Selle Italia - saddle widths?

[hulagirl]

There's also the Terry Butterfly, which is shaped/sized exactly like Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow (at least the older models). These two saddles work equally well for me.

The butterfly comes in just around 155 and that doesn't work for me. Something about that one just doesn't fit right.

[Becky]

My SLR Lady Gel Flow is ~155mm. It's a couple years old though...I wonder if they changed it?

[OakLeaf]

Have you confirmed it's not the shape that's a problem for you? The Liberator is very wedge-shaped, and so are the SI saddles you pointed out. Personally I can't even begin to ride the Liberator - it's plenty wide for me in theory, but it's so wedge-shaped that it forces my sitbones well forward of the widest part of the saddle, and I end up with all my weight on my tender parts on the nose.

If you try a much more T-shaped SI Turbomatic let me know how it works for you ...

[hulagirl]

Have you confirmed it's not the shape that's a problem for you? The Liberator is very wedge-shaped, and so are the SI saddles you pointed out. Personally I can't even begin to ride the Liberator - it's plenty wide for me in theory, but it's so wedge-shaped that it forces my sitbones well forward of the widest part of the saddle, and I end up with all my weight on my tender parts on the nose.

If you try a much more T-shaped SI Turbomatic let me know how it works for you ...

The Liberator is great on my bum! First saddle that I've been on that actually allowed me to feel some weight on my seat bones instead of the middle bits. But when I'm in drops, there is too much pressure on the soft bits up front due to the cushy cutout. But it's manageable.

My main issue with the Liberator is the weight. I want a lighter saddle on my road bike. The Liberator is going to shift to my Bike Friday.

I do need something over 155 - probably more in the 160 range. Anything less than that just won't cut it. And I need a cut out. I wish I could try the SMP Plus...but that's a heavy one too.

[emily_in_nc]

The butterfly comes in just around 155 and that doesn't work for me. Something about that one just doesn't fit right.

In that case, I'd avoid the SI Lady Gel Flow, unless the shape has changed quite a bit since the one I bought several years ago. Mine is identical to a Terry Butterfly in shape and size; only the cover and rails are different.

[Becky]

I really like the looks of the SI Turbomatic that Oak posted, so I tried tinkering in Photoshop to compare it to my current SLR Lady Gel Flow.

IMO, it's maybe a tiny bit more t-shaped.... I'm not sure that it's a big enough difference for me to spend the money....

[hulagirl]

I really like the looks of the SI Turbomatic that Oak posted, so I tried tinkering in Photoshop to compare it to my current SLR Lady Gel Flow.

IMO, it's maybe a tiny bit more t-shaped.... I'm not sure that it's a big enough difference for me to spend the money....

I was looking at this one too! But it isn't wide enough. I really, really, really love this one:


Want!

But again, it's only 145.

[Becky]

My SLR Lady Gel Flow is definitely 155. I think they changed it this year to something narrower.

[hulagirl]

When you say the SI Diva is too narrow, are you sure you aren't looking at the SI SLR Lady instead? The pictures look very similar, but the SLR is about 143 mm (or so) and the Diva is 160. The Diva is about 3-5 mm more narrow than the Terry Butterfly (The one that looks just like the SI Lady Gel Flow). I had both the Diva and Butterfly at one time and compared them. I think both are listed as 160.

The Diva should say "Diva" on its nose, and the SLR says "Lady."

Diva: nice and wide. Quite T-shaped.
http://www.amazon.com/Selle-Italia-D.../dp/B001C69O62

SLR: looks very similar in pictures. Much different in person. Almost nowhere for the sits. Much flatter, more narrow than the Diva, huge cutout by comparison; you would have to be both quite narrow center to center, plus be fine-boned. I'm 125 center to center, but can't use this saddle. I'm just too big-boned:

There are places that carry the Diva for much, much less money. I would have kept that saddle, but my sits sank into the moat, as it were, in the middle. The cutout goes back so far and is so wide. My best guess is that you wouldn't have a problem with that, and may like this saddle. It's quite firm compared to the Terry. No 'bits' pressure to speak of.

They need to rename their stuff!

They have a Lady and an SLR Lady. Both with LDY on the front. Dorks! They need to hire a new PR person. LOL!

The SLR is too narrow for me. The Lady and the NEW Diva are in the running. I have the old Diva at around 153. LBS has the new Diva at 160 so I'm going to give that a shot after the triathlon this weekend. The Butterfly I saw listed as narrower than the Diva (155 vs 160 for the New DIVA), so I get so confused.

[Owlie]

This is why I like Specialized. Too bad they don't get a clue and carry the Ruby in 165 or so. I bet they would sell a lot of them.

So now the Terry is more narrow? But there are so many versions!

Or the Jett. The 155 isn't quite wide enough. Still more comfortable than SI saddle I currently have, though.

[OakLeaf]

Just got my Turbomatic (thanks Muirenn!). Tomorrow's ride will tell, but initial observations - it's much more crowned than my Jett, so the effective width is narrower than the 153mm spec. The width is a little borderline for me. At the transition from seat to nose, it flares a bit from top to "skirt." It is a bit more T-shaped than the Jett, but not by a lot - mostly the pictures create that impression because the Turbomatic's nose is a much greater proportion of its overall length than the Jett's.

And it's hard. Whoah. I'm keeping my Allen wrenches handy, wearing one of my more padded pairs of shorts, and we'll see what 56 miles on it does to me tomorrow.

[emily_in_nc]

I was looking at this one too! But it isn't wide enough. I really, really, really love this one:


Want!

But again, it's only 145.

Wow, that is one honking cut out! I am afraid I'd fall all the way through and end up on the road!

Realistically, though, I think that large a cut-out might cause saddle sores/pressure points around the edges since there's just less saddle to perch on. I am a cutout gal for sure, but a smaller cutout distributes my weight better so there's not so much pressure in just a few small points on the saddle.

[Catrin]

Wow, that is one honking cut out! I am afraid I'd fall all the way through and end up on the road!

Realistically, though, I think that large a cut-out might cause saddle sores/pressure points around the edges since there's just less saddle to perch on. I am a cutout gal for sure, but a smaller cutout distributes my weight better so there's not so much pressure in just a few small points on the saddle.

This is what I found - the Diva caused numbness for me because the cutout was too wide and the sides were too narrow. The Lady (not SLR) turned out to have the perfect proportion for length/width of cutout and and support. I was fortunate enough to have an LBS that demos saddles and I tested multiple saddles before testing this one after TE women suggested I try it.

[hulagirl]

In that case, I'd avoid the SI Lady Gel Flow, unless the shape has changed quite a bit since the one I bought several years ago. Mine is identical to a Terry Butterfly in shape and size; only the cover and rails are different.

Thanks for noting this. I'll cross it off my list.