Yet Another "Help me find the right one" thread

[Andrea]

I've been reading loved/hated posts on here for a couple of hours (bored at work!). I think I have my saddle choice narrowed down, but I wanted input from some of you guys to help out...

My bike came with a Fizik Arione (HORRIBLE HORRIBLE chafing and numbness of the genitals).
Next, I ordered a Terry Zero. I liked it at first, but, now that it's getting broken in (and just outside of the return period, of course), the padding on the narrow part of the saddle is squishing, which causes very bad chafing/sometimes bleeding of the area where my inner thigh meets my genital area (DAMN, I'm glad this is ladies only :rolleyes:) even if I use tons of chamois butt'r. Also tried different shorts with more/less padding- all to no avail.

With the Fizik, I never had sore sitbones, even though it was minimally padded, and the main problem I have with the Terry is the excess padding, so I am looking for something that's:
A) light/nonexistent in the padding department
B) high performance and lightweight in general (I'm going to be competing a LOT next season)
C) won't cut, chafe, or numb me
D) is wide enough for my rear

I've been looking at these:
- Specialized Jett (women's): 155mm is a little heavier than I'd like, but if it works, I'm not gonna rule it out
- Specialized Alias: Newer model is pretty light. Looks comfy. Anyone used it?
- Terry Falcon X: Very light, minimal padding, but looks very wide in the area where I've been chafing worst recently. Also just hesitant about Terrys in general because of how much the Zero hurts!
-Selle Italia SLK Lady Gelflow: Lightweight, seperate seat sides look like they'd make pedaling easier, but only 145mm wide

Sorry for the long post, but I just wanted to let you know what I've been dealing with/considering. I'm open to any other suggestions that would work for what I'm looking for. Thanks in advance!

[emily_in_nc]

You might look at the Selle San Marco Atola (http://aebike.com/page.cfm?action=details&Affiliate=1&PageID=30&SKU=SA6097). It would seem to meet all your requirements except it might be a tad heavier than some of the very lightest-weight saddles. It's really comfy, though. The only problem it ever gave me is a little sit-bone soreness when I first started riding it (or if I go for awhile without riding). If you're already used to harder saddles, like the Zero, that should not be a problem for you. You might also look at the Terry Falcon Y (the men's version) if you need a narrower saddle than the Falcon X. The Atola is narrower (140 mm).

I got mind from Colorado Cyclist, but I couldn't find it on their site when I checked just now (very quickly).

Good luck!
Emily

[Velobambina]

I have the Atola on my Bianchi and have had no problems with it. It's kind of a short saddle--nose to tail--but it doesn't bother me.

I like the Sella Italia LDY saddle best. Not to soft, not to hard, and the cutout is good. TE sells them. Believe it or not, I have a Sella SLK Lady Gel Flow sitting around, which I intend to put on my Luna road bike (currently has a Terry Butterfly on it, which, initially, I hated but now doesn't bother me).

Saddles are a personal thing, so you'll have to find the one you like best through trial and error.

[VeloVT]

This is a random suggestion -- but I recently bought a Selle San Marco SKN and I am starting to really like it. It's quite firm and perfectly flat -- and a bit wider in the rear than many performance saddles (I compared measurements somewhat obsessively). It's taken some time to get it set up just right (I have the nose tilted just a tiny bit down, and am still working on fore/aft position), but I'm finding it very supportive in a good way -- and once I got the angle right I've had no chafing or soreness at all. I find this somewhat interesting since the saddle has no cutout, and my Terry Damselfly with cutout caused quite a bit of soreness.

It's not the lightest of the light, but, at 199g, it's lighter than either the Arione (230g) or the Zero (240g).

Here's a picture:
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=20016

It's a good deal -- it's sure not as pretty as a Fizik saddle though.
Good luck!