saddle advice for my gf?

[celerystalksme]

so i my gf finally got a bike! yay! it's a marin san rafael...sort of a hybrid style bike. we went for our first semi-lengthy ride yesterday...25 miles. and i guess the seat is not quite comfy. she complained that her sit bones hurt...and also that her, uh, girly part hurt. lol she also didn't like how the seat dips down in the middle so much...

she wants a comort style saddle...sort like the one she has now...with springs underneath if possible.

any ladies have some advice for where we can begin our saddle search?

thanks!

[KnottedYet]

A lot of us ride Brooks B67 (springs) and Brooks B68 (no springs).

Don't bother with the "women's" B67-S and B68-S. "S" stands for "short", and they are a bear to deal with as the nose and rails are so very short.

Wallingford Bicycle Parts gives you six months trial on Brooks saddles.
www.wallbike.com

If you do a search here on TE for "Brooks" you'll find a lot of discussion on the fit women experience with the various Brooks models.

And there's nothing wrong with putting a Brooks on a hybrid. I had a B67 on my Kona Dew and Kona Smoke. (and B67 saddles on both my cyclocross bikes.) Springs are so nerdy that they are cool. If she really wants springs, tell her to go for it!

[VeloVT]

Just out of curiosity, why does she want a "comfort" saddle? If you guys are going to be doing a lot of riding and longer rides, then ironically, a "comfort" saddle may not be the most comfortable choice. Unless she has ridden a lot and has determined through experience that a "comfort" saddle is the best choice for her, it might be wise for her to be open to the possibility of trying some saddles that may not LOOK quite as comfortable, but may feel much more comfortable in the long run.

a few thoughts though:
--don't assume padding = comfort
--beware of salespeople who try to tell you that all women need cutouts. this is not true. some women find that cutouts improve comfort quite a bit, but for others (like me) they just create more problems and are best avoided.
--especially if you are looking at "comfort" saddles, beware of too-wide noses. they will likely cause chafing. ouch. also, again if you are looking at comfort saddles, beware the extreme, "tractor-seat" wide saddles -- that won't be comfortable for long or vigorous rides.

Good luck!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I totally agree with KnottedYet.

Just remember that it's not unusual to have sitbone soreness during a long ride on ANY new saddle. Sitbones do indeed adjust to each saddle and that soreness is likely to go away after a few rides.
The pain further front however, on the "girly parts" so to speak, is something that needs to be eliminated in one way or another. Could mean a different saddle is in order, or a less padded saddle, or sometimes tipping the saddle a different way will help. Sometimes raising handebars will get some pressure off the front pubic area by getting you slightly more upright. Keep in mind that often the more padding there is, especially up front, the more pressure of the padding pushing back against sensitive soft parts. The most painful saddle I ever rode was a big puffy foam "comfort" saddle....YIKES, THE PAIN! I finally went blessedly numb by the end of the ride.
To be the most comfortable, you want your weight on your sitbones.

I ride a B68 Brooks by the way. No padding, very comfy on long rides.

[SadieKate]

...and also that her, uh, girly part hurt. lol she also didn't like how the seat dips down in the middle so much...

she wants a comort style saddle...sort like the one she has now...with springs underneath if possible.

Good advice below but I'll add a bit. Frequently women complain about their soft tissue hurting because they don't have it centered up in that dip in the saddle. They're sitting too far forward or back (usually the first); move the saddle as necessary to get this centered under her (or have the shop fit it to her).

Typically, Marin puts WTB women's saddles on their hybrid bikes which are way too short front to back like those Brooks' models KnottedYet talks about. If it is a new bike, go back to the LBS and see if you can trade the saddle for something equally wide, but longer. And make sure she has quality bike shorts. DO NOT SKIMP ON BIKE SHORTS!

Better to put the padding in the shorts and use a firm saddle than the other way around. If the saddle is the right width, bruising of the sit bones will go away with regular riding.

[OakLeaf]

move the saddle as necessary to get this centered under her

I tried this after being advised to do so (by a guy of course), and all it did was wreck my KOPS and give me foot and leg cramps. My experience is that fore/aft saddle position will not change rider position on the saddle; that's determined by anatomy and handlebar height. In my case, I was sitting too far forward on the saddle for a simple reason: it was a pear-shaped saddle, and I need a T-shaped one. My thighs were forcing me forward onto the nose.

[NadiaMac]

As noted by others, it can take a while for a new rider rump to get used to any saddle.

Was she wearing cycling shorts (with no undies)? If not, this should really help.

Cushy padded saddles are not necessarily more comfortable. I am personally most comfortable on an extremely minimal saddle. It's really a matter of individual anatomy and sit bone shape.

[kie_fujo]

Is my specialized avatar. I got the men's version and it has been the best $65 I spent. I was having numbness issues "up front" and this saddle completely eliminated it.

[ridebikeme]

Lots of good advice here! You might also check with your LBS..many shops offer a demo program where she can try several models until she finds something that she likes.

Have fun

[SadieKate]

I tried this after being advised to do so (by a guy of course), and all it did was wreck my KOPS and give me foot and leg cramps. My experience is that fore/aft saddle position will not change rider position on the saddle; that's determined by anatomy and handlebar height. In my case, I was sitting too far forward on the saddle for a simple reason: it was a pear-shaped saddle, and I need a T-shaped one. My thighs were forcing me forward onto the nose.

But that's not always true. Frequently, people will move to sit on the saddle where it is comfortable and not understand what it does to their position otherwise.

I can set my saddle dead-on just by paying attention to my position and putting the saddle under me in the right spot.

[SadieKate]

I tried this after being advised to do so (by a guy of course), and all it did was wreck my KOPS and give me foot and leg cramps. My experience is that fore/aft saddle position will not change rider position on the saddle; that's determined by anatomy and handlebar height. In my case, I was sitting too far forward on the saddle for a simple reason: it was a pear-shaped saddle, and I need a T-shaped one. My thighs were forcing me forward onto the nose.

I was thinking more about this. If the saddle is right for you, you don't move with the saddle. You maintain position and move the saddle under you. Sometimes, you simply can't be sure the saddle is wrong unless you are sitting where you are supposed to on the saddle. The human body is such an incredibly adaptable thing and each of us adapt differently -- without neccessarily the best result for the purpose.