Saddle Discomfort and Lady Bits

[mimitabby]

hey you SAID you weren't going to get graphic.

The beauty of a saddle like my brooks B67 is you CAN kind of move it all to the side a bit.

[alimey]

Try the SMP saddle. It has a huge cutout - esp. the high end models. Many women say the women's model is too bulky (at the back & at the nose) - but they seem to like the men's versions.

Another alternative is the Specialized Jett - has a fairly large hole - but more importantly it's a firm saddle so you sit quite high on it (which reduces undercarriage pressure).

Finally I see there is a new model of Selle Italia saddle due for 08 (very nice, white & pink) which seems to have a big hole. I am very happy w/ the Jett - but I might just try the Selle Italia in search of saddle nirvana.

Best of luck w/ your graphic bits!

[Pax]

Have you tried the Terry Falcon X? The cut out is larger and shaped in such a way that it's very easy on the Lady Bits.

[Thorn]

If you can tolerate it, try the Selle SMP Strike. It has the widest cutout I ever found. The problem is the wide cutout comes with the cost of a wide nose (and the lady strike supports wide sitbones, too). RoadRaven has a thread on it that is relatively recent.

When I first sat on the saddle, DH made a comment to the fact that the look on my face was pure glee. Woohoo, a saddle meant to just...uh...err...get out of the way where you don't want it.

I've been eyeballing Topeak's Allay line, but it doesn't look like it is really in production yet.

I wonder sometimes how many women who stop cycling do so because they can't find a saddle that works.

[velogirl]

Equus, you are not unusual. I've met many women over the years who have more soft tissue than "normal." A combination of tight-fitting shorts, minimal chamois, and a cut-out seems to work best for this condition.

And not to drift too far, but I competed at a duathlon in November and a woman who was also racing came up to me (without knowing who I am or that I'm a cycling coach) and told me her life/athletic history, including about her labia-reduction surgery. yes, you read that right. she is an elite endurance athlete (RAAM, FC508, etc) and suffered from so much saddle discomfort that she had some soft tissue removed. the result wasn't flawless and she actually suffered some nerve damage.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

A slightly more upright riding position might take some pressure off that intimate area and put more weight back onto your butt and sit bones.

[OakLeaf]

I'm built like you, too. I'm pretty much okay with my Terry Liberator Ti Race, but it isn't completely ideal for me. I'd be interested to try something different, but I'm not unhappy enough to go through the expense and hassle. Yet.

Lots and lots of Chamois Butt'r, minimalist chamois (spin shorts work better than road shorts for me), and keeping the hair trimmed really short.

[Brandy]

I'm right there with you anatomically and have had endless saddle issues that I just tolerate and deal with. I just switched to a Terry Butterfly and it's been the best fit for me so far, but I'm still not without some discomfort.

[salsabike]

Yes, me too. How frustrating.