Bigger Gals(or anyone!) - What Road Bike Seat Do You Love?

[emily_in_nc]

Another one very happy with the Selle Italia Lady (Ldy) Gel Flow, but it's very similar in shape/size/padding to a Terry Butterfly (which I have on my mtb), so if the OP doesn't like a B-fly, she won't like the Gel Flow. It's a very individual thing, and your overall body size has nothing to do with it. I'm a little thing with narrow hips, but I still like my wider saddles!

[Gowest]

I am not a larger girl, and I measure on the small to normal size via sit bone measurement - but I like a wider saddle. I ride the specialized jett 155 and it has been great for me for 3 years now - yeah - it is a wider saddle - but I could care less what it looks like - comfort is queen!!

[DarcyInOregon]

I used to be bigger. When you bike and work out at the gym, you lose the weight. Anyway, I went through saddle discomfort when I was bigger and found the Selle An-Atomica, which is leather with a slot, a version for people over 180 lbs, and the saddle has an adjustment to firm up the leather if necessary. I put a lot of miles on the saddle, lost the weight, wore out the saddle, and bought a new saddle. I've put over 6,000 miles on the bike this year, so you can see I ride a lot. Oh yeah, I ride a Trek Pilot 5.2, and this saddle really works well on the Pilot.

http://www.selleanatomica.com/dollar%20buyer.htm#Titanico_LD_Saddle_Second_Skin_Watershed_Leather_-_$179.98_

You have to scroll around to make sure you view the saddle. There are color choices and the version for heavier cyclists.

The saddle is sort of like a leather Brooks, except for the slot. I can't even say there is a break-in period. Your butt lands on the saddle, and it is a great sigh of "oh yeah isn't this wonderful" and that is how the saddle is.

[Becky]

If the shape of the Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow works, but you need less padding, give the Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow SLR a try. It's firmer, but not rock hard. The Specialized Ruby or Jett would be similar as well...

I keep toying with the idea of a Brooks though

[Bike Chick]

I also like the Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow but had issues with the Terry Butterfly. It's sitting on the workbench not being used I'm not a little girl--I'm about 15 lbs heavier than I would like to be and have a large caboose--and the Selle saddle has worked great for me.

[Catrin]

I also like the Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow but had issues with the Terry Butterfly. It's sitting on the workbench not being used I'm not a little girl--I'm about 15 lbs heavier than I would like to be and have a large caboose--and the Selle saddle has worked great for me.

The size/shape of the cutout matters - of course. I had tried the SI Diva Gel Flow prior to the Ldy and that caused a great deal of numbing in my girly bits - the cutout was too wide and too long. The Lady Gel Flow fits just right Prior to trying the SI saddles I had a Brooks on my bike and that was agonizing - but I must admit it was the B-17 S - perhaps another Brooks model might have worked - but I have no intentions on trying out another one in the foreseeable future though I might change my mind at some point.

I am afraid they are going to change this saddle on me, so I think it a good idea to pick up an extra one or two as I get the chance to do so - I do have another bike coming sometime next year

I also found in my saddle experimentation that almost anything seemed to work with me until my rides got longer than 20 miles. Then all bets were off - it was quite confusing though - but that is how it worked and I was a good deal heavier in the spring then I am now.

[bcipam]

I don't ride with anything else other than the Terry Butterfly Ti. Most comfortable saddle ever... for me.

Saddle are so personal... what works for one big gal might not work for another. There are also so many variables. It might not be your saddle at all but your positioning on the bike instead... is the saddle too far forward, too far back. Tilted up too much, too little. Is it actually your pedal positioning (yes that affects your saddle).

One thing to consider is no saddle is all that comfortable. When riding you should regularly be getting up out of the saddle to adjust, stretch, whatever. In addition, if you aren't riding that much some conditioning is required - I alway call it building up butt calloses.

Anyway I went through 4 very expensive saddles before I landed on Terry's. If your shop let's you borrow saddles, I would take them up on it.