Men's vs. Women's specific saddles

[Livin the Dream]

I recently bought a Trek Pilot 1.0 and have been riding with the stock saddle - a Bontrager men's saddle. I haven't experienced any pain (my longest single ride so far was 22 miles). But, I thought I could be more comfortable. I took the bike to the LBS last night for a few adjustments. He gave me a Bontrager CRZ Women's Specific saddle to try. From my web search, it looks like this is the stock saddle for some Women's specific bikes.

Well, the men's Race Lux seat that came on the Pilot was heaven compared to this women's specific saddle. I rode 7 miles and my rear end is NUMB! I could not wait to get off the bike -- DH has already switched back to the other saddle.

The women's saddle had more padding and was about 2 inches wider.

My question(s)-- do most of you use women's specific saddles or do men's saddles work for some of you? What causes the numbness? Could it be that the saddle is too wide? Too padded?


I'm not convinced that I'm going to stay with the stock saddle, but I don't know where to begin to narrow down my choices. I've read through a number of saddle threads -- and there is so much information there that I'm confused Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I ride 100 miles a week on my UNPADDED Brooks leather saddle with no pain or numbness. The one time I rode a heavily padded saddle (on a borrowed bike) I was in agony after an hour and completely numb after two hours. It was awful!!!
Sometimes if you wear chamois that are too thick you can get numb too. Too much padding can be very painful especially on longer rides.

I think some women's saddles are designed by men with the idea that women just ride to the corner store and back on "comfort bikes" and want to feel like they are riding on a pillow. For myself, I have found that pillows hurt.

Hopefully you can go back to the more painless saddle you had before?

[KnottedYet]

Too much padding also makes me numb. Like Lisa, I ride on unpadded Brooks saddles. But mine have SPRINGS under them. (Brooks B67)

At least now you know that too much padding is uncomfortable for you. Go back to the saddle you had before, and keep searching. You are lucky in that you have a decent saddle to use as you continue hunting down the best fit.

You say you think you could be more comfortable. What do you want to be more comfortable? What's your least favorite thing about your current saddle?

(BTW, don't get hung up on women's vs men's saddles. Whatever works for you is the best, regardless of label!)

[Grog]

My sweetie and I ride on the same saddle (well, we have one each!): Selle Italia SLR Gel Flow. Very little padding. We both like it.

I tried only one women-specific saddle and it didn't do it for me... I think it should be a you-specific saddle, that's all.

To be totally honest with you, I think I could be "more comfortable", but I have no pain, and no discomfort, especially compared to many other saddles I have tried. Going back in the saddle market terrifies me, so I have settled. Maybe there is one that would be better out there, but I'm not going to go through this again. Sure my bottom is sore after four hours in the saddle. But it's also sore after four hours on my office chair.

If your saddle is fine, you might want to keep it for a while. You might want to have your butt measured (lots of info on this in the Saddles thread), and sit on other people's saddles to give yourself an idea.

Good luck!!

[LBTC]

Way back when I tried lots of saddles on my mountain bike - on the trainer. The LBS was very nice to loan me half a dozen.

The absolute worst one was the one with the most padding.

At the time, the best one was a stinking huge downhill saddle, with very little padding and a lot of surface.

Then I found my Juliana. The saddle she came with (a Juliana, which I don't think they make anymore) is a racing saddle with ti rails and limited, but formed, padding. Yes, not all women's saddles are overly padded. I've tried a number of other ones, ladies and mens, and like this the best for the mountain bike. But she feels awful on my road bike!

On that I have a Saddleco flo. It's an unusual design that has a tensile fabric, so it's like sitting on a hammock. If your sit bones were not in the right place, though, it may be uncomfortable because of the hard plastic outside...

Anyway, it is a men's saddle, but a bit wider than the average men's saddle, and a bit narrower than the average women's saddle. Probably why I like it.

Not sure if I helped, just thought I'd let you know my own experience.

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[Livin the Dream]

Thanks for your insight and suggestions! You've helped me confirm what my rear end was telling me last night.

By "could be more comfortable", I meant that by rear is tired and ready for a break after an hour or so. A few minutes of walking a stretching, and I'm fine to get back on the bike. The discomfort goes away very quickly. Good point, Grog, about a sore butt also after sitting in an office chair.

After last night's experience, I'm wondering if I just need to give myself more time to adjust from my hybrid seating position to the road bike seating position and to adjust to riding longer distances before experimenting with more saddles. I certainly know what UNCOMFORTABLE is now and can live with the other saddle for a while.

[Torrilin]

If a long ride is uncomfy and you don't habitually do long rides, the discomfort is probably due to the unfamiliar activity. If a long ride is uncomfy and you're developing problems like chafing, saddle sores or other medical issues, then it's fair to blame the saddle (or seam rub, or elastic rub...).

It sounds like your current saddle is Good Enough, so getting used to long rides on it is a good goal . Might be good to take your breaks *before* your rear is tired and needs it desperately. I find with repetitive activities, my body is a lot happier if I take breaks before it's urgent.

[indigoiis]

I just switched to a WTB not-very-padded She Sport. I love it. It is not "flared" at the back, and it has very little padding, and lots of "support" (two nice bumps to push on the sit bones and a channel in the middle.)

Then I test rode a very expensive nice bike on Sunday that had that Bonreger women's specific saddle and I HATED IT.

I think narrower, no to little padding, is a good thing. Who knew?

[SalsaMTB]

My advice...if you have a saddle that is comfy and not causing any problems, leave it!! It's tough to find a comfy saddle. Mine is a rock hard men's saddle that is no longer made, so I'll be searching soon for a replacement

Try increasing your time in a saddle. On longer rides, I find it nice to stand up occasionally to stretch my legs and use different muscles. If you increase mileage and find some new problems with the saddle, then maybe look for something new.

[SJCzar]

My last bike had the stock Bontrager men's saddle on it and I thought it was alright. Many people that I saw riding the same bike as me had changed out the saddle because they had found it very uncomfortable (both men and women).

My new bike has a WTB women's on it and I really like it much better. My rear end has never been sore or numb. I have done a number of centuries on it and my butt doesn't feel the difference between 20 miles or 100 miles of riding.

[Grog]

By "could be more comfortable", I meant that by rear is tired and ready for a break after an hour or so. A few minutes of walking a stretching, and I'm fine to get back on the bike. The discomfort goes away very quickly.

You know, I've been cycling intensely for three years on the road, and it's only recently that I've become capable of spending more than 1-2 hours in the saddle without stopping. Last year I could do it but I really didn't like that. This year I went for a few 2-3-ride, came home, and realized I had barely unclipped the whole time, and never been off my bike during the whole time. I still prefer stopping and stretching a few minutes every hour, it's healthier I think...

[Grog]

Mine is a rock hard men's saddle that is no longer made, so I'll be searching soon for a replacement

Search no more!
http://sheldonbrown.com/real-man.html

[Livin the Dream]

Search no more!
http://sheldonbrown.com/real-man.html

LOL!! That's a good one! But I'll bet that saddle is more comfortable than the one I had on my bike last night. Back to the stock saddle tonight and I feel much better!

I am discovering more and more that I have LOTS to learn to get the most enjoyment out of cycling and I so appreciate all of the wisdom and experience that the contributors to this board are willing to share.