SI Diva Gel Flow

[nscrbug]

NSCRBUG,
I notice you have the Lady SLK. Do the two halves of yours end up squishing together resulting in really no cutout? Or was the one I tried a little different? The one I tried was some leftover stock, and did appear to have a narrower 'split' in between the two halves. Other than that, I thought it was a great saddle.

Funny you should ask that...because after I read your post it dawned on me that my SLK does the exact same thing! There is absolutely NO separation of the two halves...whatsoever...so basically, there is NO cut-out. I also started another thread awhile back, about another issue that I was having with my SLK. The left side had started to sag or drop lower than the right side. Did you experience this with your SLK saddle? I know that the 2 sides are supposed to "flex" with the rider's pedal stroke...but it got to the point where I was actually able to feel a "ridge" where the left side had dropped down and it was causing some chaffing and pain. I contacted the place where I bought it (gottaridebikes.com) and mentioned it to them and they suggested that I send it back to their distributor for warranty evaluation. But when I contacted the distributor directly, they made it sound like it was my fault and that the ONLY way the saddle would become uneven like that is if the rails were bent (which they are not). So I never bothered sending it back to them...figuring that they would just tell me there is nothing can do about it anyway. I ended up relegating that saddle to my "back-up" bike for now.

Linda

[KnottedYet]

every time I see this thread I think it's yet another Diva Cup thread.

No! No! AAAAAAAGH!
<fingers in ears> La la la, I'm not listening!

[Catrin]

I figured that today's 40 mile ride would prove one way or the other about this saddle.... and it was fine. NO problems at all after well over 3 hours in the saddle. I am happy.

I guess that my butt just needed to get accustomed to the new kind of saddle! Pity the Brooks didn't work for me, but if I felt this good after 40 miles, then it should work fine for even longer rides.

Thanks for all of the input!

Oakleaf, in the end, I think that you nailed it. I did use a dab of lubrication on that single spot - but frankly I don't know that it was actually needed. I will keep doing that though until I am confident it isn't really needed. Thanks!

[Catrin]

Yeah, the 40 mile ride was fine, but getting a little numbing when riding multiple days in a row. Saw my fitter today and I am going to demo the regular Diva - he thinks the full cutout might be creating more pressure on the sides - and it is true that my stock Trek saddle doesn't cause girly bit issues (it has a cutout - just not a full one).

Fitter also put my bike on his fork-mounted trainer and he spent over an hour measuring and tweaking and measuring some more...come to find out the saddle itself was uneven on the rails - he fixed that. He also moved my saddle up 2 centimeters. It may be the uneven saddle was the culprit - but time will tell tomorrow as I have a 50 mile ride scheduled if the heat doesn't get me first. So time will tell.

[makbike]

I have the Diva saddle on my Orbea Diva and I must admit it is the most comfortable saddle I've ever used. No issues whatsoever with this one. I absolutely love it. I hope the new saddle works for you. Hang in there you will find the one that best works for you.

[Catrin]

I have the Diva saddle on my Orbea Diva and I must admit it is the most comfortable saddle I've ever used. No issues whatsoever with this one. I absolutely love it. I hope the new saddle works for you. Hang in there you will find the one that best works for you.

Thanks - I really hope this works. The Diva Gel Flow feels great regardless of the length of the ride - as long as I skip a day between rides. This is not an option. To prepare for the brevet I really need to ride 4 days a week whenever possible - so I can't skip a day after each ride.

My hands feel great though, even after 4 hours on the bike and without road bars! Arthritis in my palms was the main reason for the conversion and my very upright position. I know that conventional wisdom says that I shouldn't be comfortable over long distances with my bike configuration - but so far so good - and the current saddle is light years more comfy than the Brooks - even on the third day in a row

With 50 miles planned this afternoon - in 94 F heat , a short ride possible tomorrow and a hill ride planned for early Sunday morning - I will know by the end of the weekend what effect the changes had.

[kermit]

Take a look in the favorite saddles thread. I wrote about my max flite after trying all the women's specific wider saddles. I am really happy with it.

[Catrin]

Has anyone noticed if the regular Diva is slightly more pear-shaped than the Gel Flow? I am now testing the regular Diva and it looks that way to me. However it could be an optical illusion as well.

It was fine for a 25 mile ride - but that was just 25 miles. Tomorrow is a 50 mile ride, and the third day of riding in a row - so that should tell me something. The gel flow was fine as long as I took a day between rides... no numbness the first day regardless of distance, a little bit the second day... LOTs on the third. We will see.

[KnottedYet]

Has anyone noticed if the regular Diva is slightly more pear-shaped than the Gel Flow? I am now testing the regular Diva and it looks that way to me. However it could be an optical illusion as well.

Pear or T only matters if you have a problem with the saddle when you ride.

The ride reveals all!

Ride lots. (of times. of bikes. of saddles.)

[Catrin]

Have you ever tried Specialized?
Just hope you don't end up feeling obligated to buy from them even if they don't have what you need.

Good luck on:

As the Saddle Turns, the Ongoing Saga

The Gel Flow was almost perfect - it was the multi-day consecutive rides that revealed the problem. My fitter wonders if the cut-out added just enough pressure to the sides to cause the problem that did develop.

They also demo Fisik(spelling?) and WTB saddles.

Pear or T only matters if you have a problem with the saddle when you ride.

The ride reveals all!

Ride lots. (of times. of bikes. of saddles.)

Indeed Today is the 4th riding day in a row with the most mileage. Yesterday I was aware of the saddle when I started but at some point it seemed to disappear beneath me. Felt great when ride was over - but just 25 miles. 50 miles today will reveal more

[KnottedYet]

I like Fizik saddles. Can't remember which one I had, but it was the very best of the saddles that didn't fit me right.

It was less wrong than the others? Ummm, not as bad?

Anyway, if I couldn't have a leather saddle I'd probably be looking for another Fizik. Even though it didn't fit, there was almost no padding so my c-to-c was able to juuuuuust get onto the saddle. No squishing, but minimal sit bone contact and it was easy to miss the saddle when I scootched around.

[Catrin]

The Fizik I had was too wide and I ended up sliding forward until my crotch rested on the neck of the saddle.

Today did 4:40 in the saddle and this saddle was better. Not saddle "nirvana" after that long in the saddle (not that I expected it to be), but better. We will see how it feels tomorrow if I am not too sore to ride after today.

[Catrin]

I like Fizik saddles. Can't remember which one I had, but it was the very best of the saddles that didn't fit me right.

It was less wrong than the others? Ummm, not as bad?

Anyway, if I couldn't have a leather saddle I'd probably be looking for another Fizik. Even though it didn't fit, there was almost no padding so my c-to-c was able to juuuuuust get onto the saddle. No squishing, but minimal sit bone contact and it was easy to miss the saddle when I scootched around.

I noted also today that my LBS had a SI Flite demo saddle. I could try one of the Fizik saddles if my SI experiment fails.

I do have a little soft tissue soreness after today's ride - but I was in the saddle a long time. There are much longer rides to come...and at some point I figure there will be discomfort regardless of the saddle. No numbness at all though - which is an improvement. This could be the chamois though, all of my shorts have the same PI 3D chamois, I need to try a thinner version.

[Catrin]

I have ordered the SI Lady Gel Flow - I think that it will work for me.

[malkin]

I'm just wondering if the people that came up with the name "Lady Gel Flow" are the same people that came up with the name for the "iPad."

Sorry. I know. I am incorrigible.