Bontrager women's Inform saddles now available

[tzvia]

The search for THE saddle is never ending with me. So I bought the RXL in 154 after a sitting on the sit-bone thing measured me as wide boned. Looks well made, but as it's been raining, I've only rode on the trainer with it. Let me start by saying, I like firm saddles with just enough padding to prevent soreness from the jarring of our imperfect roads. Been riding an Aspide Glamor and like it, but the shell flexes a bit much for my taste; if it were stiffer, I would just buy one in white and be done with it.

The first 5 minutes on the Bontrager were uncomfortable. The sit bones complained - pressure points. Then it stopped being a pain. The next 40 minutes were ok. On the next several trainer 'rides' it did not feel comfortable or uncomfortable; it was just there. Granted, I use a cheap pair of FOX Lycra shorts with minimal padding on the trainer and even the Aspide feels less comfortable than when I am on the road. Hopefully, today will remain rain-free so I can really give it a shake-down ride.

I have been looking for a sub 200 gram saddle that fits women and is designed for performance and not for a beach cruiser and frankly, there's not much out there. If this saddle feels good on the road I will be thrilled.

[tzvia]

Finally got out to ride a bit between the raindrops yesterday. Not a very long ride- with the rain threatening the whole time, and having to walk through some muddy areas with lots of tree branches. The saddle was a lot like it was on the trainer. At first I thought "oh gosh, this was a mistake..." and a few minutes later it was fine. After a few more minutes I stopped thinking about it and just rode the bike and enjoyed the rain-cleaned air. It is definitely stiffer than the Aspide, and really supports me well but does not create any pressure anywhere even without a center hole or channel. It's still to early to tell, with just one ride outside and not a very long one, but it looks promising. If you are looking for the living room couch, it's not for you, but if you want a lightweight performance saddle for wide sitbones it is worth a try and besides, it has that 90 day return...

[Andrea]

I was taking a look at the Inform saddles... just to clarify, the one that I was trying and did not like b/c of too much padding is the WSD saddle with the soft tissue "dent." I think the one that Tzvia is using is the unisex version- which I have not tried because I'm convinced that I need soft tissue relief of some sort

If the WSD one was less padded like the unisex one, I'd probably go for it

[tzvia]

Yes Andrea, I think it is the unisex one. As it is available in wide sizes I thought I would try it. Yes it has no 'dent' or channel. But the center area is a softer but supportive material. I actually like it. On saddles with a cutout/channel, the middle has nothing holding me up and the edge of the channel becomes a pressure point. Like all my weight is concentrated there. That bothers me, so I stay away from saddles with holes. My MTB saddle is the WTB Diva, which feels fine in the dirt, but if I ride it on the pavement, I can feel the pressure from the edge of the channel; it actually hurts. Thankfully I found out it was no good on the road before I bought one for my road bike.

Well, rain again tomorrow and Sunday. I hope it clears up enough for me to get a few hours of riding in.

[tzvia]

Update on that saddle-the RXL is awesome! I've been able to ride quite a bit on the road and on the trainer, and it seems to get better with every ride. I don't know if it is 'breaking in' or if it's my rear that is getting used to it, but it feels firm and supportive without hurting even after several hours. I don't miss the center channel at all, and as it's only slightly curved, it is easy to shift from the nose to the back, and center myself as I ride without feeling lumps and bumps and craters. Granted, it's not for everyone; some people want cushion, or holes or whatever, but it may not be needed if the saddle supports your frame correctly to begin with. The trick is finding one that does that. Now let's see if it holds up with lots of use... The days are getting longer and soon it will be light enough to ride when I come home from work.

[bike4ever]

I had my first ride on my Inform RXL size 150 today. I need to tweak it a little, but I didn't have any issues. I went with Bontrager since we sell these and it would be easier to sell if I ride one.