fi'zi:k Arione Donna -- any experience?

Finally got my first ride on my new saddle last night...just shy of 23 miles. No pinching, no pressure, sit bones were perfectly happy...but I did have wicked hooha chafing. I don't think it's the saddle, though. I've had intermittent rides with this issue and I strongly suspect that it's due to shorts in need of retirement (the chamois has a weird rough patch right where my girl parts make contact--NOT good).

I'm going to try the saddle again today with a new pair of shorts to see if things are better.

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Originally Posted by beancounterbeth

I rode 42 miles on it today and had a lot of numbing and pain. It was quite uncomfortable. Not sure if the saddle just needs to be adjusted but I'm starting to think I'll just go back to my old Specialized saddle. It didn't cause me as much discomfort as the last three test saddles I've tried but I do suffer from a lot of saddle sores, which is why I started the new saddle journey. Not sure what to do at this point. :(

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Feel like I could write the same post...

Tried to Arione and the Vitesse and my soft tissue was really in a world of hurt. I also had three saddle sores. So it's back to the Specialized Toupe in the meantime.

Where were you experiencing saddles sores? So far the overall fit of my saddle feels really good and I'm not having the pinching or mild numbness/pressure issues up-front that I would experience with my Jett. But I do have a pretty raw spot on my left side where my labia minora and majora meet. I suspect the shorts I wore last night were responsible, though...the chamois cover fabric has some rough/worn spots and I've had similar issues with these shorts in the recent past on my Jett.

Today's ride was not much better with different shorts, BUT I think that's more a matter of the raw spot having had less than 24 hours to heal and I didn't get those shorts yanked-up high enough (they're a Sugoi short that is really snug through the legs, so getting them up high enough is tricky--I'm really not sold on these gripper-free shorts with the overly tight leg-bands...I think I do better with silicone grippers and less-compressive leg bands), so I had some rubbing-around of the chamois until I stopped to adjust things.

I just tried the Arione Donna today for a short 20. It was a little uncomfortable, squishing soft tissue just a bit. The hardness of the saddle didn't bother me and the back seemed to support my sit bones appropriately. The jury's still out on the channel. But as I was riding a brand new bike with a much more agressive geometry than my Synapse, it could be a matter of getting accustomed to overall fit of the bike. The saddle on the Cannondale is the Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow and I really love that saddle. I'll give this one a few weeks. I don't think the Donna is quite as attractive as the Arione CX which came with my bike, but one climb into that saddle and I knew I needed something else.

Ahhh...and the SI Lady Gel Flow was a very bad saddle for me...too soft/wide/pear-shaped.

I like that the channel on the Arione Donna doesn't pinch or put pressure on my girl bits. If the chafing I'm experiencing is from the saddle, then I'm hoping it's a matter of adjusting the fore/aft placement slightly or tilting the nose a bit (perhaps up, since the chafing is back a bit and when DH put it on my bike initially it was down a hair and I immediately felt like I was having to push-back with my hands).

How does the Arione Donna compare the Vesta and the Aliante? I found those two to be comparable. I loved how they were T-shaped and tipped my pelvis forward, but I did not like how all of the pressure seemed to be on my soft tissue.

Gah...I have to give up on this saddle...and I hate to do it. But after 3 rides and a total of ~75 miles it's obvious that my left side and the saddle are never going to learn to play nice. The frustrating part is that my right side and sit bones LOVED this thing. The cushion (like a hybrid of the Jett and Ruby 143) and footprint are perfect. And those Fizik flex wings really accommodated the range of motion of my inner and rear thighs perfectly.

But I fully blame the issues I had on my anatomy. I list over to the left just slightly on every saddle I've ever sat on. I notice that most people I ride behind sit maybe a half cm. to one side over the other, so it's just part of being asymmetrical Humans.

What I loved about this saddle is the complete elimination of pinching and pressure...but I traded those issues for rubbing (I believe my labia majora ended up pressed against the left side of the channel, which in turn made the larger labia rub against the labia minora).

I really think a woman who doesn't find herself shifted to one side or the other would love this saddle. Were I not "crooked" I think this would have been my perfect saddle.

If anyone would like to try it, I will ship it to you for $100, including shipping.

I'd love to try that one, but I think it would be too wide. My Jett is a 143 and the Arione Donna is 147. The width of those feel perfect. The Turbomatic is 153...my sits measure 125ish, so I suspect the Turbomatic would be a hair too wide.

Really? I assume people are going for the Turbomatic with a cut-out, then? The Specialized Romin is intriguing, too...and gets pretty glowing reviews, but I think they are mostly from the guys...with their different anatomy. :p

I am getting closer and closer to trying the Turbomatic. Just today, I returned the Bontrager Affinity RXL WSD (154) to my local Trek dealer. I gave that saddle 400 miles to make me happy, and unfortunately, it just couldn't deliver. Initially, I felt pressure on my girly bits, which I somewhat expected coming off of a Specialized Ruby 155. Gradually, that went away and was replaced with searing sit bone pain at around the 40-mile mark. Felt like 2 hot pokers stabbing me in both of my cheeks...yeoooowch! So, back it went and the Ruby is now back on my bike...for now. I am ever so slightly worried that the Turbomatic is approaching the "too narrow" category for me. My Ruby is a 155...the Affinity was a 154...and the Turbomatic is a 153. Not sure where I can draw the line on narrowness. Guess I'll have to try it to find out.

Linda

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Originally Posted by bluebug32

How does the Arione Donna compare the Vesta and the Aliante? I found those two to be comparable. I loved how they were T-shaped and tipped my pelvis forward, but I did not like how all of the pressure seemed to be on my soft tissue.

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I only did 1 short ride on a Vesta, but found it to be too domed and smooshy. I don't recall having chafing issues with the relief channel on that one, though, which is interesting.

Last night I had DH re-measure my sit-bones and we both get ~130mm...so I'm thinking that most of my saddle issues in the past are likely due to having a saddle that is just a hair too narrow. I ended up on the Jett 143 because my sit bones measurement puts me on their recommendation chart for that size, based upon the type of riding I do...but borderline. In hindsight I should have gone for the 155. I also am going for the Ruby (I considered the Turbomatic Gel Flow and the SSM Aspide Glamour Arrowhead, but general consensus is that they are rock hard. And I know what I'm getting with a Specialized, plus have the option to return it in 30 days if it's not a good fit), since I've long felt like the Jett may be just a hair more cushioned than I need, which likely contributes to pressure up-front.

I really think if my sit bones had been more in the 120mm neighborhood that I would have loved the Arione Donna. My one-sided chafing issues really point to my rear-end shifting off to one side and pressing soft bits against the left side of the channel. Had I been more centered on the saddle I really believe that would have been a good fit.