Saddle for longer distances?

[Wahine]

According to the website, the saddle that you are showing there is 6.5" wide. That converts to more than 160 mm, which is probably the outside edge measurement of the saddle for shipping purposes, not the width of the supportive area for your sit bones. Having said that, it's pretty wide so you're probably looking for a saddle that is around a 155 mm "width". Since the cut out seems to be helpful to you, you want to look for a saddle with a cut out.

I would agree that you want a firmer saddle than that for longer distances.

By no means do I know every saddle out there but you might want to try to Specialized BG 155 (it might be 153). The Sella Italia Diva looks good. I also really like the profile of the Selle San Marco Aspide Glamour. Unfortunately, none of these saddles are cheap. But the moment you start looking for a "performance" saddle, which is what a lot of the firmer saddles are listed as, you will pay more $$$$$.

I did see this saddle and it is inexpensive but it's about the right width and shape. It might still be too cushy for what you want. But it's much less expensive and might be worth a try. The same saddle is available in an even wider version and has some reviews written here, including a review from a woman that rode RAGBRAI on it.

One word of caution on the cutouts, they tend to break down around the cut away area and when that happens, you'll start to slide forward on the saddle, off the sit bone area and begin putting too much pressure on your hands and bits of your pelvis that are not designed to take pressure. Just watch for that. When I used to ride the Terry cut outs, I had to replace my saddle about once per year. I was riding a lot and much of that time was in the aerobars, so I would expect the average user should get more life out of that saddle than I did.

I hope that helps some.

[murielalex]

Thank you so much! That does give me some ideas to start with, and I'll get my sit bones measured, officially, tomorrow. I'm not worried so much about cost. By June, I should be riding 200+ miles a week, increasing more over the summer, and if I can get a saddle that suits me sooner rather than later, no matter the cost, it will be worth it.

[murielalex]

I measured my sit bones using the playdoh method I read about here (thanks, people!), and it looks like my insides are 76 and my outside are 133. I also did the "do you need a cut out" test I read here, and although not too squished, gonna guess yes for starters.

[murielalex]

It's truly from the outside. I measured five separate times since I had a hard time believing it. My actual hips bones are fairly wide.

EDIT: just re-rolled the playdoh, and it hasn't changed. Center to center is 95.25

[Owlie]

It's truly from the outside. I measured five separate times since I had a hard time believing it. My actual hips bones are fairly wide.

EDIT: just re-rolled the playdoh, and it hasn't changed. Center to center is 95.25

Then you have a ton of options available! I'd say to try looking at men's saddles.

[ny biker]

The Bontrager Affinity WSD comes in 134mm, also. No cutout but there is a divot in the nose.

[murielalex]

Yes, stay away from most women's saddles. Though Specialized in a 130 will work. You can try any of those saddles that are around 130 mm or so. (A lot of mens saddles are 130, 132, 135,... you get the picture. That's the correct range).

Forgive my newbieness, but doesn't 130 in a saddle represent the outside measurement of the saddle? If my sit bones end at 133, wouldn't that be too small? I'm confused.

[Wahine]

Forgive my newbieness, but doesn't 130 in a saddle represent the outside measurement of the saddle? If my sit bones end at 133, wouldn't that be too small? I'm confused.

No, you are right. You want to get a saddle that is at least the same width as the outer measurement, I would even add 2 mm to be on the safe side. But yes, if your sit bones are that narrow you could get away with most men's saddles quite nicely. However, as long as the nose is narrow enough, there is no danger in getting a saddle that is slightly to wide.

[murielalex]

Well, just to update folks. After reading the threads here, I decided to try out a Brooks B17 from Wallbike. I've had it a week now, and after making a couple adjustments, I find it quite comfortable, and I haven't yet tried it out with bike shorts. Today, I did about 20 miles, my longest ride so far. I can't imagine how it will feel after I get it broken in. I know I need to find out how it feels in the 50+ miles range, but for now I feel like one of the lucky ones: found my saddle!