SI Diva Gel Flow

[Catrin]

Could be the shorts shifting around and chafing (which could be that they're too small, too large, or just the wrong shape); could be the saddle is too wedge-shaped (see, I don't say "pear" any more ) and pushing you forward of the cut-out. I'm inclined to think it's more the shorts, if you're not noticing a problem until you're off the bike. This might be the time to try a dab of lubricant, only on the area that's bothering you, if you're not using any yet.

If it's saddle tilt, it's more likely that the nose is too high rather than too low, especially if you're not noticing extra weight on your hands.

Thanks for the idea - I did not think about my shorts chafing me - and there was no discomfort at all during the actual ride (unlike my Brooks). I did not use any lubricant at all this morning, so will try that next time and see if that helps. In a couple of weeks am going to finally pick up some bib-shorts - and while the price makes me want to stick with PI, I think that I want to try another brand.

I am not noticing any extra weight on my hands or anything, and can move around just fine on the bike.

I still don't know what shape the Diva Gel Flow is but it doesn't look/feel wedge/pear shaped to me.

[Catrin]

Hmm. I tried this saddle with similar results. I've got it listed under 'for sale' now!

I also had pretty bad chafing all around the area you describe, as well as pain. It felt okay while riding. Standing up afterward and the recovery time were a big problem.

How wide are your sit bones? Mine are 125 mm from point to point, with an outside distance of 160mm. I concluded that the cutout was so wide in the back that the inside edges of the sits were 'falling' into the cutout from both sides. So, it was more like sitting on something only as wide as the cutout. The bones just weren't supported.

I understand how you feel. I wanted to like this saddle too, but I think it requires someone with both a wide distance point to point, and full clearance of the actual cutout.

FYI, I just got a men's Specialized Toupe 143 from my LBS.

It's amazing so far. I can't even feel it! It's almost ridiculously thin.

It sounds like it might be different for me - I have no problems with walking or recovery afterwards, it was just that one spot that got chafed - but what a spot to chaff

The jury is still out though - I've a 40 mile ride planned for Saturday morning plus whatever work and the weather will allow me to get in before then. I will see if lubrication will help and see what I feel like after the 40 mile ride.

[Catrin]

Good Luck!

Thanks! This is a demo saddle, so it is great to be able to try it out for a couple of weeks. It sounds like my sit-bones might be more narrow than yours at 110mm - but I have never been confident with that measurement. It came from a fitter who has since turned out to have been incorrect on other things. Don't know how he could have gotten this wrong though - regardless I want to measure myself again.

I know the sit bones are supported because I can feel them on the saddle - they got sore

[Catrin]

Thanks for telling me of your experiences with the saddle. The 40 mile ride Saturday will be the real test of the Gel Flow- though it did fine Saturday with the 34 miles. It was the 25 miles on Monday where there was a little chafing - which had me wondering. One more weekend and we will see...

[Catrin]

Thankfully my LBS tests saddles, but of course not all brands. They also test Fisiks (spelling?) and WTB saddles. There is a 4th brand but I can't think of the name. I prefer to test the saddles they have first - though am still hoping this saddle works.

I assume the "regular" Diva is the same width? I am going to re-check my sit-bone width in the next couple of days. I just don't believe they are that narrow. If I can feel them on the saddle, then the saddle has to be supporting them...

[Owlie]

Muirenn, how wide is the cutout in back? I'm trying to decide whether this saddle might work. The SI saddle I have is certainly wide enough for my sit bones (131 point-to-point, 151 at the outsides*), but it feels like there isn't quite enough cutout if I want to play around in the drops.

*I'm taking the measurements with a grain of salt, since I used my mom's ancient tape measure. (It's almost as old as I am!)

[nscrbug]

I definitely felt my sitbones supported on the Diva. And it felt fine until I was done biking. Then they hurt EXACTLY as you described! Pretty sure the culprit is the unusual cutout plus a too wide saddle. If your sitbones are at least as narrow as mine, then the cutout and size probably affected your comfort. If they are only 110 mm, then I'm positive! Even on a Diva without a cutout, I suspect you need a much narrower size. The Diva is 160 mm!

Check out this link:

http://www.specialized.com/specs/spe...&cellwidth=350

If you scroll down to the chart, you'll see your recommended saddle is either the 130 or 143. I just bought a 143 and can't believe how perfect it feels. Keep in mind I just got it, but it is so different from the Fizik (155 mm), Terry (160), Diva (says 160, but actually narrower by about 2 cm than the Terry), and SI Lady SLK I tried!

SLK may have been okay except for the fact that the 'split' disappeared when I mounted it to the seatpost. The two halves squished together so there was no cutout. Could sit upright, but couldn't go into the drops, that may have been due to it being an older model though. Not sure. SLK was only 143. But it had other issues obviously.

I actually made playdoh out of flour, (one part salt, two parts flour, mix with water until it's right for modeling) rolled it about an inch thick, covered it with aluminum foil so it wouldn't be sticky, and presto! instant butt mold! Very easy to measure both inside diameter and outside. Keep in mind that when you lean forward, the sitbones come closer together. There are a lot of threads on here that describe the best sitting position. (Oakleaf and Knotted Yet come to mind. Thanks guys, you're info has been priceless!).

Sorry, don't mean to go on and on. I've become saddle-obsessed!

Can you be a bit more specific on the measurements for playdoh? Like...how many cups of flour did you use to get a good butt reading? Would 2 cups of flour and 1 cup of salt (seems like a lot) be sufficient? Thanks!

Linda

[nscrbug]

NSCRBUG,
I notice you have the Lady SLK. Do the two halves of yours end up squishing together resulting in really no cutout? Or was the one I tried a little different? The one I tried was some leftover stock, and did appear to have a narrower 'split' in between the two halves. Other than that, I thought it was a great saddle.

Funny you should ask that...because after I read your post it dawned on me that my SLK does the exact same thing! There is absolutely NO separation of the two halves...whatsoever...so basically, there is NO cut-out. I also started another thread awhile back, about another issue that I was having with my SLK. The left side had started to sag or drop lower than the right side. Did you experience this with your SLK saddle? I know that the 2 sides are supposed to "flex" with the rider's pedal stroke...but it got to the point where I was actually able to feel a "ridge" where the left side had dropped down and it was causing some chaffing and pain. I contacted the place where I bought it (gottaridebikes.com) and mentioned it to them and they suggested that I send it back to their distributor for warranty evaluation. But when I contacted the distributor directly, they made it sound like it was my fault and that the ONLY way the saddle would become uneven like that is if the rails were bent (which they are not). So I never bothered sending it back to them...figuring that they would just tell me there is nothing can do about it anyway. I ended up relegating that saddle to my "back-up" bike for now.

Linda

[withm]

every time I see this thread I think it's yet another Diva Cup thread.

[Veronica]

NSCRBUG,

I notice you have the Lady SLK. Do the two halves of yours end up squishing together resulting in really no cutout? Or was the one I tried a little different? The one I tried was some leftover stock, and did appear to have a narrower 'split' in between the two halves. Other than that, I thought it was a great saddle.

Thanks

Not NSCRBUG, but I have 3 of the SLKs and none of mine squish together as you have described. I spend a hefty chunk of my time down in the drops with no issues. I almost always ride in tri shorts, wet ones during a race so not much padding. Frankly, I wonder if overly padded shorts are the cause of many "saddle" woes.

Veronica