Bontrager women's Inform saddles now available

[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.

[Bron]

Thanks for the information about these saddles. I got a wsd RL just over a week ago and so far I like it. I can feel my sit bones, but I don't think that is such a bad thing - better than feeling the soft tissue. I haven't tried it out on a long ride yet but will report back when I have.

[Beane]

I recently bought a bontrager WSD RL saddle from someone local. I took it for a very short test ride before purchase just to make sure that the 160mm width wouldn't be way too big (I have been measured on the specialized butt-o-meter and was recommended a 143 width for road riding). It felt OK so I bought the seat.

Just took it on an ~18 mile ride and was quite comfortable the whole time. I thought the saddle looked big and squishy but it was actually nicely firm (not rock hard, not like a couch) and apparently my sit bones are wider than I thought... This may also be that I am on my slightly more upright commuter bike. In any event, the saddle seems pretty good so far and has been a pleasant surprise. I usually go for saddles with cut outs, so I was also pleasantly surprised by the complete lack of soft tissue pain.