Saddle input please!

[Owlie]

I'm looking for something with padding similar to the Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow, but a bit narrower and more T-shaped. Cutout is a necessity. My horribly unscientific method of sit-bone measurement gives me 151 plus or minus 2.58 mm. Any suggestions?

[zoom-zoom]

The Lady Gel Flow didn't work for me, either...too wide and too pear-shaped. My sit-bones are around 130, IIRC...I think the Lady Gell Flow is about 160. I'm all about the Specialized BG Jett. I'm guessing the 155 would be the size you need.

[OakLeaf]

151 mm sitbones are going to be too wide for a 155 mm Jett.

What about a Selle An-Atomica? Or, if you can tolerate a lot of padding, "recreational" or hybrid-type saddles tend to be wider (since the sitbones are spaced wider in an upright riding position).

Alternately - rather than even bothering to measure - try my method of circling your sitbone-print on a piece of paper that you can bring saddle-shopping with you. It's a lot easier to see where you might be sitting on any particular saddle and whether the slope will let it support you or not.

[kermit]

I was measured at 150 and was really at the end of all the popular women's saddles. I tried the glamour aspide with and without a cutout...meh not bad, tried the jett, no way, the ruby was good but too hard on my back. I got close with the SI lady SLR but it was a little too padded. Finally found a comfy saddle in the SI max flite. Very unisex, more for men but the cutout works better for the sensitive parts then all the others I tried. It's not your typical t-shape, and although I thought I needed t-shaped, the rounded back end is more comfy and gives me a better range of motion. Good luck, it's a long hard search. Trust me I know.
Make sure you do the measurement at the store with the ***-o-meter two or three times, I actually have uneven seat bones 70/80 from a broken hip and couldn't believe it the first two times.

[Owlie]

I keep running into issues with this. I can't tell if it really is the saddle size and shape, the cut-out shape, shorts, or just a lack of lube and all I need to do is get out that tub of shea butter.

Once I find "the spot", I'm good. It's getting me to stay there. I'm getting a bit of soft tissue discomfort, but I can't really tell if it's compression-related (it's not numb or anything) or friction (because it doesn't feel like...I don't know, mild rug burn). I've done the too-narrow saddle (stock saddle...), and this isn't what it feels like. It feels like it should correspond to the rear of the cut out, but I can't tell for sure. (I don't think, however, that the rest of my soft tissues would benefit from a cut-out-less saddle. Ouch.)

Oddly, this is a recent phenomenon, as I'd done similar distances prior to March with no real discomfort whatsoever apart from the expected sit-bone soreness from not riding. And then, BAM.

BF's mom suggested the possibility that it's a fit or adjustment issue. Possible, I guess. (I've noticed it more if I spend time in the drops and with the new pedals, although that might be because that's fresh in my memory.) Can anyone comment?

(I think I need a fitting anyway, so as soon as I can get the $$ and transport organized (LBS is 40 minutes away and I'm carless), I'm going to do that.)

[Owlie]

Update: I've been experimenting with saddle position a bit, and I think I've got it. I moved it forward about 3 mm, and a preliminary test in the worst-offending shorts I possess (it was worse in some than in others), no mashed girly bits. Not on the hoods or drops either. Yay!

However, I think this just confirmed my original suspicion on the pear/T shape. I can feel a bit of chafing, and while it may be down to the fact that I think the shorts are now a bit on the big side (seriously?), I'm really thinking it's the saddle. There's a 1.5-2 cm chunk I want to take out of either side of it.

The other thing I'm concerned about is that I felt squished, reach-wise, before I moved the saddle. I kept ending up with pain in the upper back muscles from trying to compensate. Who knows, though? I'll see how that feels after my ride tomorrow. It may well be a moot point, as this allows me to sit back.

So: similar width to the Lady Gel Flow, with a cut-out, but more T-shaped. Go.