speaking of saddles

[DDH]

I need help I think. I just measured my sit bones and came up with 6.5 inches. but I can't seem to find a womens saddle that wide.
Do I go to a mens saddle? Is the mens saddle going to fit and feel different than a womans saddle?

My seat now is only 6 inches and is what the bike came with, I have been riding it that way but I guess because I didn't know any better just figured that was the way it was. It's always been a little uncomfortable but nothing that would make me quit riding. I haven't been able to go on a really long ride though because my butt and other areas go numb and I just can't keep it up.
I guess when you don't know any better you just continue to deal. Reading through here I have finally come to the conclusion that a new seat is needed in the very near future.


Do any of you ride a mens saddle? besides the men on here of course. LOL

[KnottedYet]

Men's saddles are narrower. They have smaller pelvic outlets for the most part.

Welcome to the Wide Bones Club, co-chairs BleeckerStGirl and Knot.
The only saddles we've found to fit our sits are Brooks B18, B66, B67, B68, B72. www.wallbike.com gives you six months trial on any Brooks saddle, no questions asked.

With approx a 165mm sit bone width, you will want a saddle about 185mm wide at least. (to give you 1 cm of wiggle room to each side)

It's dang hard to find one that wide that ISN'T padded like a la-z-boy. Brooks B67 has made my world a better place, and I have them on two of my bikes right now, and planning to get one for my 3rd bike pdq.

(FWIW, my sits are between 170-180mm depending on how "aero" I am. The Brooks B67 and it's cohorts are 210mm wide. Unpadded leather. "T" shaped top. Bliss!)

[mimitabby]

You know you want a Brooks saddle, DDH. You deserve it. And it will look great on your bike.

[KnottedYet]

Padding can be the source of much suffering.

Oh, yeah, and MimiTabby has a Brooks that is over 30 years old and still going strong.

[KnottedYet]

This is what saddle I use: http://www.wallbike.com/B67.html

Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see a picture of a LOVELY lady who rides on a Brooks saddle!

[mimitabby]

This is what saddle I use: http://www.wallbike.com/B67.html

Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see a picture of a LOVELY lady who rides on a Brooks saddle!

smirk. i wonder who that could be

[DDH]

My husband has a brooks that I bought him for Christmas this past year. He hasn't ridden in it enough to really be a good judge but he says he likes it and that is what he has been telling me to get.

I will have to go take a look. I was just thinking a padded saddle would be more comfortable, but nothing is comfortable when my bones or hanging off the side. lol

[mimitabby]

no, padded saddles just compound the misery! go with the brooks!

[DDH]

girls, when you measure your seat bones, do you measure to the outside of them or to the center?

[KnottedYet]

Outside to outside. You want your entire sitbone to fit on the saddle (and you want 1 cm wiggle room to each side, so add extra 2 cm)

[anakiwa]

Good luck with the Brooks! I found the front part too hard and eventually had to give up on it. (If you like to ride in an upright position you'll probably be fine.)

Some other options (roughly 7" wide): Avocet O2 Air 40 (women's model), SMP Strike (women's model), and it looks like Terry has a new one- Rosie.

[KnottedYet]

I'm at 40 degrees from horizontal on my Brooks (Wahine measured me), and can get into the drops without squishing anything; but I just sat on my bike and pretended to have aero bars... eeek!

Who wants to make a gazillion bucks? Design an aero-friendly cut-out saddle without a ton of padding that is wide enough for the Wide Sit Bones Club.

Knot-doesn't-need-to-ride-horizontal-but-would-like-the-option

(and i'm giving up on hearing back from Trek, am now gonna try contacting Terry. That Rosie saddle looks like a step in the right direction)

[DDH]

my husband has a b17 that I bought him for Christmas, I wonder if I could try his on my bike for a few rides and see how I like it. I have a cut out on my bike now, but I have straight bars and I don't lean way over on my bike. I'm not straight up, maybe at 45 degrees or something.

I'm going to have to go look up the specs and see how wide the b17 is and see if I can try it. He's not been riding in a while so he wont' miss a couple days.

[anakiwa]

Who wants to make a gazillion bucks? Design an aero-friendly cut-out saddle without a ton of padding that is wide enough for the Wide Sit Bones Club.

I don't see why they haven't figured this out yet.
40 degrees ?!?

[KnottedYet]

yeah, if horizontal is "0" and straight upright is "90", I'm at a 40 degree angle. (so less than a perfect diagonal, like corner to corner in a square is perfect)

Supposedly above 45 degrees is a touring/commuting/utility position, and below 45 degrees is a racing/sport position. I ain't no racer, but 40 degrees feels right to me.

The more forward tilt (shallower) the angle of your torso, the more chance your soft bits have of making friends with your saddle.

I'm good at 40 degrees on my Brooks, and good in the drops (which puts me at maybe 35 degrees?) but boy, howdy, if I rest my forearms on the bars like if I had aerobars! OW!

I can't find the actual span of the Terry Rosie on their website. Can anyone tell me what it is?