Sitbones measured

[KnottedYet]

Yeah, that was from the bike fit seminar I went to in SF like 3 years ago. It's the one good piece of info I got from the saddle people.

The Trek folks who were working on the prototype "Inform" saddles at the time gave a little presentation on their saddle design. The only other woman there and I were both going "wait a minute, that's not right!" As I recall, the physician there was also somewhat unconvinced.

Later I got a hold of the original research that lead to that design and it was shoddy and poorly done. It was a student project funded by Trek. (if you put a woman on a pressure-pad sensored rounded saddle that is narrow, OF COURSE you will "discover" that she is weightbearing on her pubic rami, she has no other option. So designing a saddle that is meant to wedge up into the arch of the rami is kinda confusing the whole cause/effect thing.) (what they should have done was asked a bunch of women to bring in their favorite saddles, sensored them, and measured both the women and their saddles and the pressure distribution on saddles they liked; rather than putting a bunch of volunteers on the exact same saddle and saying, oh looky, weightbearing on the rami and squishing soft tissue! It must be what all women want!")

The first women's versions of the saddles were roundly hated, and were promptly redesigned. From what little I've heard, the improved design is doing ok.

[Susan]

I was at my LBS today in the afternoon. It's true Muirenn, a 155 Specialized is much wider than the 155 SI SLR.

The specialized dealer would have fitted me onto a 143, but I'm quite convinced that would be too narrow and bought a Ruby 155. From the short ride I did before it started raining again I can't tell if it fits right. It feels definitely wider and I can feel my sitbones on it.

[bismarckgimpy]

Good luck Susan with your Ruby. Let us know how it works for you. I get your post about how different saddles can have the same measurements, but how those measurements can vary from company to company. I'll let you know how the B68 works.

[malkin]

... It must be what all women want!"

*sigh*
I could rant here, because you know it wasn't just this piece of saddle investigation that was conducted like that. It was pretty much everything. I hope things are better for our daughters and their daughters...