Saddle Fit: Tests, Tips, and Tricks

I just got a new bike with a Specialized Lithia Saddle. My old bike had a Specialized Jett, which I used I used for over a year and a half without problems

After two rides (55 miles total), I feel like I'm getting more pressure in soft tissue toward the front, and some irritation along the panty line- both a big change.

I had a complete fit before taking the new bike out of the shop, but did not ask to have my old saddle put on the bike.


Any opinions on whether it is more likely the new saddle or more due to position of the saddle and/or different bike geometry and my position on the bike?

My opinion - both.

The Lithia is squishy and more likely to cause soft tissue chafing and pinching.

When I switched from a Lithia to a Jett, it really changed the way I sit on the bike, and I had to tweak the stem, handlebar tilt, and lever placement, and IIRC the fore/aft placement of the saddle, too. So if you were fit on the Jett, you might have to re-do the fit to be happy with the Lithia.

You wouldn't think it from how similar the saddles look, but that was my experience.

The Lithia was the first Specialized saddle I tried. The squishiness made for considerable soft tissue pressure for me. I switched to the Avatar (a little less squishy than the Lithia) and those problems went away. I ended up with a Ruby on my road bike (not at all squishy) because it has a lower profile*, and I love it.

* (Because of the way the seatpost and seat tube are shaped/work on my bike, I needed those extra millimeters to perfect the fit. It was cheaper to switch saddles than try to get my hands on a new seatpost.)

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Originally Posted by KnottedYet

Well, we all know my opinion of Trek/Bontrager's latest "offering" in saddles from what I saw at a seminar in San Francisco earlier this year, and my further opinion after tracking down their research.... but I'm trying to be impartial. ;)

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Knot, can you expand upon this, a bit? Reason I ask is that I am finding my beloved Jett is giving me fits on my new bike. I LOVED it on my relatively upright Synapse, but on my SuperSix I'm getting pinched, up front. At least I think it's my saddle. It could also be due to the tights I'm wearing over my shorts (I'm just dying for warmer weather so that I can switch to knee warmers...this is the neverending Winter here in MI). But I am suspicious that it's because I'm relatively more aero on the new bike (in addition to more aggressive geometry I now have a 2cm longer stem, which I should have had on the previous bike, too...yay, I can ride in the drops, now!).

Last night I had DH tilt the nose of my Jett down a hair, but it didn't do much to alleviate the discomforts in my girly parts, since it made me start sliding forward too much--if anything it gave me more issues, since I was struggling to keep my sit bones on the rear of the saddle and was bearing more weight on my privates, instead..

I've been eyeballing that Bontrager Inform RL saddle, since I think that dip would work better for me than a sharp cut-out. I'm also looking at the Fizik Arione Donna. The footprint looks similar to my Jett and that long channel looks like it might not pinch and jam my labial bits quite so much.
http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/ima...s%20Saddle.jpg

But I can't find anyone who has tried this saddle...so I am leery. Our LBS carries Fizik and has test saddles...but I'm not sure if they can get test saddles in the women's models, or not. I have only seen them in the men's styles. I can't find any evidence that Fizik offers any sort of guarantee, unlike Specialized and Bontrager.

Bumping for Knot's input... :D

bump! (that saddle does NOT look comfortable)

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

bump! (that saddle does NOT look comfortable)

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In what way...I'm having a hard time finding any reviews of it (I think it's only been out for a couple of months). I'm thinking it looks like it might be really hard on the sit bones, if anything.

well, it seems to have your sit bones on the edge, and then the saddle itself is more pear shaped then T shaped.

I thought it looked really pear-shaped, too, but I played around overlaying it in Photoshop with a photo of a Jett 143 and the shape doesn't seem as different as I had thought. It's a mere 4mm wider at 147mm, so it's pretty close in size (I don't think my sit-bones would end up on the edge--my sit bones are somewhere in the 125 neighborhood when I use a tape measure). And apparently those flex wings are designed to crack and break-in to fit an individual rider's leg movement requirements...so maybe it wouldn't feel as pear-shaped as it might at first appear.
http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/1239682381_CnqVP-O.jpg

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Originally Posted by Muirenn

That picture is great!

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Thanks...sometimes I get my dork on in a big way. :o:p

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Originally Posted by zoom-zoom

Knot, can you expand upon this, a bit?

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That was written a bazillion years ago in Corporate Years.

Since then Trek scrapped their sadly misguided women's saddle design and re-did the research. Now I'm quite pleased with their saddles. (I'd like to think someone found all my grousing and complaining and realized the error of their ways and any day now will head-hunt me from my current job and make me their new Saddle Goddess... but that may just be the hard cider talkin' )

If one of theirs appeals to you, go for it!

And then post a review for all of us, ok? :D

ETA: by "pleased" I mean that looking at the things they make a whole lot more sense than the original design. They still don't make one anywhere near the width I need, so I haven't tried one myself.

The only thing that gives me pause looking at the Bontrager saddles is that the RL Inform WSD looks a bit on the pear-shaped side. I'm concerned that I would make my girl parts happy, only to make my inner butt-cheek region angry. Trade-offs are the bane of a cyclists existence, so it would seem.

If it helps, last summer Bontrager started selling the Inform Affinity, which is more t-shaped than the original Inform. In fact earlier today I put a 155mm Affinity on top of a SSM Aspide Glamour and found they are almost identical in size and shape.

The Affinity comes in different varieties regarding the amount of padding -- RXL, RL and R. And the 3 different widths.

Hmmm...that Affinity is something else to add to consideration. Though their description of the Affinity models sounds like they are geared for more upright riding. Not sure if that would change how I fit on it, or not. It's the less upright stance that has gotten me into trouble with my Jett.

I had an opportunity to compare the Bontrager Affinity RXL to the Inform RL last weekend. The channel in the Inform is longer & deeper than the Affinity. The Inform provided great sit bone support & gave my girly bits a lot of room. The Affinity also provides great sit bone support but squishes my bits more than the Inform. I'll post more about my experience with the 2 saddles after I do an apples to apples ride comparison.