saddle and shorts

[kgorrell]

Here is more specific information if anyone has had similar problems or has additional suggestions on a saddle that might work:

The specialized ariel seems to be the most comfortable so far and it feels like if it were a little wider in the back, a little narrower in the nose, and a little firmer it would be perfect (is that too much to ask?). The lithia does look like a possibility and I will try to give it a try before giving up on Specialized saddles. As far as the pain on my sits bones, it seems to be on the inside where I'm having trouble. It feels like something wider in the back would solve that problem. All the saddles I've been trying have been cutouts which I'm not sure I necessarily need in a saddle. I feel like the ruby and the alias were way too hard and something with firm padding would be ideal (the ariel is a little too cushy).

Anyway, I'm going to try to test out the Lithia and if that doesn't work then I'm not really sure what I'll do next.

Thanks to all those who have offered suggestions and input.

[VeloVT]

Don't know what your reaction to the Arione was, but if you sort of liked some things about it, you might think about trying the Fizik Vitesse. It is wider in back (150 mm or 155, I forget), has much more of a "t" shape than the Arione (narrower nose, more abrupt flare at the back), but is nice and firm. My bf has a 2007 Specialized Alias that neither of us like, it has "corners" that you run into at the rear -- although the Vitesse has a "t" shape, the transition is smooth and comfortable.

The Vitesse is a women's saddle -- it came stock on my new bike -- after riding it for a while I have decided I actually prefer the Arione, but not because the Vitesse is uncomfortable for any reason, I just like how easy it is to "slide around" and ride in different spots comfortably on the Arione -- the Vitesse is more of a traditional "find the sweet spot and stay there" shape.

Good luck!

Edit: here is a link to the Vitesse on Fizik's website -- if you look for the little, teeny-tiny numbers beneath the picture, there are three different views, so you can get a better idea of the overall shape:
http://www.fizik.it/catalog.aspx?sub...HP_winglex_top