Another bike saddle question (but I'll love you if you answer this)

[ArgyleDinosaur]

I am so completely thrilled that I found a cycling forum that is specifically geared toward women! I had a hell of a time trying to discuss my issues with the men at my local bike shop.
Anyhow, I'm sure this is nothing new to this forum but about three months ago I got a brand new, beautiful Kona Honky Tonk but I found that after riding an hour+ on the stock saddle that I was starting to experience some serious groin/vaginal pain. I thought I would adjust to it but I found that nothing really changed and my... (ahem)... love life... was starting to seriously suffer due to the tenderness. After some research and reading about such things as "sit bones" and "saddle geometry" I took the time to actually measure the saddle and my sit bones. As much as I love the way the stock saddle looks, I found that it only measured about 140mm in width compared to my approximate (I'm not sure if I measured them correctly) 172mm sit bones.
So, to make an already fairly long story short, do any of you lovely ladies out there have any recommendations for saddles? Do you have any other suggestions for my soreness? Could I fix this problem by adjusting the positioning of the saddle, perhaps?
Please! Any help would be so greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[ny biker]

For sit bones that wide, I think your options are limited. But Brooks makes saddles that would fit you. Look for the (very long) thread about Brooks saddles for more info than you ever thought possible. ;)

[Owlie]

I second the Brooks suggestion.

[WindingRoad]

Ditch the saddle, get something wider in the back. Serfas Niva, Terry Butterfly maybe? Both have a cutout to alleviate the whole 'girl pains' we are all so familiar with. The Niva is super cushy so its great for commuting if you don't want to wear spandex. Make sure to level the saddle when you switch it out. That's always a good place to start.

[macski]

I suggest that you go to a bike shop and get your sit bones measured there - your measurement seems quite high. Most bike shops should have the memory foam thingy for you to sit on and then they calaculate the width of saddle you need to make sure that your sit bones are supported.

I have very wide hips and I need a saddle width of 155.

[Thorn]

While I agree with macski about sitting on a butt-o-meter at a bike shop, there are a handful of women on this board who have sit bone measurements off the edge of statistical normal. For us, it is a Brooks B68 or nothing.

Most bike saddles at that width are poofy tractor saddles. As a vegetarian that leans vegan I couldn't bring myself to go leather. But, after too long and too many wasted saddles, I bought a B68 and never went back.

Wallbike has a generous try it and return it policy on any Brooks saddle. They're expensive, but worth it.

[TrekTheKaty]

I also recommend the B68. However, if it started on longer rides, what shorts are you wearing? Cheap Pearl Izumi's used to do it for me until my rides got about that length--then I switched to SheBeest, and now Louis Garneau Neo.

[hulagirl]

I'm 160 center to center. Bike shop told me I was 150 on their measurement. Went back to another guy - same machine and he told me 155. So take their measurements with a grain of salt.

12 saddles later (or more, I lost count) I think I found my friend. Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow.

160 with a nice cut out. The Diva didn't work for me (155). The Terry Liberator (160) is almost the same as the Lady, but it's super puffy. And heavy. The Lady is not as thick and fits me quite well.

REI carries them and will allow you to return it even used.

Me + Brooks = not going to work. Plus, I don't like the weight of the Brooks. Too heavy for me.

[KnottedYet]

My sits are 180mm.

My saddles are all Brooks: B67 and B68 (NOT "S-short")

Believe me, once you find a saddle that fits, it's miraculous! When you find the magic saddle that "disappears," your whole universe becomes a happier place. (I don't even have to wear shorts with chamois anymore) Buy a spare saddle when you find the perfect one.

BleeckerStreetGirl's experience is very similar to mine. (she also has 180-ish sits)

[tzvia]

It took me a lot of saddles over many years to find one that felt 'right'. Step one you know already, get a measurement- it will at least eliminate those saddles that will never work because they are too narrow, and provide a more fuzzy 'not wider than' size. I want a thin racing saddle, my bones say I need 150ish, and there weren't many slim thinly padded racing saddles that wide not all that long ago. It's getting better, with WSD saddles from most manufactures so you don't have to settle for a tractor seat unless that is what you want. I used to have a Brooks B68 and I liked it a lot. I just could not get over its weight, after spending so much to lighten the bike.:o. So I tried the mens saddles and they were all too narrow and they did not work well at all. I tried a few WSD saddles (Specialized, Terry and Sella San Marco) and ended up with a Bontrager Inform unisex one that they thankfully make in 154.

If your sit-bones really are in the 170ish area, try that Brooks; they are works of art, beautiful leather, and as they break in they get better and better. Kinda like that well worn pair of jeans that just fit perfect. If you end up more in the 150ish area, you have a wider range of choices. One thing I discovered though. At least in my case, the heavily padded saddles are less comfortable than saddles that are designed to support you by your bones.

Good luck in your search for the ONE.

[ArgyleDinosaur]

Thank you to everyone for the suggestions!
Someone had mentioned going to the shop and sitting on a memory foam measurement contraption at the bike shop and I thought "I have a yoga mat that is pretty squishy maybe I'll use that to double check my earlier measurement attempt... Brilliant!"
So, I've come back with new measurements of about 160mm (boy, was I off) but I plan to stop by my local bike shop to use their measurement machine and take a look at some of the saddles you ladies recommended to me.

[grey]

Good luck! I'm still in the middle of the Search for the Perfect Saddle. I have one now that "works" and I seem ok after 52 miles this morning but I have the nose tilted down a little. For me the cutout is a MUST - my girl parts are happy but now my butt is sore (on only one side????).

My LBS offered a $50 unlimited saddle try-out/fitting using the trainer - I thought about it but realized some problems don't show up until you've been out there for 20 miles - that's when my foot started to go numb and I had to adjust the saddle (no more numb!).

So for the same $50, I bought a gently used saddle from the 'for sale' section of this forum. I decided if it didn't work, I could re-sell it after I'd put 100 miles on it and try another from someone else on the forum - you'll see saddles show up from time to time. We almost should have a "Saddle Exchange" system set up.

[Ms. Knotty]

I am back on my mountain bike and looking for a road bike. I rode the MTB yesterday for 13 miles with my 6 year old on the trainer (which translates to not being able to stand much to alleviate pain). By the end, the girl parts were sooo not happy. :eek: The information here has been really helpful, just wondered if any of you could make suggestions about MTB saddles? I added a gel cover and am wondering if that made it worse, as I had no problem when we rode a few weeks ago. My instincts have also been telling me that I need to lower the front part of the saddle too. Am going to try that first and see how that works.

[KnottedYet]

After you adjust the tilt of your saddle (only a tiny bit at a time), measure your sit bones.

After you measured your bones, measure your saddle. See if the saddle is the right width first and foremost.

If there was no problem before you added the gel cover, why did you add the gel cover?

Could be the saddle fits fine (check those measurements) but adding more padding just caused the padding to jam up into your hoo-ha and cause distress.