another rider seeking saddle advice

[Flur]

I literally just got back from buying my new bike and I had them swap out the saddle before I took it home. I measured my sit bones before I went and the outer measurement for me was 6 inches also (like you I know where mine are - I teach yoga so I better!). They had me sit on the saddle sizer and said that I should be in a 140mm saddle which is a 1/2 inch smaller than my sit bones by my measurement. I tried a 155mm saddle and that felt good but they didn't have it with a cutout and I need the cutout, so I rode home on a 144mm saddle. We'll see if it works out.... if not I'll be back in there in a few days swapping it out again.

[littlegrasshopp]

Flur, can't wait to hear how your new seat works! I will get a few from my LBS today - he's letting me test ride them for free. Helps that my husband has spent way too much of our money there

[Andrea]

I've found (during my great saddle saga), that in a "normal" saddle you can get away with something that's just a 1/2cm or so wider than the center to center measurement of your seatbones and still be supported (I'm 145mm c2c and a 150-155mm is wide enough). However, if you want a Brooks, then you definitely go with the outside to outside measurement, then look for something a cm or more wider so you won't be sitting on the frame of the saddle (personal experience- I'm 160mm o2o and got the b17, and ended up having the outsides of my seatbones on the outer rivets of the saddle!)

[mimitabby]

littlegrasshopper, that's great that your LBS is letting you try saddles. If you really never sat much, you ARE going to have to develop your "seat" so to speak. it does take some conditioning.

[ny biker]

FWIW, I went to an LBS that is a Trek dealer on Saturday, and they said that Trek/Bontrager is coming out with new saddles called "Inform" but they are not in stock yet. The men's saddles are available but the women's were delayed because they weren't happy with the original design.

They won't have a cutout.

I'm hoping they'll be available soon.

Here's a link to their site which tells about the men's saddles.

http://bontrager.com/products/road/saddles/en

[littlegrasshopp]

thanks for all the advice. I am taking a couple of days off to recover. I actually had a blister for a bit there. It's getting better. DH picked up a WTB shadow V for me to try. I'll go for a trip around the neighborhood tomorrow.

I really appreciate all the help! It was such a struggle to find a saddle that worked for me the last time around...I should have kept it when I sold the bike!

[batsheva]

my sit bones suggest a 155 saddle size but i have a liberator race i have gotten that is a dream and is 143 size. also the womens saddles i have tried many of and they were okay, but not quite right... then i sat of a boy cycling buddy's mountain bike and OMG! what a difference-- so got the same boys saddle for my road bike-- got along with it really well but decided to go for something for long road rides instead, ie. not as hard, even though it was fine-- and bought a mens terry liberator ti saddle - perfection in a saddle it is for me!!!!! all the womens ones had really wide noses and were just 'wrong' somehow-- the mens saddles are way better for me--- so they might be worth a try for some other women too-- all our anatomy is different!! :-)