Saddles not supporting the sit bones - what to try next?

[ny biker]

I'm not sure where to go from here. My old saddle was very comfortable, but I wore it out and it's not manufactured anymore. It was a Juliana, made, I think, by Wylder. It was pretty t-shaped, about 155mm wide, and the "crossbar" of the T was pretty substantial. I think it was designed for mountain biking, although I used it on my road bike, too. Here are some photos:

https://picasaweb.google.com/bowmand...laceThisSaddle

The problem I'm having with most of the new saddles I have tried is that I am not being supported (enough) by my sit bones. There's too much weight on the bones in front of them and between my legs (I think the rami?), leaving me feeling very sore at the top/insides of my legs. I am not having problems with chafing.

My sit bones are about 135 mm from outside to outside. I have tried various Bontrager Inform women's saddles, including a few different widths, to no avail. I did ride the Inform Evoke (155mm) for several months last summer, just because I needed something on my bike.

http://bontrager.com/model/08749

Next I tried the SSM Aspide Glamour. I think the size and shape of this saddle is close to what I need, but it is way. too. hard. Painful from the first minute I started to ride it. But more of my weight seems to be on my sit bones with this saddle.

http://www.amazon.com/Selle-San-Marc.../dp/B000O8BECQ

Now I'm trying a Selle Italia saddle that I bought used at a non-profit bike shop. All I know about it is that is says "Ldy" on the nose and it has a channel down the middle rather than a cutout. I haven't found anything similar online, so I guess it's an older version of the SI Lady Gel Flow. It's also about 155 mm.

http://www.wekeepyoucycling.com/en/p...ow-saddle.aspx

So far I've used it for one 30-mile ride. It was better than the Bontrager Evoke, but still left me sore in the wrong places. I will try it again this weekend -- I think it was a bit too far forward before -- but I don't think this will solve the fit problem with this saddle. It is the best so far, but still not ideal.

So, does anyone have ideas on what to try next? Has anyone concluded that that Aspide Glamour was too hard, but the FX version did have enough padding? I've been avoiding Specialized saddles because I don't want a cut-out, but is there one I should try anyway? Something else?

Any thoughts are hugely appreciated. Thanks!!

p.s. I have what I think it is a non-aggressive position on my bike -- saddle is about level with the handlebars, and my hands are always on the hoods or the tops, not in the drops. All of the Bontrager saddles were positioned on my bike by the fit guy/manager of the LBS. I put the Aspide Glamour and Selle Italia in the same position relative to the stem and bottom bracket.

[nscrbug]

You mentioned trying several Bontrager Inform saddles...but have you tried the newer Bontrager Affinity WSD saddles? It comes in an R, RL, and RXL version...depending on how much padding you desire. No cut-out, just a channel down the middle similar to the Inform. Other than that, I don't know how it differs from the Inform saddles, but maybe it's worth a look.

[OakLeaf]

The saddle I've been coveting is the SI Turbomatic, which comes both with and without a cut-out.

Oooh, looky, SI now provides technical drawings of all their saddles! Now I've got to go back and compare the measurements I did of my Jett, to see whether the Turbomatic really is more T-shaped...



The SLR is too narrow for you (or me), but when I hit the front page of SI's site, there was a big splash touting the fact that they'd redesigned the SLR with a narrower nose, while leaving the 131mm rear the same. Maybe they have more T-shaped saddles in the pipeline for other saddles in their line ... we can hope!

[Biciclista]

you haven't tried Brooks?

[sundial]

I found that Brooks saddles offer ample support. Another option is Specialized saddles that come in 3 widths.

[ny biker]

I tried the Affinity, once, for about 3 minutes, but it hurt so I went back to the Evoke. I also tried the original Inform RL WSD, in all 3 widths, when they first came out. The widest was the least painful, but it was still unrideable.

I have not tried Brooks. I have no idea which Brooks, if any, might be worth trying. I also worry that they would cause soft tissue pain, since there is no channel in the nose.

I have not tried Specialized because they all have cutouts. Has anyone found a Specialized saddle to be comfortable even though they previously had problems with saddles that had cutouts?

And I guess the big qustion is -- I don't know what shape I'm looking for, because I don't know why I have pain between my legs if the saddle is wide enough for my sit bones.