Saddles not supporting the sit bones - what to try next?

[ny biker]

I'm not sure where to go from here. My old saddle was very comfortable, but I wore it out and it's not manufactured anymore. It was a Juliana, made, I think, by Wylder. It was pretty t-shaped, about 155mm wide, and the "crossbar" of the T was pretty substantial. I think it was designed for mountain biking, although I used it on my road bike, too. Here are some photos:

https://picasaweb.google.com/bowmandj626/HelpMeReplaceThisSaddle

The problem I'm having with most of the new saddles I have tried is that I am not being supported (enough) by my sit bones. There's too much weight on the bones in front of them and between my legs (I think the rami?), leaving me feeling very sore at the top/insides of my legs. I am not having problems with chafing.

My sit bones are about 135 mm from outside to outside. I have tried various Bontrager Inform women's saddles, including a few different widths, to no avail. I did ride the Inform Evoke (155mm) for several months last summer, just because I needed something on my bike.

http://bontrager.com/model/08749

Next I tried the SSM Aspide Glamour. I think the size and shape of this saddle is close to what I need, but it is way. too. hard. Painful from the first minute I started to ride it. But more of my weight seems to be on my sit bones with this saddle.

http://www.amazon.com/Selle-San-Marco-Glamour-Triathlon/dp/B000O8BECQ

Now I'm trying a Selle Italia saddle that I bought used at a non-profit bike shop. All I know about it is that is says "Ldy" on the nose and it has a channel down the middle rather than a cutout. I haven't found anything similar online, so I guess it's an older version of the SI Lady Gel Flow. It's also about 155 mm.

http://www.wekeepyoucycling.com/en/p-317-selle-italia-slr-lady-gel-flow-saddle.aspx

So far I've used it for one 30-mile ride. It was better than the Bontrager Evoke, but still left me sore in the wrong places. I will try it again this weekend -- I think it was a bit too far forward before -- but I don't think this will solve the fit problem with this saddle. It is the best so far, but still not ideal.

So, does anyone have ideas on what to try next? Has anyone concluded that that Aspide Glamour was too hard, but the FX version did have enough padding? I've been avoiding Specialized saddles because I don't want a cut-out, but is there one I should try anyway? Something else?

Any thoughts are hugely appreciated. Thanks!!

p.s. I have what I think it is a non-aggressive position on my bike -- saddle is about level with the handlebars, and my hands are always on the hoods or the tops, not in the drops. All of the Bontrager saddles were positioned on my bike by the fit guy/manager of the LBS. I put the Aspide Glamour and Selle Italia in the same position relative to the stem and bottom bracket.

[nscrbug]

You mentioned trying several Bontrager Inform saddles...but have you tried the newer Bontrager Affinity WSD saddles? It comes in an R, RL, and RXL version...depending on how much padding you desire. No cut-out, just a channel down the middle similar to the Inform. Other than that, I don't know how it differs from the Inform saddles, but maybe it's worth a look.

[OakLeaf]

The saddle I've been coveting is the SI Turbomatic, which comes both with and without a cut-out.

Oooh, looky, SI now provides technical drawings of all their saddles! Now I've got to go back and compare the measurements I did of my Jett, to see whether the Turbomatic really is more T-shaped...

http://www.selleitalia.com/files/prodotti/dettechimg_1296482736.jpg

The SLR is too narrow for you (or me), but when I hit the front page of SI's site, there was a big splash touting the fact that they'd redesigned the SLR with a narrower nose, while leaving the 131mm rear the same. Maybe they have more T-shaped saddles in the pipeline for other saddles in their line ... we can hope!

[Biciclista]

you haven't tried Brooks?

[sundial]

I found that Brooks saddles offer ample support. Another option is Specialized saddles that come in 3 widths.

[ny biker]

I tried the Affinity, once, for about 3 minutes, but it hurt so I went back to the Evoke. I also tried the original Inform RL WSD, in all 3 widths, when they first came out. The widest was the least painful, but it was still unrideable.

I have not tried Brooks. I have no idea which Brooks, if any, might be worth trying. I also worry that they would cause soft tissue pain, since there is no channel in the nose.

I have not tried Specialized because they all have cutouts. Has anyone found a Specialized saddle to be comfortable even though they previously had problems with saddles that had cutouts?

And I guess the big qustion is -- I don't know what shape I'm looking for, because I don't know why I have pain between my legs if the saddle is wide enough for my sit bones.

[Becky]

I've tried a lot of the same saddles that you have, and ended up with a Selle Italia SLR Lady Gel Flow. It's firmer than the regular Lady Gel Flow, but not as firm as the Glamour Aspide.

I'd prefer more t-shaped, but the cut-out doesn't bother me (despite not needing it) and I like the padding density.

I'm always looking for better saddles, so I'm curious to see what others recommend. Good luck!

[Biciclista]

The Brooks imperials do have a cut out. If you are narrow, the B17 imperial should do you just fine. If the B17 doesn't work, Wallbike will take it back they have a 6 month return policy on their saddles.

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/saddles/images/imperial_menandwomen.jpg
Or you can get the Sellanatomica saddle, which isn't as classy looking as the Brooks, but is waterproof. my husband wore one out after 30,000 miles.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Another issue which effects all this and we need to be aware of is having your posture tilt you so far forward and down that it becomes more and more difficult to have weight on your sit bones at all- the weight shifts more towards your front bones and even your pubic bone.
An extreme (and silly) example to illustrate this concept would be if you lie flat on your stomach in bed and are expecting your weight to be supported by your behind. :rolleyes:

[Biciclista]

Another issue which effects all this and we need to be aware of is having your posture tilt you so far forward and down that it becomes more and more difficult to have weight on your sit bones at all- the weight shifts more towards your front bones and even your pubic bone.
An extreme (and silly) example to illustrate this concept would be if you lie flat on your stomach in bed and are expecting your weight to be supported by your behind. :rolleyes:

ROTFL! ah, we're witty this morning. :D:D:D:D

[Artista]

NY Biker, it sounds like we have similar saddle issues. I, too, am defaulting to a Bontrager Affinity. Not because it's ideal, but because it causes the fewest problems. I also thought that I couldn't use a cut-out, but discovered that my cut-out problems centered around "humped" cut-out edges like on the Terry Butterfly. I've tried other cut-out saddles with smoother cut-out edges that were better, but still not as good as the Bontrager for me.

A couple of the other saddle that you might consider are the Terry FLX & Specialized Jett. The FLX is supposedly geared toward an aero riding position but wasn't awful for my more upright position. Still, I determined after about 1 hour of riding that it would probably contribute to soft tissue chafing for me on longer rides. The Jett again wasn't awful, but not as good as the Bontrager Affinity.

I plan to try the SI Lady Diva with the channel, rather than the cut-out, next.

[ny biker]

Thanks everyone for your replies. They have given me lots to think about.

I decided it made sense to try a Specialized saddle, since they're so easily available at local shops and they are pretty t-shaped. I bought a Lithia, in 145 mm since that's what the measuring tool recommended. I chose the Lithia because it was more t-shaped than the Jett and supposedly is designed for a more upright position. I looked at one of the mountain bike saddles that Muirenn mentioned, but it was very hard so I don't think I would like it.

The store offered a 14-day return period, but due to lousy weather and being busy at work, I was not able to test it until day 15. So, anyone want to buy a 145 mm Lithia? Because it was very painful. I'm inclined to think the 155 mm version would not be good either, because I think pressure from the edge of the cutout caused problems.

My LBS bike fitter is in Belgium right now for the Tour of Flanders (lucky him!!). Once he gets back, I will make an appointment to verify that my position on the bike does not need to be changed. And I will probably try the Affinity next, although I will feel really guilty if I buy and return yet another saddle at his store.

In the meantime, I'm thinking of putting the Evoke back on the bike temporarily, so I can think more about what I do and don't like about it. I was able to do shorter rides on it last year without pain, and I can't say that about some of the saddles I've tried lately.

If the Affinity doesn't work, I'll look into the SLR Lady Gel Flow and/or Diva, as well as Brooks.

BTW, I saw an SI Turbomatic at the LBS last weekend. It is very firm.

Thanks again!!!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

All your descriptions of how you ride and what you are looking for are screaming out for a Brooks.

[ny biker]

I'm still confused about which Brooks. The B-17 is 170mm, and the tall sides look uncomfortable even on the B-17 narrow. Also the cutouts on the Imperial versions look very rough, like they would pinch. I would really like to be able to actually look at some different models in person, but I don't know any shop around here that carries them. I just emailed a friend who has one to ask where he got it.

Edit: it turns out my friend has the B17. So I will go have a look at it.

The plot thickens...

[ny biker]

I just read the entire Brooks thread. (And am now exhausted... :eek:)

I'm around 135-140 mm from outside to outside, as near as I can tell. I put an exercise mat on a table, sat on it for a while, then put a piece of paper over the indentations on the mat and colored them in with a pen. Did this several times. The outer edges are 135-140 apart and the centers are about 122-125 mm apart.

FWIW, both the Bontrager and Specialized measurement things say I should have one of their mid-sized saddles, ~145 mm wide.

I will have a look at my friend's B17 and go from there.

Thanks.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Try a B17 first- it's sort of a woman's size 'middle of the road'. Few women are too narrow for the B17. If the B17 is too narrow, try the widest Brooks- the B68. I don't recommend you start with a Swallow or Swift unless you are very narrow boned. I also recommend you get the regular B17 to try first, not the B17S, which has super short rails and really limits your fore-aft adjustability.


the tall sides look uncomfortable even on the B-17 narrow. Also the cutouts on the Imperial versions look very rough, like they would pinch

You can't tell anything by looking at them. You're just used to looking at racey styled plastic saddles. And when you get a chance to examine the Brooks in person, then you'll say "Oh those are sooo hard!- they'll be terribly uncomfortable!".
You have to ride them. Your butt does not have eyes. lol!

[Biciclista]

The cut out of the imperial does not pinch. Now I've never ridden it NAKED so I don't know how it would perform in that condition. But the chances of that happening are pretty small. With clothing on, jeans or padded bike shorts, i have not detected any pinching, just a subtle LACK of stress in the area it was designed to protect.