SI Diva Gel Flow

[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.

[Catrin]

I just measured myself with the play-dough method. Apparently my original fitter was wrong about this as well - instead of being 110 mm, they are actually 133.5 mm, or 5.25 inches. That is closer to the Gel Flow.

I did notice that my sit-bones are not in line with each other - so my measuring tape was angled to reach from center to center. I also measured without angling the tape and it was extremely close to the same measurement of course.

I had a ride tonight, though it was the shortest ride I've had on that saddle it was much more comfortable afterwards - indeed I noticed no pressure at all while riding and no repeat of Monday's...problem. However it was only 10 miles, so will see what happens this weekend.

Owlie, the cutout in the back is right at 4 inches. Does that help?

Diva Cup info here Glad that a rather large surgery two years ago removed this concern for me

[withm]

Diva Cup. Diva Cup.

Should I know what that is?

My imagination is coming up with some interesting ideas.

LOL it's an alternative to Tampax. There are MANY threads about this. Fortunately I no longer have any use for these things

[Catrin]

Yes, I googled it after I posted. Eeeu! Gross. I can't believe I made it 40 years without ever hearing about this. But I guess they are often used after pregnancy? I don't have any children.

Diva Cup. The mind boggles. No offense to anyone, but sounds gross!

It does, doesn't it?

[KnottedYet]

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

No! No! AAAAAAAGH!
<fingers in ears> La la la, I'm not listening!

[Catrin]

I figured that today's 40 mile ride would prove one way or the other about this saddle.... and it was fine. NO problems at all after well over 3 hours in the saddle. I am happy.

I guess that my butt just needed to get accustomed to the new kind of saddle! Pity the Brooks didn't work for me, but if I felt this good after 40 miles, then it should work fine for even longer rides.

Thanks for all of the input!

Oakleaf, in the end, I think that you nailed it. I did use a dab of lubrication on that single spot - but frankly I don't know that it was actually needed. I will keep doing that though until I am confident it isn't really needed. Thanks!

[Catrin]

Yeah, the 40 mile ride was fine, but getting a little numbing when riding multiple days in a row. Saw my fitter today and I am going to demo the regular Diva - he thinks the full cutout might be creating more pressure on the sides - and it is true that my stock Trek saddle doesn't cause girly bit issues (it has a cutout - just not a full one).

Fitter also put my bike on his fork-mounted trainer and he spent over an hour measuring and tweaking and measuring some more...come to find out the saddle itself was uneven on the rails - he fixed that. He also moved my saddle up 2 centimeters. It may be the uneven saddle was the culprit - but time will tell tomorrow as I have a 50 mile ride scheduled if the heat doesn't get me first. So time will tell.

[makbike]

I have the Diva saddle on my Orbea Diva and I must admit it is the most comfortable saddle I've ever used. No issues whatsoever with this one. I absolutely love it. I hope the new saddle works for you. Hang in there you will find the one that best works for you.

[Catrin]

I have the Diva saddle on my Orbea Diva and I must admit it is the most comfortable saddle I've ever used. No issues whatsoever with this one. I absolutely love it. I hope the new saddle works for you. Hang in there you will find the one that best works for you.

Thanks - I really hope this works. The Diva Gel Flow feels great regardless of the length of the ride - as long as I skip a day between rides. This is not an option. To prepare for the brevet I really need to ride 4 days a week whenever possible - so I can't skip a day after each ride.

My hands feel great though, even after 4 hours on the bike and without road bars! Arthritis in my palms was the main reason for the conversion and my very upright position. I know that conventional wisdom says that I shouldn't be comfortable over long distances with my bike configuration - but so far so good - and the current saddle is light years more comfy than the Brooks - even on the third day in a row

With 50 miles planned this afternoon - in 94 F heat , a short ride possible tomorrow and a hill ride planned for early Sunday morning - I will know by the end of the weekend what effect the changes had.

[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