Bontrager women's Inform saddles now available

[ny biker]

I just got an email from my LBS manager telling me the Inform women's saddles will be in store tomorrow.

I know Bontrager saddles generally have a bad rep, but I'm curious to see what all their research has led to. So I plan to check them out. There is a 90-day comfort guarantee.

Of course the timing is not great for me right now since I've been training all summer for a 70 mile ride that will take place in just over two weeks and I don't want to mess with a new saddle until that is over. So I will try the new saddle starting in late August/early September (maybe for the Civil War Century?).

But if anyone is saddle shopping right now and they want something without a cut-out, this might be worth looking at. They come in different widths and a Trek dealer should have a measurement device to determine which width is recommended for your sit bones.

The background on their research is here:

http://bontrager.com/inform

They still list the Inform saddles under "Men's/Unisex" but maybe that will be updated soon.

(No I don't work for Trek or Bontrager, I'm just intrigued by their research and willing to give it a try. )

[mimitabby]

very interesting. the inform RL comes in 3 sizes. the R model looks like a torture device.

I hope someone tries one of the bigger sizes out soon, I am most curious to hear what they are like. (and they do have a nice narrow nose)

[mayanorange]

Very interesting..... my little biomech mind likes to see dots and force graphs!

"One interesting result of this pressure mapping was the realization that the highest points of pressure do not correspond to the sit bone structure; cyclists do not sit on their sit bones."

This is sort of what I was thinking on my last ride- trying to find where I belong on a road bike still- and whenever I thought 'wait, I have to sit on my sit bones', I'd tuck my butt under and be really uncomfortable. Instead, I wanted to tip my pelvis forward a bit (this of course makes me remember that my current saddle squishes my girly bits, but that's another issue). I can't even imagine actually sitting on your sit bones in the drops and sure enough, they're graphs in the drops show the huge increase in pressure, especially in the ladies, when you go into the drops. Also, I still think the sitbones should be supported even though we're not always right on them. My only question from this would be is the SMP design more what we need- the pressure seems to be all centrally located, maybe because we have round pelvises and saddles tend to be flat?? I'd LOOOOOVE to see similar graphs from Selle on the SMP to see if they get a more even distribution of force in the entire 'cup' shape. They have quotes that it proves good circulation, but don't show the pressure proof.... which usually means it isn't there. I'm very intrigued nonetheless as a biomechanist and as someone who hates their current saddle!

PS- there's an article in last month's Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise journal that has similar pressure data from a Bontrager Race and Fizik. If anyone wants to see it, email me and I'll send you the pdf- it's one of those journals that requires a subscription so I can't just link to it.

[Fujichants]

I bought one of these saddles today...I will post a review after a couple of long-ish rides. I got it in the 154 mm after being fitted on the Bontrager measurement thing.

I must say...it looks really nice, and I got a lot of compliments on it already. But it also looks like it is going to hurt. I'll let you guys know!

[Fujichants]

NEVER MIND. The store sold me a men's one! I am going back there tomorrow to order the women's one. Seriously...GRRR this frustrates me.

[Zen]

I was just at my Trek dealer today and bought a Terry Butterfly.
He never mentioned these.
I guess he knows how I feel about Bontrager saddles

[ny biker]

I'm planning to go in tomorrow to have my butt measured and pick out a saddle. I've got a couple of short (20-30 mile) test rides planned for this weekend and if they go well I'll test it on the Civil War metric next weekend.

[maxattack]

I have been trying to find a saddle I don't hate for longer than I can remember. Bought a Bontrager RL inForm, tried the 140 and now the 150 (in between sizes). First 5 minutes it hurt. After that, I didn't notice it at all, and thought YEE HAA, finally found The One! Then it started hurting my sit bones. Depending on which shorts I wear, this happens every time (earlier or later into the rides). I really want to like this saddle — no pressure at all in front, and the shape is great for me. But my stupid wimpy sit bones are killing me.

I've had this problem with several saddles. I seem to have nothing but skin between my bones and the saddle (this can't possibly be true...). Any suggestions? I'm thinking of trying the R model (more cushion it says).

[tzvia]

Maxattack,
I hear you on that one. I am 'apple' shaped (working on that-lost almost 40 lbs already) and I have no rear. All my fat is around the waist and on the underarms and there is nothing padding my behind. Took forever to find a saddle. I found the soft ones let me sink in, which sounds nice on paper, but without support it hurt a lot. The RXL I finally tried (see my post in this thread if you haven't already) is very thinly padded and hard and slightly radiused side-to-side. It took some 8 rides to get comfortable. I don't know how much you have ridden your RL, but if it has only been a few rides, keep at it unless it is really unbearable. If you need more cushion, are you using good shorts? I can feel the difference between my cheap Fox shorts and my good Specialized ones. Good shorts are worth every penny.

Also make sure that your seat hight, fore-aft and tilt (should be level) are set correct.

[maxattack]

Hey tzvia, congrats on the 40 lb weight loss, that is fantastic! I am very impressed.

I do use very nice shorts, and you're right, it can make a huge difference, sometimes more than the saddle I think. The brand I have that has a slightly thicker chamois allows me to go longer before the pain starts, but the pain still starts! It's still early season for me (was snowing at my house again this morning, ick), so I haven't given it more than a few rides. Wondering how many I need to do before I throw in the towel on this saddle.

I'll look into the RXL...

[Kelly728]

After some ups and downs in the saddle hunt, I'm hesitant to say I found "the one". I purchased the WSD RL version today in the 160mm size. I knew I had some wide sit bones but . So far, so good. I took it out on a very short 5 mile ride just to play and it felt great. I liked having that support under the bones. Surprisingly, as a previous lover of the cutout, the lack of cutout worked very well. Absolutely NO pressure in the girly bits. I'll report back when I can get out on a longer ride with the new saddle.

[tzvia]

I finally bought another Inform, this time the RL Unisex (I'm not convinced that all that padding on the WSD models makes them more comfortable-it's been just the opposite for me.) It's for my MTB and replaces a WTB Diva Carbon which was an ok saddle till I lost weight. You would think- "get a more-padded saddle" but the Inform Unisex has very little and is the most comfortable saddle I have tried in over 20 years. Rode it several times and it feels just like my road saddle (hollow Stainless rails instead of the TI on the RXL.) All that bounding over rocks and roots- and I feel nothing painful.

Moral of the story? Sometimes more IS less- if the padded jobs are uncomfortable, try something with less padding...

And it's great that it has a 90 day return if you are unsure it will work out.