Another bike saddle question (but I'll love you if you answer this)

[WindingRoad]

Ditch the saddle, get something wider in the back. Serfas Niva, Terry Butterfly maybe? Both have a cutout to alleviate the whole 'girl pains' we are all so familiar with. The Niva is super cushy so its great for commuting if you don't want to wear spandex. Make sure to level the saddle when you switch it out. That's always a good place to start.

[macski]

I suggest that you go to a bike shop and get your sit bones measured there - your measurement seems quite high. Most bike shops should have the memory foam thingy for you to sit on and then they calaculate the width of saddle you need to make sure that your sit bones are supported.

I have very wide hips and I need a saddle width of 155.

[Thorn]

While I agree with macski about sitting on a butt-o-meter at a bike shop, there are a handful of women on this board who have sit bone measurements off the edge of statistical normal. For us, it is a Brooks B68 or nothing.

Most bike saddles at that width are poofy tractor saddles. As a vegetarian that leans vegan I couldn't bring myself to go leather. But, after too long and too many wasted saddles, I bought a B68 and never went back.

Wallbike has a generous try it and return it policy on any Brooks saddle. They're expensive, but worth it.

[TrekTheKaty]

I also recommend the B68. However, if it started on longer rides, what shorts are you wearing? Cheap Pearl Izumi's used to do it for me until my rides got about that length--then I switched to SheBeest, and now Louis Garneau Neo.

[hulagirl]

I'm 160 center to center. Bike shop told me I was 150 on their measurement. Went back to another guy - same machine and he told me 155. So take their measurements with a grain of salt.

12 saddles later (or more, I lost count) I think I found my friend. Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow.

160 with a nice cut out. The Diva didn't work for me (155). The Terry Liberator (160) is almost the same as the Lady, but it's super puffy. And heavy. The Lady is not as thick and fits me quite well.

REI carries them and will allow you to return it even used.

Me + Brooks = not going to work. Plus, I don't like the weight of the Brooks. Too heavy for me.

[KnottedYet]

My sits are 180mm.

My saddles are all Brooks: B67 and B68 (NOT "S-short")

Believe me, once you find a saddle that fits, it's miraculous! When you find the magic saddle that "disappears," your whole universe becomes a happier place. (I don't even have to wear shorts with chamois anymore) Buy a spare saddle when you find the perfect one.

BleeckerStreetGirl's experience is very similar to mine. (she also has 180-ish sits)

[tzvia]

It took me a lot of saddles over many years to find one that felt 'right'. Step one you know already, get a measurement- it will at least eliminate those saddles that will never work because they are too narrow, and provide a more fuzzy 'not wider than' size. I want a thin racing saddle, my bones say I need 150ish, and there weren't many slim thinly padded racing saddles that wide not all that long ago. It's getting better, with WSD saddles from most manufactures so you don't have to settle for a tractor seat unless that is what you want. I used to have a Brooks B68 and I liked it a lot. I just could not get over its weight, after spending so much to lighten the bike.. So I tried the mens saddles and they were all too narrow and they did not work well at all. I tried a few WSD saddles (Specialized, Terry and Sella San Marco) and ended up with a Bontrager Inform unisex one that they thankfully make in 154.

If your sit-bones really are in the 170ish area, try that Brooks; they are works of art, beautiful leather, and as they break in they get better and better. Kinda like that well worn pair of jeans that just fit perfect. If you end up more in the 150ish area, you have a wider range of choices. One thing I discovered though. At least in my case, the heavily padded saddles are less comfortable than saddles that are designed to support you by your bones.

Good luck in your search for the ONE.