saddle, saddle who has a good saddle

[Biciclista]

Pleasea check our favorite saddles thread:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/forumdisplay.php?f=36

unfortunately there is no one solution. A lot of us have Brooks saddles
and swear by them. A lot of others of us HATE them.
The same can be said of any other saddle out there.

One thing though, you will have to build your ability to ride on ANY saddle.
75 miles at a stretch is not easy at first.. work up to it.

[Reesha]

I'm with Mimi... You have to get your butt calluses! The soft tissues of your rear adjust to the hardness of any bike seat. When I start a season my rear end feels like it got kicked real good. I usually pop 400 mg of ibuprofen and get right back on the bike the next day. I break in my butt.

[ny biker]

Also do a search for threads on measuring your sit bones, so you know how wide your saddle should be.

[KnottedYet]

Measure your sit bones!
(they are made of rami and tuberosities. For now, don't worry, just measure!)

Weight has absolutely NOTHING to do with width of bones or saddle size. It's all about the skeleton!

Measure your bones, tell us your feelings about the stock saddle and what saddle it is, and I guarantee you there will be at LEAST five women with saddle suggestions!

[Trek-chick]

....only your butt knows the answer to that question.

[firelady]

Thanks, was just wondering what was out there these days. I have ridden for over 30 yrs the past 24 on a womans avocet saddle. I have recently purchased a new bike and am looking for a new saddle to go with it. I am 6' tall so have wider bone structure then most women and all men in the hip region. I have ridden TOSRV (dbl century) twice but that was 20 yrs ago and before children. I have found the saddle that worked for long distance rides before children doesn't work for me now (girl parts have changed). I currently have a resprio soft men's saddle but it gave me such saddle sores that I will be off the bike for a week. I also need to raise the saddle up some as my quads were cramping at the 48 mile mark. I have been researching some Brooks saddles but don't know which is the best for long distances (sprung or unsprung) I do have the micro adjust on this bike so I don't think the flyer will work.

[KnottedYet]

The saddle that will work best for long distances is the one that fits you best.

Don't be shy about posting your sit bone measurements. Heck, I've got the widest span of all, and I'm not shy.

SEVEN AND A QUARTER INCHES, EVERYONE!!! LOOK HERE, MINE ARE 185 MM OUTSIDE-TO-OUTSIDE!

As you can imagine, having sit bones wider than most saddles did cause me some difficulty.

Brooks B67 and B68 really and truly fit me. If your span is anything like mine, that's where I'd suggest you start. If you need a cut out, the B68 is available with cut out. Sprung or unsprung is a matter of personal preference. I like sprung best, but that's just me. I don't like short noses (short so skirts don't catch) so I stayed away from the B67-S and B68-S.

For rides of more than 50 miles, my favorite saddle by far is my Brooks B67.

www.wallbike.com gives 6 months free trial on saddles.

[tiva]

Measure your sit bones!
(they are made of rami and tuberosities. For now, don't worry, just measure!)

Weight has absolutely NOTHING to do with width of bones or saddle size. It's all about the skeleton!

Measure your bones, tell us your feelings about the stock saddle and what saddle it is, and I guarantee you there will be at LEAST five women with saddle suggestions!

OK, I'll take you up on this! I'd love some suggestions. Here are my stats:
1. sit bones: 145 mm, center to center
2. cut out: YES--from both the "sitting forward test" and personal experience, I absolutely need cut-outs, the bigger the better
3. riding position: I ride a Cannondale Synapse 5, so a road bike but in a moderately upright position. I've got a short torso. I do go down into the drops fairly often
4. saddles tried so far: I'm using a Serfas Carma road saddle (based on the team estrogen website), which isn't ideal, but by twitching the saddle slightly to one side, I'm not in pain at least (one leg is shorter than the other). The stock Cannondale synapse saddle hurt (no cutout). On my hybrid, I have some cheap squishy serfas with a big cutout that I quite like for that bike
5. price: well, it sure would be nice to stay under $100, and to keep the weight as low as possible--the carmas is 270 grams, and I'd like not to go over that. But the carmas, at 150 mm width, isn't wide enough for me.
6. question: once you have your sit bone measurement, how exactly do you use the printed specs for a given saddle, since they don't tell you how much distance the saddle gives you for your sit bones. Should I add 10 mm (5 mm each side) to a given saddle width? It seems to depend a lot on the shape of the back of the saddle, since the Carma is tapered on the sides, and so while it seems to be 6 inches across, it really isn't on top.

Thanks!

[OakLeaf]

Sounds like you're talking about what we refer to as T-shaped saddles vs. pear or wedge-shaped ones.

If the sides of the saddle are forcing you forward so that you're not sitting on the widest part, you need one that's more T-shaped (i.e. has a sharper transition).

Specialized saddles are some of the most T-shaped moderately priced saddles out there. Their Lithia, Jett and Ruby (listed from squishiest to firmest) come as wide as 155 mm, which might be wide enough for you.

I have an old 155 Lithia I could send you to try... the gel padding is completely worn out and I can almost guarantee that because of that, the cut-out won't work for you, but at least you might be able to figure out whether the width and shape are close enough to try a new one?

[tiva]

Sounds like you're talking about what we refer to as T-shaped saddles vs. pear or wedge-shaped ones.

If the sides of the saddle are forcing you forward so that you're not sitting on the widest part, you need one that's more T-shaped (i.e. has a sharper transition).

I wasn't actually being very clear--I meant that the taper is when you're viewing the saddle from the backside (so the width given by the manufacturer isn't for the very top of the saddle where I sit, but for a bit below the top) rather than when you're viewing the saddle from above (pear vs. t-shape).

Thanks for the generous offer to let me try your old saddle. I might take you up on the offer, but first I'll try to find a similar shape with a larger cutout.