fishboat

Also not a woman..but I played one on TV..no wait..that's not right..

I've purchased a number, like 5-6, saddles for by GF's bikes. While I don't ride them, I get her reviews and if not great, I continue the research into different options. I want her to be comfortable and not just put up with a an uncomfortable or marginally comfortable saddle.

Based on that..the key thing we've discovered is to avoid the typical approach to women's saddles..which is to favor saddles that are a bit wider..in the 140s to 150mm range. It isn't the 140s-150mm that's the issue, rather it's the transition from the wider rear portion of the saddle to the narrow horn. If the mid-horn area (mid-saddle, halfway between the rear edge & front edge of the saddle) is too wide then her thighs hit this region and push her butt forward on the saddle. This sets up a battle between sliding back to sit on the saddle and her legs pushing her forward. This is then followed by multiple adjustments sliding the saddle forward on the seatpost to get her butt to settle in farther back..this doesn't work and shouldn't be done in general as this messes up fitting her saddle properly in relation to the crank.

Once we figured out the mid-horn area is the real problem we abandoned 3-4 saddles we'd tried as they could never possibly work, be adjusted in, no matter how comfortable they were to sit on. Saddles in this group were a couple unknowns(generic Bianchi I had laying around and one other), a Terry Butterfly, and a Specialized Milano.

Her sit-bone width is 108mm. So next we tried a different approach and picked up a Terry Falcon..nope, still too wide in the mid-horn area. Then a Terry Dragonfly (men's saddle, basically the same as a Terry Damselfly, 267mm long by 130mm wide) and this works quite well. Then I ran across the Cobb saddle deal on the Goodwill site(deal is still going at a slightly higher price and as an auction..I picked them up for $25 each) and had to go for a couple of them(she has multiple bikes) as they were such a great deal and spec'd out well. I picked up two Cobb V-Flow saddles. 130mm wide with a narrow mid-horn area. She rode this last weekend for the first time..30 miles..after a couple adjustments she's thinking we have a winner. The Terry Dragonfly is still a very possible option, but between the two (Dragonfly/Damselfly and the V-Flow) I think we've found her saddle(s).

RE: the original poster (OP)...

1) measure your sit bone width. (Google "diy measuring sit bone width" and you'll fine some instructions that probably include tin foil and some carpeted stairs)
2) add 20mm to your measured sit bone width..this will be your ballpark saddle width you should start evaluating. Saddles are generally spec'd by length, width, and weight.
3) Try some saddles and see where you net out.

Also..if you google "women's triathlon saddle forum" you should find a good, long discussion on women's saddles by women triathletes..

oh..and stay away from excessive gel saddles or the gel saddle covers..bad news..waste of money. Minor padding is fine, no padding can be great too. Shape and width are the key factors to comfort.