Saddle choices

[LoriMikala]

Hi all! Recently got a new saddle Oura and killing my rear. Now trying the Rub and wondering what is the difference. I've been riding for about a year averaging 130-150 miles a week. Previous saddle, never gave me trouble now having. Store keeps telling me to hang in there and it will get better. I'm having a hard time thinking this works, when my under parts are raw. suggestions!

[Jiffer]

It generally doesn't really take too long to know if a saddle doesn't work and I think it's kind of silly for the store to tell you it will get better. It's not THEIR butt! How do THEY know how it feels?!

If it were "questionable" and you weren't really sure if it was the right saddle or not, then more riding would help determine that. But if you are full on sore and never were after riding for a year on a different saddle, then I say it's not going to work.

I don't know anything about the two saddles you are asking about, but I'm sure someone does. However, while you can get bits and pieces of info here, which may be helpful, there's no way anyone can tell you what saddle will be great for you. Everyone is so different and what one person thinks is heaven to sit on, another will think is hell.

I chose my first saddle based purely on aesthetics. Can we say STUPID?! Hey, it was pink and cool looking and went with all my pinkness. I think I just tolerated the discomfort thinking it was just normal for the sport. Finally, after a long and painful century, I decided it was time to start exploring other saddle options.

First I explored every pink saddle option I could find. Even black with a hint of pink on it. There really wasn't much, but I was pretty stubborn and tried to make one or two of them work. Finally, I gave up on the pink. This was HUGE!

I then used what I learned from trying those saddles as well as info I gleaned both on this site and elsewhere to determine other options.

Some LBS stores will let you try out saddles for free, like take them home and really try them out. The most mine would do was let me ride around near the store. Sometimes that was enough, cause like I said, sometimes you just know immediately.

I also purchased a couple from Performance Bike. http://www.performancebike.com/bikes...10052_10551_-1

They have an easy return policy and will take anything back even after it's used. (I'd check to make sure their policy is the same, but when I did it, it was unconditional.) So I bought two or three saddles from them and tried them and sent them back. I found another online store that did the same, but I can't think of their name now. But they had other saddles that Performance Bike didn't have.

Part of my process was determining if I wanted a cut out or no cut out. Don't assume that because you did or didn't like one saddle with a cut out, that you'll always be or not be a cut out person. My previous saddle had a very small cut out. It was so narrow that it actually cut into me in an unpleasant way. I, therefore tried several non-cut out options, yet none of them seemed to be work.

I ended up going with a very large cut out saddle, the Selle San Marco Mantra. This just happens to be the very same saddle my husband rides on, which is kind of bizarre.

One thing I learned while saddle hunting is that there really aren't women specific saddles and men specific saddles. There are "pretty" saddles that are labeled as WSD saddles, but the only thing that makes them WSD is the color and feminine name. There are companies that have lists of women's saddles and lists of men's saddles, but they are really the same saddle with different names and a splotch of red for men and pink for women or whatever. Sometimes the "men's" version might be a tad longer for whatever reason, but typically they are the same. So don't limit yourself to what someone calls a WSD saddle.

Lastly, keep in mind that the more sore you are from trying one or more saddles, the more difficult it can be to assess how the next one really feels. It could actually be great, but you wouldn't know cause you're so sore from a different one. Any time you aren't completely sure a saddle won't work, give it a little more time. Go on a good ride, not just around the neighborhood. I did this once, thinking after a ride around the block that it just MIGHT work, but by the time I came back from a 20 mile ride I knew it wasn't working. I hopped on my husband's bike, which had the Mantra I knew was a strong contender, and it was SO much more pleasant.

I finally stopped hunting and went with the Mantra in black. (Hubby has white, so we don't exactly match!)

I do feel that when it was all said and done, there quite possibly could have been something even better, but at some point I had to say enough was enough and pick something.

[M-Rad]

Hi! I am I'm the same boat as you b/c my fizik is killing me.

I had originally planned on getting an Oura but changed my mind. To begin with the sizing on specialized saddles are strange and dont seem to conform to other saddle manufacturers. Then guy from another LBS told me he thought that Specialized was doing a disservice to people b/c their saddles encourage people to place their sitbones towards the back of the saddle on the most cushy part. He said a good saddle encourages you to sit more forward so that your thighs are at a good angle to get maxium power. He told me that selle smp and fizik saddles have a channel that prevents you from sitting too far back. He said no one really sits on their sit bones as this could be painful.

I tested the selle smp lite 209 and the glider today. On both sadles, my sit bones were more towards the front (at the end of the narrow part just before seat widens). Although I measured a143 at specialized, both these saddles are under 138.

I plan to take the glider out on a 60 mile test ride tomorrow. Will let you know how it goes. Is it your sit bones that bother you or soft tissue?

[le_pharvey]

Hi! I started riding with my husband about two years ago and almost gave up right away because my saddle killed my womanly parts!!! A friend suggested trying a Terry saddle. Although it was pricey I wanted something comfortable. I bought the Butterfly Ti Gel Saddle and combined with Chamois Butter it has made a WORLD of difference!!! Hope it helps!

[goldfinch]

Great job Muirenn.

[mardeebo]

This was very helpful, Murienn...and I have looked at that other thread! I'm switching from a selle italia diva to a specialized oura. My sit bones felt the difference...but my soft tissue was considerably happier after the first ride of about 20 miles. I wonder if my sit bones ever were fully conditioned on that softer, squishier Diva and that's why I'm feeling it now. Thankfully, I have 30 days to try it out.

[ny biker]

One thing I learned while saddle hunting is that there really aren't women specific saddles and men specific saddles. There are "pretty" saddles that are labeled as WSD saddles, but the only thing that makes them WSD is the color and feminine name. There are companies that have lists of women's saddles and lists of men's saddles, but they are really the same saddle with different names and a splotch of red for men and pink for women or whatever. Sometimes the "men's" version might be a tad longer for whatever reason, but typically they are the same. So don't limit yourself to what someone calls a WSD saddle.

I don't know about other manufacturers, but there are differences between the men's and women's saddles made by Bontrager. Beyond the fact that the women's saddles are available in wider sizes, the padding and indentations are different.

It's still possible that a woman would prefer one of the men's saddles or vice versa, but they didn't just add pink to the men's saddles and call them WSD. In fact all of the saddles are black and white.

[nuliajuk]

I don't know about other manufacturers, but there are differences between the men's and women's saddles made by Bontrager. Beyond the fact that the women's saddles are available in wider sizes, the padding and indentations are different.

It's still possible that a woman would prefer one of the men's saddles or vice versa, but they didn't just add pink to the men's saddles and call them WSD. In fact all of the saddles are black and white.

Hear hear! I've recently tried a Bontrager and love it. Unfortunately, it's a model that they've discontinued. I hope whatever they replace it with will be as comfortable.
Most manufacturers make their women's saddles shorter in length and wider at the back than their men's saddles. Why some of those shorter wider saddles will work better for one person than other shorter wider saddles is a mystery to me, but everyone is different, so there's something out there for everyone, I suppose.
Specialized now has a concept where you can take home one of a wall full of red and white demo models and try before you buy. Maybe other saddle manufacturers will soon do something similar.

[KatzPajamas]

I purchased a Terry Butterfly Ladies Cromoly about a month ago and have put 400+ pain-free miles on it. It came highly recommended by my LBS gal, who gave me 30 days to return it. She hasn't steered me wrong yet!