Chamois lubricants--what's "safe" & where?

[sundial]

All I can say is.......OOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!!

Ok, about the saddle. Go here to read about it before you toss out your saddle: http://sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html

Next, figure out your sit bone width. A Specialized bike dealer should have a butt-o-meter you sit on and they can measure the distance between the indentions of your sit bones. Specialized offers some of the ladies saddles in 3 widths.

If you choose to try to measure it yourself, I found this worked best for me. Grap a sheet of letter size paper, find a stool or shop stool that is low to the ground, lay the paper on the stool, and sit. You'll want to lean forward enough to where your sitbones are almost perpendicular to the stool. Then take the paper with your butt impression, measure the distance between the sitbones, and this gives your dimensions for saddle width.

Now, if you start shopping Terry saddles, the site will make recommendationds as to what saddle to buy according to your goals. An all-purpose saddle means it's not as streamlined and light as a performance saddle and will be appropriate for many different activities. Performance saddles are for those who are competitive cyclists and will tend to be narrower, lighter, and more compact. Terry offers many saddles, but unfortunately they don't offer a saddle style with different widths like Specialized. I tried 2 of their saddles and found the width wasn't right for me, so I went with a Specialized.

You might want to work with your local bike shop about test driving different saddles. Some LBS will allow you to try it out for a week. Others may have you try it out in their store. Choosing a saddle takes time and don't be surprised if you have to go through several before finding the one that's right for you. I personally went through 4.

As for chamois butter, I use Chamois Butt'r and it helps considerably with reducing chafing and sore spots. I really apply it generously to the inside of my thighs, the exterior tissues, and the chamois itself--particularly where the girlie parts will come into contact with it.

Another thing that may help with saddle sores is to take frequent breaks in the saddle--either by standing on the pedals, or stopping to get a good drink and a stretch. Generally I will do this every 15 minutes as I take a good drink of water. This will allow blood flow back into your girlie parts and will really help minimize the discomfort in the saddle.

I hope this and the suggestions from the other TE members helps. Good luck and let us know what saddle you chose.