I need a cross between an Arione and ??

[Pommy99]

Hi ladies
I think I know what I want in a saddle....just not sure if it exists. Can anyone help?

I need it to be firm/hard at the back, like an Arione, and similar width, but towards the front, maybe a dip for my lady bits, and a shorter nose, and no cutout.

I have ditched a Selle Atola with cutout that I used for quite a while - cutout very painful. I have been using a Bontrager Inform RXL, which is pretty comfy up front and I've used it solidly non-stop for the last 6 months. I got a new bike in Jan (it came with an Arione, which I sold straight away as I'd ridden an Arione a few times on the turbo and ended up sitting on a towel half way thru!). Because I then had 2 bikes & 1 saddle (and was swapping all the time) I recently grabbed an old Arione that was lying in the garage and put it on the bike for a quick ride. I've now ridden it quite a bit and got to the point where I love the feel of the Arione on my sit bones (compared to the sponginess of the RXL) but it's juts a bit too long and hard on the nose. I think the Arione is the right width for me. A lot of the women's saddles I have seen seem to be padded on the sit bones and I don't want that.

So, is there a saddle for me out there?
Thanks

[Galatea]

I love my Inform RL WSD saddle...so comfy that I don't even know it's there...its very firm and supportive, not spongy at all, no pressure points- comes in 3 diff widths so my sit bones are right where they need to be. Feels great, even for all day outings. I use it for mountain biking; I have been riding this saddle for over a year and wouldn't love my bike as much without it.

I don't know how different it is from the RXL...but maybe worth a try?

[Pommy99]

Hi Galatea, thanks for your reply - sorry I meant I am riding a WSD RL, not an RXL. I have the middle sized one.

I don't dislike the WSD RL but I never realised how much I preferred a harder saddle until I started using the Arione properly. I am 80% happy with the RL but I'm in the market for a new saddle and I am wondering whether to accept that it doesn't get much better than 80% or to try something different.

[Becky]

What about a Selle San Marco Glamour Aspide? Very firm, 155 mm wide across the back, with a depression but no cutout. I'm not sure what the width of an Arione is. Ultimately, the lack of a cutout is what led me to give up on it. I can ride cutout-free until about 40 miles, and then I really need a little extra space there.

Or what about a Vitesse? I believe that's Fizik's womens model.

[Pommy99]

Hi Becky, I had been wondering if the Bontrager I am using is too wide (it's 150 whereas the Arione is 132). I did sit on the butt-ometer for a fitting and was inbetween sizes so I sized up rather than down to the 140. I think the Aspide Glamour would be too wide at 155. I do like the look of the Vitesse but it is also 150 wide - maybe I need to go and look at a Vitesse & Aspide and see for myself.

[kermit]

The men's version of the Selle San marco aspide and arrowhead would probably closer to the width you need.