Back in the saddle search again (or not)

[ny biker]

I've only ever tried one Specialized saddle because my LBS doesn't carry them, and the stores around here that do carry them are not very good at fitting a new saddle on a bike. And I'm never good at doing it myself. The one I tried was a Lithia and it wasn't comfortable. IIRC there was too much pressure on the edges of the cutout.

I tried the Yatra today, on a 28-mile ride. In some ways it was better than the Affinity. The deeper divot on the Yatra -- not a full cut out but a deep indentation -- was more comfortable. My sit bones were very close to the edges of the Yatra but they were on the saddle. But I had chafing problems, especially on the right side. I have a bit of a chafing issue with the Affinity too, on the right side, but not this bad. So at the end of the ride I thought I would be returning it and ordering one of the last Affinities available. Before I put the bike in the car I took a few photos to post here in case anyone else was curious about the Yatra.

On the way home I stopped to get a sandwich and I looked at the photos while I was eating. Oh hey, that saddle doesn't look straight on the bike. It's almost straight but not quite. And that little skew to the left might explain the chafing.

The funny thing is that I always end up with a new saddle being skewed slightly to the left on this bike. You'd think I'd have learned to check that by now. Anyway. If the weather forecast for Wednesday holds, I will test it again then. It will be a shorter ride but better than nothing.

And here are the photos:

[ny biker]

For comparison, here is the Affinity. The surface is flatter, less domed.





Side by side:



By the way the Yatra is also firmer than the Affinity.

[smuggi83]

I've only ever tried one Specialized saddle because my LBS doesn't carry them, and the stores around here that do carry them are not very good at fitting a new saddle on a bike. And I'm never good at doing it myself. The one I tried was a Lithia and it wasn't comfortable. IIRC there was too much pressure on the edges of the cutout.

I tried the Yatra today, on a 28-mile ride. In some ways it was better than the Affinity. The deeper divot on the Yatra -- not a full cut out but a deep indentation -- was more comfortable. My sit bones were very close to the edges of the Yatra but they were on the saddle. But I had chafing problems, especially on the right side. I have a bit of a chafing issue with the Affinity too, on the right side, but not this bad. So at the end of the ride I thought I would be returning it and ordering one of the last Affinities available. Before I put the bike in the car I took a few photos to post here in case anyone else was curious about the Yatra.

On the way home I stopped to get a sandwich and I looked at the photos while I was eating. Oh hey, that saddle doesn't look straight on the bike. It's almost straight but not quite. And that little skew to the left might explain the chafing.

The funny thing is that I always end up with a new saddle being skewed slightly to the left on this bike. You'd think I'd have learned to check that by now. Anyway. If the weather forecast for Wednesday holds, I will test it again then. It will be a shorter ride but better than nothing.

And here are the photos:

Sounds interesting! I have problems with chafing as well when I cycle - Its really killing me! I use lube to prevent this painful thing :-)

[emily_in_nc]

Have you figured out your saddle, NY?

I have been having chafing problems lately riding saddles that I used to love and worked fine for me (basically all the ones in my sig). I attribute this to some changes in my lady bits over time due to menopause. After some research, last night I decided to order a Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow, since it has a larger cutout than my other saddles, which I loved prior to going through menopause. I am hoping that the "bits" just hang into the cutout rather than getting rubbed by the edge of it, which is what I think is happening now. I considered trying a saddle with no cutout at all, but every time I've tried one of those in the past, I've gotten terrible urethral irritation and painful urination after longer rides, and that is not fun. So I've been riding a saddle with a cutout for years now.

I have been using a combination of Doc's chamois cream and Lidocaine gel in the area that bothers me, but that only helps for about the first hour of a ride, so I have to reapply mid-ride, since my rides are typically 2.5+ hours. I used to be fine riding that kind of time without any butters, gels, etc. I would get saddles sores in the "taint" area occasionally, and while I haven't had one of those for a long time, I have burning up front, especially on the right side.

Anyway, we shall see once it arrives (I mail ordered it from the UK since the price was much less, and free shipping to the US!) It's been a long time since I've tried a new saddle, so I am a bit nervous to change, but something has gotta give, and a new saddle is a lot less $$ than a recumbent bike (another solution I came up with).

[ny biker]

After trying the two new Bontrager saddles (Ajna and Yatra), I gave up and ordered one of the last remaining Affinities available. I did a few rides with the Yatra and liked the cutout, but it was uncomfortable in other ways and I ended up with a saddle sore that took a while to go away. I tried the Ajna with the bike on the indoor trainer at the LBS and quickly decided it was no better than the Yatra. We concluded that the problem with both was the dome shape -- the flatter Affinity is a better shape for me. Part of me would like to look for something shaped like the Affinity but with a cutout, but a bigger part has too many other things to spend time and money on. And I've been okay with the Affinity for years now -- it's not perfect it's good enough. Now I'm deciding if I want to buy another one and save it for when this new one wears out.

I vaguely recall trying a Selle Italia Ldy Gel Flo years ago, and it didn't work for me. But I bought it used and put it on the bike myself so the position was probably not quite right. I think Catrin liked the Diva Gel Flow? If it's the same size and shape as the Ldy Gel Flow, it sounds like it could be a good option for you. Good luck!

[emily_in_nc]

I'm looking forward to receiving my Diva (not until mid-month) and trying it out. I really hope I don't have to go through a series of saddles, as that gets very expensive!

The bike I've been riding the most often, my Trek, has a Bontrager Select Fit CRZ+ saddle, original to the bike, so it's a good 10 years old. When I first got the bike (used) in early 2013, the saddle was super comfy, but my body has changed since then, and perhaps the saddle has broken down some as well. I have the same issues on my SI Ldy Gel Flows on my other two bikes, both newer saddles than the Bontrager, though. They are bit harder but irritate the same place on my labia now. This is with shorts (Sugoi) that have always been very good for me.

Glad you are settled with your Affinity, NY. Sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone. I remember a terrible experiment years ago when I decided to try a Terry Damselfly since my Butterfly was heavier and less racy. Most miserable experience ever! Like riding a two-by-four, not to mention giving me a honking saddlesore that took a cortisone injection to relieve. So, since then, I have been loathe to try different saddles. The Ldy Gel Flow is basically exactly the same shape/size/form as the Butterfly, only a little less pricey.

[emily_in_nc]

The Diva has a much bigger cutout, and a lot of people have problems with their inner sitbones breaching the cutout, and becoming weightbearing. Which hurts (I lasted 40 miles on mine before I sent it back).

Otherwise, it's a nice saddle. I can see the Diva working if someone has a lot of space between their inner sitbones.

Interesting! I have no idea as I've never sat on the azz-o-meter, but I've always done better on wider saddles, FWIW. I won't return it if it doesn't work out, since I'm purchasing from the UK, but I might try to sell it on Ebay if it's a complete no go. Fortunately, there are enough good reviews that I figure I have a 50/50 chance of liking it. Crossing fingers!

[emily_in_nc]

So, I finally got my SI Diva saddle, DH installed it, and great weather for a ride today to try it out. One ride is probably not enough to base my opinion on, but so far, so good. It felt good immediately, and a 34.5 mile ride didn't bother my lady bits or sit bones at all. Yippee! I think my post-menopausal lady bits really needed that wide cutout to avoid chafing. Chamois butter just wasn't enough. I'm glad I ordered a new saddle to try before new shorts, as my favorite Sugoi shorts felt fine today.

So, two cautious thumbs up on the Diva!

[wnyrider]

After trying the two new Bontrager saddles (Ajna and Yatra), I gave up and ordered one of the last remaining Affinities available....
We concluded that the problem with both was the dome shape -- the flatter Affinity is a better shape for me. Part of me would like to look for something shaped like the Affinity but with a cutout, ....

ny biker, I hope you find that flatter saddle with a cutout because I would love to have one too! In the meantime, the new Affinity came yesterday. Good news-- it has the same measurement narrowing toward the nose as the old Affinity, but with the wider seat area for my sitbones. The bad news-- it has a shorter seat rails than the Romin or SMP. What this means is that with my setback seatpost, I am a wiggle farther back than I would prefer. I rode for an hour on the trainer and my knee began to object. I would like to keep this seatpost because I have a Brooks B17 that I also use on some shorter rides. Longer rides produce "urethral irritation" (thanks for the proper term Emily) . Might I also be schlepping an extra straight seatpost along?!! Wish that Turbomatic was flatter Muirenn. I am off to the bike shop with my Romin Evo and caliper to once again get measured and check out the Power model. Keeping the new Fizik Luce (large) in mind as well.

[ny biker]

WNYrider, have you looked at the Specialized Riva? I haven't taken a close look at it yet but based on Muirenn's suggestion, it sounds like it has potential. I hope you find something soon.

[ridingfiend]

Are there posts missing in this thread? It looks like someone is talking to themselves. Over and over again.