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

[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.

[ArgyleDinosaur]

Thank you to everyone for the suggestions!
Someone had mentioned going to the shop and sitting on a memory foam measurement contraption at the bike shop and I thought "I have a yoga mat that is pretty squishy maybe I'll use that to double check my earlier measurement attempt... Brilliant!"
So, I've come back with new measurements of about 160mm (boy, was I off) but I plan to stop by my local bike shop to use their measurement machine and take a look at some of the saddles you ladies recommended to me.

[grey]

Good luck! I'm still in the middle of the Search for the Perfect Saddle. I have one now that "works" and I seem ok after 52 miles this morning but I have the nose tilted down a little. For me the cutout is a MUST - my girl parts are happy but now my butt is sore (on only one side????).

My LBS offered a $50 unlimited saddle try-out/fitting using the trainer - I thought about it but realized some problems don't show up until you've been out there for 20 miles - that's when my foot started to go numb and I had to adjust the saddle (no more numb!).

So for the same $50, I bought a gently used saddle from the 'for sale' section of this forum. I decided if it didn't work, I could re-sell it after I'd put 100 miles on it and try another from someone else on the forum - you'll see saddles show up from time to time. We almost should have a "Saddle Exchange" system set up.

[Ms. Knotty]

I am back on my mountain bike and looking for a road bike. I rode the MTB yesterday for 13 miles with my 6 year old on the trainer (which translates to not being able to stand much to alleviate pain). By the end, the girl parts were sooo not happy. The information here has been really helpful, just wondered if any of you could make suggestions about MTB saddles? I added a gel cover and am wondering if that made it worse, as I had no problem when we rode a few weeks ago. My instincts have also been telling me that I need to lower the front part of the saddle too. Am going to try that first and see how that works.