation.

I ride my bike for short around town errands without padded shorts all the time. I don't feel like I'm missing anything.

 

[citiznkain]

I'll admit that I used the padded seat cover from walmart when I first started out. I only used it for a short amount of time to get used to the saddle. Maybe 2 months tops then I went to padded shorts and ditched the cover. For casual riding around town riding I think it would be fine, but it's up to you really.

I'll go on family rides and pull the bike trailer with kids in tow. I use my mt. bike or road bike depending on my mood and I don't use padded shorts when I'm out with the family, unless it's going to be a long ride.

 

[Rat Face]

I wear the chamois, spandex shorts (quaility, not bogus) underneath MB shorts and use a Velo Gel Pad. Call me a Candy Ass if you want. I don't care. My Ol' Lady gave one to me a few years ago for my 45th birthday. I laughed, but I figured what da hell? Give it a try. It pretty much only comes off when I wash it and/or my bike. I don't ride every day and 99% of my rides are on trails. Some maintained, most not. I avoid the road and most sidewalks like they're poison.
It has a cord-lock that cinches the draw string at the back of the saddle. I wrap the excess string around the bag mount (I guess I could cut a few inches off). It tends to slide backwards a touch, but it only goes so far and stops. It does wiggle under you sometimes, but my comfort far out weighs the occasional scoot to get it centered. I don't know where she got it, but it seems pretty durable.
I guess the Old-Man-Flat-Ass syndrome is catching up to me. If you don't like it, you could always give it to some Granny for her trike.
Covering a stock, '13 Specialized Epic saddle. It worked well on my Cannondale F5 hardtail, too.

 

[Procter]

Hey op, If you commute 22mi I'd bet a saddle cover will make you more sore. When you ride a lot, the muscles around your hip bones develop, get stronger, get 'used' to the firm saddle, and help balance your butt in the best position for the ride. It's like a sort of a weird butt dexterity and 'feel' for the saddle.


When you go to a softer saddle or pad, your butt sinks in and it puts pressure back on places you typically keep weight off. To demonstrate this, try those huge foamy saddles on the stationary bikes at the gym. 45 min on those and I'm more sore than a 3 hour ride.

 

[Texan-n-Fla]

I know. I'm not looking to use a cover for my daily commute. It's more for running a few miles up to the bar. Short enough that I don't want to deal with chamois shorts (plus, no one wants to sit around drinking in some weezer squeezers), but long enough to give some pain and discomfort in a pair of jeans or shorts. I grabbed a cheap one from Wally World today. Seems to do the trick. I don't expect much from it, but for 12 bucks, it makes that beer run a little more tolerable.

 

[Thor29]

There's something wrong with your body or your bike setup if it hurts to ride such short distances. A saddle cover will only make it worse. Is your saddle tilted too much? Wrong saddle shape maybe? Wrong size bike? Whatever it is, something is horribly wrong. I can ride for miles in street clothes with no problems at all. I don't even bother with padded bike shorts unless the ride goes over 20 miles and that's mainly because they prevent chafing - the chamois isn't really all that important if you have a decent saddle and good bike setup.