Female Specific Bike Saddle

[KTK]

This is my first time posting on a cycling forum. I am currently studying Product Design at a University in London and for my final project I am designing a road bicycle saddle that is specific to women rather than a male saddle that is adapted to women that are currently on the market.

Do you find your comfortable saddle comfortable?
What model of saddle do you have (if it is comfortable)?
If it is uncomfortable, where does it hurt most when you ride?
How long can you ride for before your saddle starts causing you discomfort?

Your feedback and comments would be greatly appreciated! I would like to create a saddle that all ages and sizes of women would find comfortable! The more feedback I can get from real women who have a passion for cycling, the better!

Thanks for reading and look forward to hearing from you!

[OakLeaf]

Read the threads on saddle fitting and get back to us.

[KTK]

Thanks for getting back to me but I can't seem to find the thread for saddle fitting...where should I be looking?

Any comments on your opinions on your saddle or a saddle you would recommend would be really useful!

[Trek420]

And the entire section "favorite saddles" and "most hated saddles" (which are often the same saddle ) and read nearly everyone's footer.

Also a hearty welcome to TE.

[Cataboo]

Thanks for getting back to me but I can't seem to find the thread for saddle fitting...where should I be looking?

Any comments on your opinions on your saddle or a saddle you would recommend would be really useful!

Most of us in our signatures have a list of bikes with what saddles we use - and really, what you're going to find is that the mystical saddle you want to create that is okay for all women doesn't exist. Saddle fit is very personal, some prefer T shaped, some prefer pear shaped, some prefer a cut out, and definitely most of us prefer different widths. I can use almost any specialized saddle in a 155mm width, and can tolerate a 143 mm width. Without bike shorts, I'll ride a specialized ariel no problem. with bike shorts, it drives me nuts. The beginning of a bike season, I swap a specialized jett saddle on my road bikes - and within a month or so, I switch to the specialized ruby because I don't like padding. I've ridden like 300 miles in 5 days on the specialized ruby with only a reasonable amount of discomfort - bearable, but not terrible.

The type of bike shorts people are wearing varies for what saddles they like, wheter or not they're using body glide or chamois butter, or...

If you go to this section, it starts off with favorite saddles and most hated saddles. REad more and you'll find out more. Use the search function on this site - we've all spent however many years spouting what we find comfortable in a saddle on here, and regurgitating it for you 'cause you don't want to use the search is just gonna make people grumpy That's meant in the nicest possible way, of course.
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/forumdisplay.php?f=72

[moonfroggy]

also do a search for sit bones! that can have a lot to do with what saddle is comfortable for what person

[KTK]

Thank you so much for this information... its really useful!

I totally understand that all women are different and I think this is the perfect place to find out women's opinions!!

I did try to search but I think I underestimated how large this forum is! Its huge! Really useful however and I will check out the suggested searches to find out recommendations and saddles to watch out for!

Thanks again for feedback!

[ny biker]

Thank you so much for this information... its really useful!

I totally understand that all women are different and I think this is the perfect place to find out women's opinions!!

I did try to search but I think I underestimated how large this forum is! Its huge! Really useful however and I will check out the suggested searches to find out recommendations and saddles to watch out for!

Thanks again for feedback!

Sometimes I find it useful to use google to search this forum. For example, putting "teamestrogen.com sit bones" in a google search will give you links to threads on measuring sit bones, among others.

[moonfroggy]

or a better way to use google to search would be

"sit bones" site:http://forums.teamestrogen.com

works great for any forum

[Catrin]

or a better way to use google to search would be

"sit bones" site:http://forums.teamestrogen.com

works great for any forum

Cool, I didn't know that Google could be used in this fashion

KTK, as others have indicated, there are a massive number of posts on this very topic. You will find that the very saddle that works fantastic for one woman, will cause sheer agony for another. Our butts are highly individual and they like what they like. For some women a "woman's specific saddle" doesn't work and a male/unisex saddle does.

I do not think that there will ever be "one" saddle that will work for women - our butts like what they like

[KTK]

thank you for the useful responses...

I think I threw you all with the title! The aim of my project is to look into designing a saddle that is specific to the female anatomy rather than a male saddle that has been adapted for women.

I am trying to start from scratch with women's anatomy in mind. Obviously through extensive research I know that every women (and man) are different! I would like to design a system or product to these requirements.

So if you were to start from nothing do you think the saddle for women would look like the saddle for men?

I have successfully searched through all the threads on saddle and it has been incredibly useful to my research.

Thanks again for comments!

[OakLeaf]

I'm not sure any of us really understands what you mean by a "system."

But if you've read the threads, you know that we haven't been able to formulate a good test for saddle shape (T vs. "pear" or wedge). We're stuck on trial and error there.

I'm inclined to think that there should be a formula based on spacing of the sit bones, Q-angle as approximated by spacing of the knees in a neutral standing position, and perhaps external upper thigh circumference. Possibly the distance between the ischia at some point anterior to the tuberosities could be a factor, too. Or the angle of the ischia, as approximated by measuring the distance between the ischial tuberosities and the pubic symphysis.

If you can come up with a test for saddle shape, that would help LOTS. Even a solid, well-documented conclusion whether fleshy parts affect whether a certain shape of saddle will work for an individual, or whether it's based on bony proportions alone, would be a great start.



PS: This site has life-size top views of a large selection of saddles from Selle Italia, Selle San Marco, Koobi, AX-Lightness and Selle SMP, so you won't have to find actual samples of each of those to measure, in those dimensions, at least. But for other saddles - and for vertical dimensions of those - I don't know a similar resource.

[Rebecca19804]

Hi KTK

Welcome to TE. You are in the right place: TE is absolutely the best source of information and advice about women's cycling issues.

I have successfully searched through all the threads on saddle and it has been incredibly useful to my research.

With respect - you first posted less than 24 hours ago.

When I first started reading all the saddle posts here on TE, it took me DAYS to get through them all. And I was pretty single-minded doing it and I'm sure neglected work, friends, family, errands, housework, in pursuit of every pearl of wisdom about saddle nirvana.

Then I spent WEEKS thinking about what I'd read, comparing my experience, going back and re-searching for posts by TE-ers "most like me"... mulling things over again... doing the online window shopping thing all over again with fresh TE-informed eyes...

All the while, thinking, thinking, and even then...

Frankly... you'll have to forgive me if I look a little askance at your references to "success" and "useful" after less than 1 day.

Don't know what your project deadline is but I suggest you keep reading and then come back, say, after Christmas.

Cataboo was not kidding about "grumpy".

Best regards

Rebecca

P.S. I've just had knee surgery and can't ride my bike. I hate my most beautiful saddle and am ambivalent, to differing degrees, about the ugly ones... frustration + very raw nerve here! But I do hate a lame cop-out.

[OakLeaf]

Methinks that a student of "product design" might be better served trying to design something that doesn't need to conform INTIMATELY to the human anatomy in order to function properly.

But I'd still like to see you come up with a test for saddle shape.

[Trek420]

Don't know what your project deadline is but I suggest you keep reading and then come back, say, after Christmas.

Of what year? And then ... start reading Knott's posts on saddle fit.