intro and saddle prob

[Suechoccy]

Hi,
This looks like a very supportive and useful forum! I've been out of racing for 20 years, back in my teens I was women's 100 mile time trial champion in the UK but then gave up the sport for many years and now in my mid-40s am having a return to the sport and am really enjoying it.

Got a snazzy PlanetX tt bike and loving being back a part of it all, meeting old friends, making new ones (the UK domestic timetrialling scene is very friendly at grassroots level and a real close community too).

Only got one problem though, fairly common one ... aargh, the saddle. I want to ride a 100 this year but at the moment, I can just about stick 25 miles due to soft tissue pressure/friction and eventual raw spots on front of labia. Owww. Didn't have this problem is 80s but then riding position was slightly different - tribars weren't invented so we had bikes with drop handlebars so maybe we weren't so tilted forward onto front of pelvis maybe? Although I look at an old black-and-white photo of myself and I seem to be as tucked forward, pelvis-wise, as I am now. And I don't have a problem holding the modern triposition either, it doesn't seem extreme - in fact it feels more comfy, with the armrests, than the old drops position did.

Started with a Fizik Rondine, stuck that through about 18 races, 10s and 25s, in hope of "getting used to it" but gave up on it as too hard/narrow a couple of weeks ago.

Tried a borrowed WRB Rocket V (man's saddle) in a 10 and it was lovely. Sadly the man wanted it back and it was an older model. I bought a Rocket V but although it looks the same, it doesn't quite feel the same. Ridden it in a 10 (fine) and a 25 (fidgetting after 15 miles or so, ended up sitting to one side to relieve pressure which is daft when you're supposed to be racing).

Stuck an old 1980s Selle italia Turbo man's saddle that I found in the shed on it last night and sat on it but straightaway knew that was a no-no, too hard and unforgiving a nose.

My touring bike, which I commute on and sometimes do evening 10s on, ha tribars but is a more relaxed position with higher height for the tribars than the tt bike, so pelvic angle probably less acute. I have a cushy, wide, heavy Madison ladies' saddle on it and don't have a problem even over 80 mile training rides.

So I've put that on the PX for tonight's 10. It certainly spoils the aerodynamic looks but if it gives my crotch relief, it will be worth it. No idea if it will work or not... It's very wide at the back so I suspect at 180mm it will interfere with my hips and introduce a new and different problem, but it has a nice wide softly cushioned nose at 5.5-4.5mm.

Any more ideas very welcome. I'm loathe to pay out 40-80 quid to buy saddles that may or may not work, but don't know any places in UK that do a try-before-you-buy scheme. Small comfort is knowing many of my fellow female time triallists have gone through 4, 5, 6 saddles before finding one that works.

I've also tried moving the Rondine and the WTB saddle forwards, backwards, up, down, tilted, level. The WTB has been a partial success and I can possibly work on it a bit more.

I'm wondering if I should relook at the Fizik range, perhaps the Arione, with its 30cm length although the nose looks narrow... the Selle Italia Ladies Gel Flow seems to get good reviews but are those reviews from leisure-ladies or serious racing ladies in tribar position I wonder.

Cheers!

Sue

[papaver]

Professional female cyclists mostly use the Selle Italia Diva Gel flow or the Lady Gel flow. I find the Diva slightly better because it's not too soft.

if you have pain in the front you better point the front of the saddle a little (1/2 cm) downwards...

Hope you'll understand my Dunglish.

[SheFly]

Welcome to TE!

I am also a TT person, although over a much shorter distance than you . On my bike, I use the Fizik Arione and I like it. HOWEVER, it is a bit more rounded on the nose of the saddle, which many claim is pretty uncomfortable. Since my race is so short (9.75 miles), I am usually only on the nose of the saddle anyway. I had DH point the nose slightly lower, and this seems to work for me.

I use the same saddle on my regular racing bike, FWIW, and also find it comfortable there over longer distances.

The issue is that the saddle that works for me might not work for you... There are a few other TT ladies on the forum, so I'm sure that some of them will chime in as well. Good luck!

SheFly

[OakLeaf]

Search this forum on saddle fitting. There's a lot of helpful information on where to start. You can narrow your search quite a bit by knowing:

(1) how wide are your sitbones?
(2) do you need a cut-out, or not (probably more likely in TT position)?
(3) "pear" shaped or "T" shaped?

That information (plus knowing that for long distance performance riding you want something very firm and as light as possible) should get you down to five or six saddles you think you might want to try. IMO the width and length of the nose is fine-tuning.

If many of your sister time-trialists have gone through the search without a trial program being available, then they must have lightly used saddles lying around their basements and garages. What about a team saddle exchange, formal or informal?

Also, in the US, if you order direct from Specialized, you can return the saddle within 30 days if you don't like it. Terry has a similar policy. Check whether they have the same policy in the UK.

[ridebikeme]

Are there any shops in your area that might have a saddle demo program? Lots of shops are incoporating that into their inventory, so hopefully you'll be able to find one.

Congrats for getting back on the bike and racing!!!

[Suechoccy]

Just measured my seatbones by sitting on the floor crouched forward with legs bent. They seem to be 130mm point-to-point.

So does that mean I need a saddle at least 140mm wide, or at least 160 to allow 10mm either side of seatbones?

Sadly the only shop that hires out saddles in Cambridge area only hires out touring/commuting saddles, not racing/tri saddles.

I guess I need a cutout or at least a groove because I'm sitting forward in the tri position.

What's T-shape and pear-shape? Please tell me examples of each and I'll google them.

I think I need a soft padded wide nose too. (Reason being that's when I ride the Madison, it has such a nose and seems comfy on the touring bike).

Of the Selle Italia range, I can see 3 models: Diva Gel, Gel Flow and SLK Gel Flow for women. How wide is the nose (measured across about 1cm back from tip) on these saddles? Are they all the same or are they different? Which has the squishiest nose?

Thanks!

Sue

[SheFly]

I guess I need a cutout or at least a groove because I'm sitting forward in the tri position.

I sit in the Tri/TT position on my TT bike and DO NOT have a cut out on my saddle.

SheFly

[crazycanuck]

Howdy there! I don't to TT's but thought i might post some links that might give a bit more info...

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=25954

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=28949

There's more around, have a peek at the gear section towards the bottom of the forums & you may just find your pot of gold.

I'm off to bed..