saddle hunting: have I got this about right?

[lph]

So! I ordered a new saddle today. Specialized Jett, 155 mm.

But I was soooo glad I'd done my homework, and read all the timely advice on this forum. I came into the LBS and said I'd like to look at a saddle 155 mm wide. LBS-owner looks at my narrow hips and says "No way, you don't need a saddle that wide!". And I could just look him straight in the eye and say "Oh yes I do."

I tried the Aspide Glamour Arrowhead first, but wasn't thrilled. It was wide enough in back, but the cut-out was quite narrow and the saddle felt a little domed from front to back. Basically, my soft bits in front felt squashed, even though it improved slightly when I tilted the saddle a tad forwards.

Then I tried the Jett 143, since they didn't have the 155 in. It was a bit narrow in back, but the wide cut-out was much, much better for me. I could feel pressure on the bones along the side, but not on the soft tissue. So I'm hoping the Jett 155 will be "just right"!

Funny thing: I was convinced that I needed a cut-out when I discovered that one of my dh's saddles was the exact same saddle, same width, as the one I've been riding on my road bike since last summer - except that it doesn't have a cut-out. And it KILLED me to sit on it!

[lph]

arglbarglgrmphfff Just phoned my LBS to ask nicely where the Jett 155I ordered was at, and was told that, ooohhh, lemmeseee, weeeelll, oh - they couldn't get hold of it. So why didn't they phone me to SAY SO?! That's sort of the point of my leaving my name, address and phone no. with them, not so they can phone me 6 months later when they finally get it in stock?

So now I have to go down there again and see if I can ride the Alias 155 instead *grmuble* *grumble* *mumble*.

[lph]

oooh, I got lucky anyway! Was about to go out and buy the Jett in white and pink which I really didn't want on my red and black bike, but a happy tush is worth a little clashing colour, right? And a bike buddy left me a message that he was in Copenhagen and had picked up the right saddle, in black

So I get it tomorrow, in time for my first ride with my workplace "team". I hope hope hope this works out. My sitbones and well, all the rest of it too, are aaaaaching after 75 miles, my longest ride so far! yesterday on my old saddle.

And if not, one of youse gets to buy it off me (The new saddle, not the sitbones)

[lph]

(Oh, no, here she comes again...)

Post-ride report: just rode my spanking new black Jett 155 for 83 km ('bout 50 miles), and yes, it's a lot better. The width is better, the support is better, the lack of support in front is better and it's just a nice and wellmade saddle. My sitbones are pretty bruised, but that's more from my longest ride to date on Sunday and to be expected. My soft tissue is very happily unbruised And none of that tingling, spiky, blood-circulation-being-restored feeling post-ride. My dh might even be happy about this

(Now - if only I could sort out those grumpy old guys I ride with just as easily I'd be happy. Gripe of the day was: "Today's riding was Not Good. All these mad dashes - we have to stick together like a team, and keep together up the hills". Which is fine as such, if we'd agreed to do this in advance. As it was some of us considered this a social happyride and once in a while somebody would just take off in a frenzy of biking joy and wait up later. That's what you get for trying to mix die-hard club/team riders and happy-go-lucky loners, I guess.)

But I digress

[sgtiger]

Congrats, LPH for finding your right saddle. It may be time consuming and a pain in the arse(well, there's the other areas too), but the effort is definitely worth it. I wish you many happy miles.

[lph]

Post post-ride report: weeellll - I gotta admit, the Jett is well suited to my sitbones and all that, but boy it's a HARD saddle! I'll keep at it for a while and reckon I'll toughen up, but at the moment my seatbones feel a little like two large marbles rolling around on a wooden table... But the lack of squashedness in front is still glorious, though.

And because I can't help myself - here's my baby all primped up for her first race on Thursday, in new red tires

[KnottedYet]

very pretty! She almost glows!