Selle Italia: Lady Gel Flow vs Diva Gel Flow

[Owlie]

The inner thigh chafing might be a sign that the saddle is too "pear"-shaped (ie, the transition between the nose and the rest of the saddle is too gradual) for your particular anatomy. I mention this because I have the same problem with the SI Lady Gel Flow.

7mm may not seem like a lot, but it can make a big difference. Have you measured your sitbones to make sure that the 153mm is in fact somewhat wider than your sitbones? If you haven't, there are several threads on here telling you how to do it (so you don't have to go to the LBS and sit on the buttometer!).
The other reason for measuring your sitbones with the Diva is the really big cutout--some have a tendency to sink into the cutout, resulting in more pain. (They'll tell you about that once they chime in!) So make sure your sitbones are wider than the width of that cutout. I'm not saying that it won't work, it's just something to be aware of. (This is actually my reason for staying away from the Diva.)

I get the impression that the feel of the saddle otherwise is not all that different from the Lady Gel Flow, though since I haven't tried it, I'll let others comment on it.

Hopefully this helps!

[pinsonp2]

I absolutely could not handle the Diva. I still got chafing. I finally settled on the Specialized BG Ruby (155) and a Jett (155). I can deal with either of those. I think this means for me the Diva was too pear shaped and I needed the more T shaped ones. YMMV

P2

[soretaco]

I got measured tonight using a method I found on another post here. Wooden chair, feet elevated about 8 inches, rocked side to side on a damp paper towel that was between two sheets of paper.

We tried several times and always got numbers in the 142 range (from center to center of the ovals left in the paper). My hubby (as you both said) thinks that the SI is probably ok on width but "flares out too fast" (his words).

I checked out a Jett and Ruby today. The Ruby seems a lot firmer than my current saddle, so I'm a bit iffy about it. The Jett seems like it may be too much padding. I don't to sink in the rear and chafe in the front. The store had neither size in a 155, but with a 30 day return policy, I feel pretty safe in trying both.

Thank you for the input!

ST

[Owlie]

According to Specialized's website, there are two different versions of the Jett, at different prices ($85 vs $110). The cheaper seems to have a bit more padding and chro-moly rails, and the more expensive one seems to be a slightly more padded version of the Ruby.

[soretaco]

I got a Specialized Ruby 143 demo saddle at the LBS. I was reluctant to take it because of my sitbone measurements, but it's basically a free demo, so there was nothing to lose.

It's surprisingly good! I immediately noticed that there is more sitbone pressure vs the Lady Gel Flow but waaay less crotch pressure (yay!).

It did feel like it could go nose down a bit. My hubby tipped the nose down a bit and as you can see, it's not level (slightly tipped down) using a nose/tail measurement, but the middle of the saddle is still not quite level. Should I be leveling this saddle based on the middle?

Thanks,
ST (might be changing my name soon!)

[zoom-zoom]

I had a Lady Gel Flow and had exactly the same issues you had, soretaco. It was both too wide and too pear-shaped for me (and too squishy). I'm on a Specialized Jett 143 and have been much happier, though I am trying to get my hands on a Fizik Donna from my LBS, since it has a channel running the length of the saddle, instead of a cut-out, I have some issues that I attribute to pinching at the front of the cut-out.