Help needed

[Yoko]

Hi all,

I have a question about choosing a saddle that is going to be used by my girlfriend. (She doesn't understand English well, so I write for her.)

She is new to cycling, and I am considering buying her a road bike as a gift. We studied together and have pretty good understandings about the frame geometry and other fitting related considerations, but when it comes to choosing a saddle, neither she nor I have the slightest idea on which to buy. She complains that after riding on conventional saddles (i.e., saddles for males) for half an hour or so, she always get accute pain in her crotch area where a part of her hipbone comes close to her skin. From reading this forum, I got an impression that Terry Butterfly, Avocet 02 Air and Fizik Vittesse all got high remarks. The question is; which one do you recommend for my girlfriend? I lean toward Fizik because, assuming that verything being equal, it comes with great color choise that other blands do not offer. But I also know that Terry has been known for years for making good quality bikes and bike parts for women.

She is 5.1Ó, weighs 120 pounds, and we do about 3 to 4-hour ride in hilly mountainous areas.

Oh, one more point to add. We live in Japan, and here it is not so common to test ride a saddle. In fact, I cannot think of any lbs that I know of allows it. This is why your help is very crucial.

Thank you very much.

[tammy]

Based on your description of her pain, it sounds like she has very narrow hips? The Terry Butterfly works great for me, but if she has a narrow body, perhaps the Terry Fly (similar to the Butterfly, but narrower) might work for her. You could e-mail the gals at Terry - I think they may have a return/exchange policy...

[Yoko]

Tammy,

Thank you very much for your input. Yes, as you pointed out, she is slender and has narrower hips for women. She says that wider back area that women's saddles usually have doesn't help her much since her hips don't support her upper body to begin with. As a result, her pelvic bones come direct contact with a saddle and give her the pain.

We bought Fizik Vitesse, but it didn't solve the problem. Should women with narrower hips go for narrower saddles? If so, Terry Fly would be the saddle for her. But do narrower women's saddles differ from men's saddles? I wonder.

[tammy]

Yes, a lot of women with narrow hips do prefer men's saddles. My husband actually has a Terry Fly, and the main differences I see between the Fly and the Butterfly are that the Fly is narrower throughout, and also is a little bit longer.

The Terry Damselfly is also narrower (and again, longer than the Butterfly); although I haven't ridden one, when I held it in the store, it did seem a bit harder than the Butterfly and the Fly (actually in shape and hardness, it was very comparable to a Selle Italia Flite). I have tried a Flite, but after a few hours on the bike, it seemed rather hard and uncomfortable - however, the new gel ones are much better, according to my husband.

I would suggest trying a narrower man's type saddle for your friend. I really like the Terry Butterfly and Fly, but as you know, everyone's rear is different, so what works for one person may not work for another. I can only offer suggestions, the main one being that since your friend is slender with narrow hips, she might do better with a narrower saddle rather than the so-called "women's" type seats.

[tammy]

Have your girlfriend inspect the chamois on her bike shorts. A lot of them will have the chamois seam right where the thigh joins the crotch area, and this can definitely lead to irritation there. Perhaps she should switch to shorts that have a chamois with a "wing" section that extends outward from the center to cover this area where the thigh and crotch connect. Looking through my own shorts, the ones that have this extra chamois piece include the Pearl Izumi, some of the Terry models, and the Shebeest shorts with the "She-sensitive" chamois - I am sure there are others as well. It's just a small extra piece of chamois that extends out from the main portion sort of like a "wing" - and believe me, that tiny little extra cushion can really help with a situation like what you describe is occurring with your girlfriend.

I hope all this helps. Please do let me know how things work out.

[Yoko]

I see. OK, I will try a men's narrower saddle for her. I hope it works out. I am currently waiting for a new bike I bought that comes with Selle Italia Flite Gel Kevlar. Although it is not super narrow, it is narrower than most of the women's saddles. I put it on her bike and ask her to try it out. If it lessens her pain in any way, then that is the way to go.

About the shorts, I bought her a pair of Pearl Izumi cycling shorts for women, and I believe they have that "wing" section. Comparing with my pad, hers appears to be wider particularly at the part you described.

Thank you very much for your tips and suggestions. They are extremely helpfu. I will let you know how it goes.

[katie stierman]

to yoko, i have not experienced much problem in the way of bike seats, but i have found that the gel type does seem to help on longer distances.i have always favored the avocet gel seats,but most recently switched over to the selle italia flite gel that you mentioned. mainly i thought it had a better style. japan, wow, i was there visiting friend @2yrs ago, had an unforgettable time! anywat, good luck with the seat.

[jobob]

Uh, katie, I hope you don't mind my pointing out that the post you replied to is nearly 2 years old .... I'm just mentioning it in case you're expecting a reply, but it appears Yoko hasn't posted to this list since then .

It's funny how posts can be caught in a time warp

Regards, - Jo.

[katie stierman]

jo, thanks. i made that reply fairly hastily, and will try to be more aware in the future!katie

[Yoko]

Dear Katie and Jo,

Thank you very much for your replies. I really appreciate your help, and I apologize for not writing for such a long time. I bought Yoko Fizik Vittesse, and that solved her saddle sore problem. I stopped visiting this site because Yoko and I broke up about a year ago. Since she wasnÕt really a dedicated cyclist and didnÕt know what to do with the bike, I got it back and gave it to a female cycle buddy of mine who happened to fit the geometry of the bike. She loves to cycle but had never had a ÒrealÓ road bike in her life. She absolutely loved the bike, and I felt much better that the bike found a perfect person to have another life. She now lives in Tasmania, Australia and is happily exploring the region with it. She told me that the other day she met a wallaby and an armadillo while she was biking. Great. Oh, there was no saddle issue this time.

I am happily married now with a girl from California. She is a sweet and wonderful lady (except she does not ride a bike).

Thank you all again. Happy cycling!

[jobob]

Hello, friend of Yoko!

Thanks for the update.
It's nice to hear from old friends, and new ones.