Are cut-outs just hype?

[lizbids]

As I continue my saddle search...I just wanted to ask you ladies about your opinions on cut-outs. Are they for the most part hype? Sometimes I feel manufacturers create trends to make more money. But, what do you all think? :confused:

[Aggie_Ama]

Personally, I think it helps. When I test rode my bike it had a Fizik Women's saddle with no cutout, I was getting pressure from it and was miserable after 15 minutes. Switched to a saddle with a cutout and the pressure was alievated. I think it helps, but saddles are personal.

[Eden]

My girly bits get very squashed on non-cutout saddles, even if they support my sit bones adequately. I wouldn't go without.

[Trekhawk]

Love my cut out too.:)

[emily_in_nc]

Not hype for me. Every time I've tried a non-cutout saddle, my girly bits are getting chafed and raw within about 30-45 minutes, in the same shorts that work fine on cutout saddles.

Emily

[maillotpois]

"Are cut outs just hype?"

No.

No cut out, no ride.

[lizbids]

Cool, I actually like the saddle on my Bianchi but have struggled with shorts. I'd like to put in many more miles once the weather is nice. Once I get some good shorts I'd like to fiddle with saddles. Thanks for your honest opinions!! :D

[Wahine]

Cut outs are not hype. They do work well for a lot of women. Probably for most. Some women who move around on their saddle a lot during a ride do not like them.

I like cut outs for my girly bits. However, You should know that they do break down faster than other saddles and will lose their support in the middle sooner. This can tend to make you slide forward in the saddle and get a similar feel to having a saddle that's tipped nose down too far - tired arms and hands.

So keep in mind that you will have to replace a cut out saddle periodically, kinda like replacing running shoes that have lost their support.

[lizbids]

How often have you noticed you needed to update th saddle due to wear?

[Wahine]

It depends on how often you ride. I ride 4 to 6 hours per week on average for about 8 to 9 months out of the year and I think I had to change my Terry Butterfly after 2 years use. I also think that I left it too long. By the time I figured out why my arms felt so tired after my rides, it was pretty broken down. It's possible that I have more problems with breakdown because I'm in the aero position a lot.

[KnottedYet]

I'm one of those odd ducks who DOESN'T like cut-outs. I don't hate them, either, I just don't feel they do anything for me.

My all-time favorite saddles have been the Terry Sport (no cut-out, mid 1990's) and my very favorite is my Brooks B67.

It really just depends on how you're built and how you ride!:D

[susan.wells]

Not hype. Without the cutout, and I've tried multiple times, ...:eek:

[Batbike]

I discovered can not ride comfortably without a cut-out. In fact, I love the Fizik Arione saddle -- the long nose and flex wings -- but it does not have a cut-out and even though it is a great saddle, I can't ride it very long without a cut-out due to pain in private area. To me, if they made that saddle with a cut-out, I would buy it! I ride a Selle Italia with cut-out.

[lizbids]

you should definitely write to the company asking if they plan on making your model with a cutout!

[Batbike]

you should definitely write to the company asking if they plan on making your model with a cutout!

good idea! I may just do that!

[RoadRaven]

Def not a hype.

I get numb, sore or pinched without cut-outs after maybe 20-30 minutes.

The angle of the seat has to be right too. When we took the women's specific seat off my new bike, and put the brand I like on it, it took a couple of test rides before the angle was right to ensure minimal squishification!

[Mimosa]

Without cut-out and with just a thin layer of padding ... I like them firm (http://www.sellesanmarco.com/2007/529x011.asp) :D ;) :p

[KnottedYet]

Or no padding at all...
http://www.wallbike.com/b68.html

Perhaps if girly-bits aren't being smashed into padding, you don't need a cut-out to keep the padding away from them?

[sgtiger]

I tried almost a dozen saddles before I found one that worked for me. Personally, I found the ones with the cut-outs were the worst. I remember one particular ride on one of those that almost had me in tears thirty minutes into the ride. It was the worst ride home ever. I considering quitting the whole biking thing after that thinking there was no hope for me to find a saddle that fit, because it was a model that had come highly recommended by others. Then I a gave the Brooks B66 a try, which I was totally skeptical of because it had NO padding. But you know what, I loved it and love it still.

I'm not telling you that the one I chose will work for you. Your body geometry is different from mine and others. Also, the way you ride or where you sit in you saddle may be different too. That is why even the same rider may have different saddles on different types of bikes they own.

Try to find a LBS that will let you try one for a few days so you have the chance to try it out on longer rides. A bicycle seat that was comfortable on a short leisurely ride may be torture on your long bicycle commute. If you don't have an LBS that will let you exchange your saddle easily to do this, than look for an online retailer who will.

[xeney]

I don't think they do much for me. I rode for a couple of years on a Terry Butterfly, but eventually I switched to a narrower, firmer saddle and immediately got rid of the chafing around my sit bones. My new saddle is a Fizik Vitesse, no cutout, and I have had no problems with girly bits because they don't come in contact with the saddle.

I also liked my husband's Selle Italia okay, although it was just a little too narrow, but although it has a cutout I think the cutout is too narrow to have done me any good.

The worst saddle I ever rode was the one that came on my Bianchi ... instead of a cutout, it has a big padded bulge right in that spot! A 15-mile ride chafed me so badly that I was actually bleeding when I got home. (My husband now uses that saddle on his daily commuter, which makes me think he must be a little crazy.)

[Aggie_Ama]

Proof that saddles are personal... Xeney's Fizik is the saddle I wouldn't buy my bike until the shop removed it. Unfortunately for many, saddles are a very expensive trial and error. I was lucky to love my first one and have a good idea what I was looking for on my current one.