tri specific?

[Lise]

I just got a Serfas women's tri saddle. Different seat post to put me in an "aero" position during the tri, give me more power in the running muscles when I come off the bike.

I'd switched from a Terry CrMo to a Serfas saddle and was happy with it on my Bianchi Veloche. 12 mile ride yesterday with the new Serfas tri saddle, and I was shifting around the whole time to relieve pressure on soft tissue, today pretty sore over the sit bones.

Anyone else with tri saddle experiences/suggestions to share? How important is a tri-specific saddle when riding in the aero bars?

[Grog]

I have no personal experience of this but a friend of mine got a Concord-looking saddle after becoming extremely concerned with numbness (he's an Ironman type of guy, spends 5 hours on the trainer on a regular basis). He tried many seats and his standards were quite high. This Concord thing has a sloped nose in the front and the "cut-out" is actually going to the end of the saddle in the back. My SO has been looking at a similar saddle (the SLC by Selle Italia I believe) which doesn't have the sloping nose though, and the bike store guy had good things to say about it for long-distance riding, too (but he didn't mention the aero position).

Fizik also makes a tri-specific Arione, but interestingly it has no cut-out. (None of their saddle does, I think they think it's just a fad. They could be right, who knows...)

I found the Jett very comfy when I was in the drops (that's as close as I get to "aero"), unfortunately in the meantime it was biting my bum so I got rid of it. I'm still saddle-shopping so I'll ask specifically about that next time I spend an hour in a store considering different seats!!!!

[Nanci]

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/saddle06.shtml

(Of course, these are men's saddles). I am currently testing the Blackwell Flow- it actually made it out of the box and onto the bike. My first impression is- it's comfortable. It's really not fair to test it the day after a 140 mile ride. I am really interested in Balckwell's other saddle, the Adamo, that has no nose. I met two girls who do IMs who were both riding that. I got to ride it in the parking lot- it was weird but comfortable for the girlie bits but a little wider than normal, (but my Vitesse is very narrow, through the nose) but put pressure on a different area of pelvic bones than I was used to, but not necessarily in an uncomfortable way. I get almost the same sensation from the Flow.

I'd be happy to lend it to you, Lise, if you wanted to see what you thought, after I get a couple more rides in on it. I'm in no hurry to replace Vitesse, but she's getting a little threadbare- so I want to be prepared when the day comes. I don't have any specific complaints about the Vitesse, either- I think it works very well for me- I'm just having "the grass is greener" syndrome, or something.

Nanci

[Nanci]

PS- a lot of people I know, male and female, ride that Profile Tri Stryke and swear by it.

Nanci

[DrBee]

Lise - the Terry Zero X is supposed to be good for tri's. Here's the blurb from the terry site:

"Terry's lightest weight women's saddle provides a flared rear platform ideal for increased leverage on climbs and in big ring power sprints. Slightly wider rear than the Damselfly, with a larger cutaway that extends further forward. A flat overall platform and slightly wider nose increase the forward riding surface while in an aero position on the bike, making this a good choice for racing, triathlons and time trials. Vanox rails are as light as titanium and stronger so they're less prone to failure when used on a variety of seatposts. Textured leather surface with matte disks wears beautifully over time and keeps excess movement to a minimum."

I have this saddle and love it! MP suggested it - she has one (Terry Zero). It has very little/no padding, but gives good support and doesn't squish the girly bits. I haven't done a tri YET, but I'm hoping it will work! No problems in the drops anyway. And - TE sells it with a 90 Day return policy

[Nanci]

It looks pretty cool. Maybe I should try that one, too. I like the minimal padding.

Nanci