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i am on my 2nd saddle...the terry butterfly. i had the liberator x which caused me numbness, discomfort and pinching and the butterfly is much better, but after 100 miles, is not great. does anyone have a saddle to recommend that relieves pressure off the soft tissue? do saddles ever get completely comfortable?
I had the same problem. I tried a gel seat pad, but this made it worse. I found the solution. Serfas makes seats with a cut-out in the front which is fabulous. I also use a sheepskin cover to reduce friction. I had absolutely no wear or break-in time with this new seat. It made me happy immediately and there was no swelling as with my previous seat. I would strongly advise looking into this. Also, your bicycle frame may not be exactly the correct fit. Since I ride to work several days a week and do at least one long trip a year, I have decided to have a bicycle frame built to fit my frame. This may be something to look into, or at least have a bicycle builder assess your current frame and see if there are any adjustments that can be made to make it a better fit, and thereby having everything "fall" in the correct spot.
Happy riding!
Julie R. :)
The never-ending saddle conversation! I race mtn and road, and after years of borrowing saddles, throwing away saddles, applying ointments, and nursing boo-boos in the unmentionable areas, I have settled on the Vitesse all the way. Never mind the color selection, I find it to be an excellent, streamlined, comfortable saddle. The key is that it supports my sit bones and relieves pressure in the crotch area - I once tried a cutout saddle (not Terry) and thought it was good, then raced with it and ended up with bruises on either side of the crotch where my pubic bones were rattling against the nose of the saddle. Ouch. Terry saddles might be better now, but I've found that the one I bought had rails that were too short to get a good racing position.
Also very important is overall bike fit, which I found hard to achieve but finally did after a lot of patience and help from others who knew what to do. As I said, your butt and hips have to be supported, or the pressure will fall on your crotch. The saddle is a bit more personal, but I know lots of women who ride with the Vitesse.
Someone also mentioned being able to shift your position to descend without your shorts snagging - any sleek racing saddle should allow you to do that, but also be sure that your shorts are nice and snug. Lycra only, no baggy shorts for serious riding. In fact, yesterday I put a new Vitesse on my mountain bike, wore my new Shebeest Pro Elite shorts, and rode for hours without any discomfort (but I found that the Shebeest shorts chafed when I wore them on my rode bike. It's like the Princess and the Pea).