saddle, saddle who has a good saddle

[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.

[Dannielle]

I'm new here but thought I'd chime in that I've had my Brooks B66-S since Saturday and it's a dream. An absolute dream. I got the pre-aged antique brown because it matches my bike best and I'm amazed that it's already breaking in nicely. It hasn't even been a week yet! I rode 16 miles on it this morning and barely noticed it under me.

[firelady]

Thanks, I have been seriously thinking about a Brooks saddle but can't figure out if I want a short nose woman's saddle or the longer nosed men's saddle. Then I can't figure out which Brooks I want! Ahhhhhh. I am 6' tall and my sit bones measure 178 mm so I am just over the B17 and the Flyer. I do mostly long distance rides of 20 to 75 miles and most of those are on an "improved" bike path of cinders and limestone grating. I am now riding a Cannondale T2 (touring bike) so am in a moderate forward lean (not upright but not low like a racer). Ever since having children my girl parts are, well shall we say more pronounced then they use to be, so that becomes an issue too (cut out might be nice). Any suggestions are appreciated.

[Biciclista]

Thanks, I have been seriously thinking about a Brooks saddle but can't figure out if I want a short nose woman's saddle or the longer nosed men's saddle. Then I can't figure out which Brooks I want! Ahhhhhh. I am 6' tall and my sit bones measure 178 mm so I am just over the B17 and the Flyer. I do mostly long distance rides of 20 to 75 miles and most of those are on an "improved" bike path of cinders and limestone grating. I am now riding a Cannondale T2 (touring bike) so am in a moderate forward lean (not upright but not low like a racer). Ever since having children my girl parts are, well shall we say more pronounced then they use to be, so that becomes an issue too (cut out might be nice). Any suggestions are appreciated.

I'd strongly advise AGAINST the short nosed saddle unless you're on the back of a tandem. I think it's a terrible misnomer that the short nosed saddles are billed as "women's" when the original reason they made them for women was so that their voluminous dresses did not get caught on the longer nose saddle. So if you're not riding in a full length skirt, you don't need the shorter saddle...

[ny biker]

Thanks, I have been seriously thinking about a Brooks saddle but can't figure out if I want a short nose woman's saddle or the longer nosed men's saddle. Then I can't figure out which Brooks I want! Ahhhhhh. I am 6' tall and my sit bones measure 178 mm so I am just over the B17 and the Flyer. I do mostly long distance rides of 20 to 75 miles and most of those are on an "improved" bike path of cinders and limestone grating. I am now riding a Cannondale T2 (touring bike) so am in a moderate forward lean (not upright but not low like a racer). Ever since having children my girl parts are, well shall we say more pronounced then they use to be, so that becomes an issue too (cut out might be nice). Any suggestions are appreciated.

Have you done the smoosh test?

[KnottedYet]

I am 6' tall and my sit bones measure 178 mm so I am just over the B17 and the Flyer.

You are well over the B17 and the Flyer.

The B17 is 170mm wide, HOWEVER the outer 10 mm on each side is metal cantle plate. You don't want to put your sit bones there. The actual sit bone space on any suspended leather saddle is ALWAYS less than the width.

In the Brooks saddles, the plate is 1 cm wide. Subtract the width of the plate (from both sides) and your sit bones need to fit within that measurement.

(Brooks saddle width) - (2x10mm) > or = (sit bone outside measurement)

So for a B17:
170mm - 20mm needs to be greater than or equal to 178mm

It's not just 8 mm off, it's 28 mm off.



- Now let's do the math with a B68 Imperial -

Saddle width: 210mm

210mm - 20mm = 190mm

190mm is > or = 178mm

Your sit bones will land on suspended leather on a B68 Imperial, clear of the cantle plate.
(also a B66, B67, B72, B18, etc etc etc)

[sundial]

I do mostly long distance rides of 20 to 75 miles and most of those are on an "improved" bike path of cinders and limestone grating.

I have ridden gravel roads with a Brooks sprung and unsprung saddle on my touring bike and I went with a sprung saddle--the Champion Flyer 'S'. It cut down on lower back fatigue considerably on the gravel grinder rides. As for whether to choose a women's saddle vs. a men's saddle, I think part of your decision should be based on your bike geometry. I personally like the women's saddles on the commuter/touring type bikes and the men's saddles on the road/mtb bikes. I do like the long ride comfort of the women's saddles as I have not felt like I'm sitting on the hardware. I personally haven't noticed that my steering is affected by the shorter nose but as others have indicated it could be an issue.

If you can't decide what Brooks saddle is right for you, I would contact Bill at Wallbike and ask for his suggestions. He is quite helpful and will patiently answer all of your questions. Good luck!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

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!

I'm exactly the same. We are sitbone sisters... the widest of them all! lol!
That's why only the Brooks B67 or B68 models fit me.

[KnottedYet]

I'm exactly the same. We are sitbone sisters... the widest of them all! lol!
That's why only the Brooks B67 or B68 models fit me.

Yeah, baby! <virtual high-five>

"We are the champions..."

[Holland]

Hi!

The fact that I dug up this thread from a year ago, oughtta show how desperate I am. After reading for hours, I'm still not finding the answer that applies to me. Pardon me for bringing up this topic again. I need help in choosing a saddle. I don't have a bike yet, I have to find one upon reaching my touring country, Holland. (Long story, I won't get into now.) I figured at least I could bring my own saddle.

I'll be touring around 8 hrs a day, 6x a week, for 2 months. On this site, I've seen a lot of recomendations for Brooks, and bike shop folks have said it generally takes a few weeks to break-in. I only have 2 weeks before I take off, so I don't know if Brooks is ideal for me. What are other saddle suggestions. This is all new for me, please be specific.

Sit bone center-to-center is 14cm or 15cm, hard to tell. I think that translates to 140mm or 150mm. Don't know what else to measure or consider.

Thank you for reading and replying.

[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?