sore butt

[betty]

thanks for all the tips. today i bought emily's suggestion ,Performance Women's Contour Forte . it looks smaller than the bontrager but i am curious
to try out this cut out. she traded in her terry butterfly for this so that inspired me. at this point my butt feels bruised so just sitting on the saddle in store didn't tell me a thing. the store manager just said you just need LOTS more ride time. wierd, he seemed to think cut outs were just for MEN! what's with that.
to reply to someone's post does it have to be to their e mail or how do you do
it in general
sorry being a newbie is humbling

[CyclChyk]

the store manager just said you just need LOTS more ride time. wierd, he seemed to think cut outs were just for MEN! what's with that.

Thats rather ironic because a gentleman who owns a bike shop in Columbia, SC informed me that the cut out was designed for WOMENS comfort, and nothing to do at all with men. Yes some men prefer cut outs, but........
who to believe?? Who knows. I just know what works for me.

I was measured by said man on an "assometer" that he specifically designed. As I was having issues with pain of my second seat, a Serfas Niva, we found it was actually too wide and I needed a sharper tapering of the nose. I selected the Selle Italia Lady.

The first two days I was skeptical. Having been so used to the squishy gel of the Serfas, I now was VERY AWARE of my sit bones. BUT.... I am sooo loving my Selle now. No pain anywhere!!

My point?? It will take you some time to find the saddle for you. You will find post upon post here regarding that very subject.

First and foremost tho, make sure your seat height, tilt, position, etc work for you. All of that can affect how the seat feels. True ride time will "callous" your bum so that you are less susceptible to pain, but you definaly need a saddle that agrees with all the important parts.

[emily_in_nc]

Hi Betty,

Make sure to give the Performance Contour several rides before you decide "yay" or "nay". Every new saddle is going to feel different and may require some sit-bone break-in time. The LBS guy was right that more saddle time will definitely help with "newbie butt pain", but that said, it should be getting better and better, not worse, over time as you ride more miles. And Bontrager saddles are notorious for being ouchies, as others here have said. I test rode a bike with one a couple of summers ago and could hardly bear it for 5 miles -- and I'd ridden several centuries on a Terry Butterfly.

If the Performance Contour ends up not being right for you, you may well like the Terry Butterfly; it's very popular. But I think the Contour is very comfy, and it's so cheap that it's worth a try, anyway, before you start trying the pricier saddles. Some women here go through 10+ saddles before finding "the one", but hopefully you don't have to do that.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

Emily