Saddle Fit: Tests, Tips, and Tricks

[KnottedYet]

Well, we all know my opinion of Trek/Bontrager's latest "offering" in saddles from what I saw at a seminar in San Francisco earlier this year, and my further opinion after tracking down their research.... but I'm trying to be impartial.

[Andrea]

My addition:

Don't be afraid to try saddles that aren't labeled as women's saddles. Look at size, cutout/no cutout, and shape.

I've been riding for a little more than 2 years, and I've been through at least 15 saddles. There's nothing wrong with any of the saddles I tried except that my underside didn't agree with them.

[TxDoc]

My addition:
Don't be afraid to try saddles that aren't labeled as women's saddles. Look at size, cutout/no cutout, and shape.

+1
In 30 years I have never been able to ride comfortably on any saddle that was labelled as women-specific... I've always found some men saddles that were perfectly comfortable, but never a women one.

[Ana]

+1
In 30 years I have never been able to ride comfortably on any saddle that was labelled as women-specific... I've always found some men saddles that were perfectly comfortable, but never a women one.

Do you have a narrow sit bone width (just curious)? When I went into my less-than-beloved LBS, they measured me for a 130 mm Specialized saddle (the narrowest width for women. I sat on that silly oozy contraption. Does that mean they are figuring for the 1-2cm on each side of your sit bones?

What men's saddles have worked best for you?

[TxDoc]

Do you have a narrow sit bone width (just curious)?

Yes

What men's saddles have worked best for you?

Let's see, my all-time favorites are:
1-SSM Era arrowhead (124mm), LOVE LOVE LOVE that one!!! the Era is my 'travel seat', I take it with me to use with rental/borrowed bikes when I have to travel - just to make sure that my ride is going to be comfortable!
2-SI SLR gel flow (130mm), love that one too!!!
3-I just got a SSM aspide carbon superleggera a few days ago (there's a thread here in the favorite saddles with my comments about it), 130mm too, and it's really fantastic (and 120 grams!!!).
Another saddle I liked (I got to borrow it for a couple of months from a friend) is the AX lightness phoenix (125mm). The weight is like 60 grams or less, great saddle, but it was like $600 so totally out of my saddle budget!

[TxDoc]

Ooooops! I forgot one of the questions...

I sat on that silly oozy contraption. Does that mean they are figuring for the 1-2cm on each side of your sit bones?

In theory when they measure you they should give you one value and one range:
1-your sitbone width.
2-the range of saddle width that you may find comfortable given your sitbone width (a little wider, yes).

[VeloVT]

My sb's measure about 125mm. Love my 132mm Ariones. Found Fizik's "women's performance" saddle, the Vitesse HP, a bit wide, and likewise found BF's old 143mm Specialized Alias too wide in back.

My anatomy does not get on well with cutouts at all. I'm much more comfortable without one...

BF is currently riding a Selle Italia Flite Gelflow (about 130mm). It's ok, I think I'd do better on the SLR if I were going to choose a Selle Italia saddle.

[KnottedYet]

Start with a Brooks by leveling the NOSE, not the entire saddle.

The cantle (the bit at the back) will rise slightly higher than the forepart of the saddle.

Don't forget there is a cantle plate under the rear of the saddle. When you sit on the leather, it hammocks under your butt. You end up sinking a bit lower at the slightly higher rear of the saddle, essentially bringing the hammocking bit down to about the same approximate height as the nose, BUT ONLY WHILE YOU ARE ON IT.

If you level the saddle from tip-to-tail instead of at the nose only, you may end up with some pain in front.

[zoom-zoom]

Well, we all know my opinion of Trek/Bontrager's latest "offering" in saddles from what I saw at a seminar in San Francisco earlier this year, and my further opinion after tracking down their research.... but I'm trying to be impartial.

Knot, can you expand upon this, a bit? Reason I ask is that I am finding my beloved Jett is giving me fits on my new bike. I LOVED it on my relatively upright Synapse, but on my SuperSix I'm getting pinched, up front. At least I think it's my saddle. It could also be due to the tights I'm wearing over my shorts (I'm just dying for warmer weather so that I can switch to knee warmers...this is the neverending Winter here in MI). But I am suspicious that it's because I'm relatively more aero on the new bike (in addition to more aggressive geometry I now have a 2cm longer stem, which I should have had on the previous bike, too...yay, I can ride in the drops, now!).

Last night I had DH tilt the nose of my Jett down a hair, but it didn't do much to alleviate the discomforts in my girly parts, since it made me start sliding forward too much--if anything it gave me more issues, since I was struggling to keep my sit bones on the rear of the saddle and was bearing more weight on my privates, instead..

I've been eyeballing that Bontrager Inform RL saddle, since I think that dip would work better for me than a sharp cut-out. I'm also looking at the Fizik Arione Donna. The footprint looks similar to my Jett and that long channel looks like it might not pinch and jam my labial bits quite so much.


But I can't find anyone who has tried this saddle...so I am leery. Our LBS carries Fizik and has test saddles...but I'm not sure if they can get test saddles in the women's models, or not. I have only seen them in the men's styles. I can't find any evidence that Fizik offers any sort of guarantee, unlike Specialized and Bontrager.

[zoom-zoom]

Bumping for Knot's input...

[Biciclista]

bump! (that saddle does NOT look comfortable)

[zoom-zoom]

bump! (that saddle does NOT look comfortable)

In what way...I'm having a hard time finding any reviews of it (I think it's only been out for a couple of months). I'm thinking it looks like it might be really hard on the sit bones, if anything.

[Biciclista]

well, it seems to have your sit bones on the edge, and then the saddle itself is more pear shaped then T shaped.

[zoom-zoom]

I thought it looked really pear-shaped, too, but I played around overlaying it in Photoshop with a photo of a Jett 143 and the shape doesn't seem as different as I had thought. It's a mere 4mm wider at 147mm, so it's pretty close in size (I don't think my sit-bones would end up on the edge--my sit bones are somewhere in the 125 neighborhood when I use a tape measure). And apparently those flex wings are designed to crack and break-in to fit an individual rider's leg movement requirements...so maybe it wouldn't feel as pear-shaped as it might at first appear.

[KnottedYet]

Knot, can you expand upon this, a bit?

That was written a bazillion years ago in Corporate Years.

Since then Trek scrapped their sadly misguided women's saddle design and re-did the research. Now I'm quite pleased with their saddles. (I'd like to think someone found all my grousing and complaining and realized the error of their ways and any day now will head-hunt me from my current job and make me their new Saddle Goddess... but that may just be the hard cider talkin' )

If one of theirs appeals to you, go for it!

And then post a review for all of us, ok?

ETA: by "pleased" I mean that looking at the things they make a whole lot more sense than the original design. They still don't make one anywhere near the width I need, so I haven't tried one myself.