What is the best seat for a woman?

[Kano]

I started last spring on a "comfort bike" with a "Comfort" saddle. HAH! Bought a Specialized Dolce saddle, and that was a good thing for that bike. I bought a new bike this spring, and they put a Specialized "Milano" saddle on it. I rode on that one exactly ONCE on my road bike, and changed to the Dolce saddle that I enjoyed so much last year. The Milano is okay -- it's been on my comfort bike in place of the Dolce, and for an upright ride, it's doing the trick.

HOWEVER, my Dolce saddle did NOT make me happy on the road bike! My new one is still Specialized brand, it's the Ariel in a 143 width. I think it's a bit longer than the other, it's definitely a bit narrower, and it's making me happier for SURE!

What has really surprised me though in this year's quest for comfort is that the nice shorts I own are NOT as comfy this year as they were last, and the cheap "better than nothing" shorts that I wouldn't have recommended to anyone last year are the ones my bottom has been happiest in! I'm talking about the ones that REI has that I paid $20 for -- Canari brand and REI brand. What's up with THAT?????

Karen in Boise

[rapid cycler]

I went from my Trek standard-issue WSD saddle to a Terry Liberator to my current saddle and reigning champion, a Selle Italia LDY (for "lady") Gel Flow. I liked the first two OK, but I *heart* the LDY.

This is such a subjective question, because I just lent my 5200 out for an extended test ride—it's for sale—and the prospective buyer decided that the bike didn't fit her but asked if she could please, please, please buy the saddle—the Trek WSD I started with! (The answer was yes, of course, because I know how hard it is to find the perfect saddle; now I just need to decide which of the half a dozen or so other saddles we've rejected over the years will go up for sale with the 5200!)

Oh, and btw, LDYs can often be had on eBay for about $50, so they're definitely on the affordable end of quality saddles.

[Zen]

This is such a subjective question, because I just lent my 5200 out for an extended test ride—it's for sale—and the prospective buyer decided that the bike didn't fit her but asked if she could please, please, please buy the saddle—the Trek WSD I started with!

A Bontrager?
Mine was the saddle from hell.

[rapid cycler]

It actually was branded with the Trek, not Bontrager, name. Maybe an earlier model?

When I'm in an LBS that sells Trek, they almost invariably have a box heaped with discarded Bontrager saddles—it seems everybody hates them! The only miles the one on my Gary Fisher mountain bike saw were the single digits logged during my test ride; then it, too, ended up in one of those heaping boxes of Bontragers! Hey, bike companies: If you're going to load up your premium-priced rides with house-brand parts, at least put a little effort into making them rival after-market goods.